BioOne.org will be down briefly for maintenance on 14 May 2025 between 18:00-22:00 Pacific Time US. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Registered users receive a variety of benefits including the ability to customize email alerts, create favorite journals list, and save searches.
Please note that a BioOne web account does not automatically grant access to full-text content. An institutional or society member subscription is required to view non-Open Access content.
Contact helpdesk@bioone.org with any questions.
A review of Lucaina Dugès, 1879 with illustrations of diagnostic characters, distribution maps, and an identification key to the species is presented. Lucaina schini Dugès, 1879, Lucaina discoidalisHorn, 1885, and Lucaina marginataGorham, 1884 are redescribed, and their status as valid species is confirmed. Macrolygistopterus bajacalifornicus (Zaragoza, 2003) is transferred to Lucaina bajacalifornica (Zaragoza, 2003), new combination. Lucaina greeni Ferreira and Ivie, new species and Lucaina milleri Ferreira and Ivie, new species are described. Lectotypes and paralectotypes are designated for L. marginataGorham, 1884, L. schini Dugès, 1879, and L. discoidalisHorn, 1885.
Onthophagus skelleyi Sánchez-Huerta, Zunino, and Halffter, new species, of the chevrolati species-group, hippopotamus line and complex, is described and illustrated. To the best of our knowledge, all of the species in this complex are associated with rodent (Geomyidae) burrows. The new species was found in northern Querétaro, Mexico, in the northeastern portion of the distribution area of the hippopotamus complex. The affinity of O. skelleyi with Onthophagus coproides Horn and Onthophagus hippopotamus Harold are discussed. An updated key to the species of the hippopotamus complex is also provided.
A variety of arthropods employ camouflage as bird droppings to avoid predation. We briefly review these cases and describe two new species of the buprestid genus Agrilus Curtis, 1825 that we hypothesize to be among them. Agrilus ornithocoprus Hespenheide andWestcott, new species, and Agrilus avifaecus Hespenheide and Westcott, new species, are described from specimens collected in Mexico. Agrilus albicollis (Waterhouse, 1887) from Jamaica also resembles a bird dropping.
Non-overlapping distributions of closely related species can be explained by two mechanisms, either niche divergence or vicariance in the absence of niche differentiation. We assess which of these mechanisms is the most likely cause of the disjunct distributions of three closely related species of Lachnaia Dejean, 1836 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on the Iberian Peninsula.We estimated the three species' climatic niches, compared them using multivariate analysis, and projected their potential distributions under climatic conditions during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) around 20,000 years ago. Lachnaia tristigma (Lacordaire, 1848) and Lachnaia pseudobarathraea (Daniel and Daniel, 1898) hardly differ in their climatic niches. The temperature ranges are similar among the three species, but Lachnaia gallaecaBaselga and Ruíz-García, 2007 occupies a fraction of the environmental space with higher precipitation. The three climatic niches present a broad overlap, which does not suggest speciation events driven by niche differentiation. In turn, the projection of their climatic envelopes to the LGM conditions shows that their potential distributions are compatible with the existence of different glacial refugia for each species. Therefore, we hypothesize that the contraction of species ranges during LGM and subsequent vicariance could have been a major mechanism behind the disjunct distributions that we observe in the present.
As a result of recent entomological fieldwork undertaken in southern Africa, detailed new country records are reported for 10 species of scarabaeine dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae). Six species in five genera (Copris Geoffroy, Catharsius De Geer, Heliocopris Hope, Hamonthophagus Roggero, Dierkens, Barbero, and Palestrini, and Proagoderus van Lansberge) belonging to two tribes are newly recorded from Swaziland. Four species in three genera (Copridaspidus Boucomont, Diastellopalpus van Lansberge, and Scaptocnemis Péringuey) belonging to three tribes are newly recorded from Zambia. Detailed faunistic records containing habitat and temporal data are of importance in documenting the biodiversity of the understudied countries involved, and in enhancing knowledge of the distribution of these beetles on the African continent.
Based upon adults reared from dead wood collected in Connecticut and nearby states, larval hosts for 58 species of Cerambycidae in the subfamilies Parandrinae, Prioninae, Lepturinae, Spondylidinae, and Cerambycinae are reported. New hosts were discovered for 34 (58.6% of total) of the species. In all, 1,892 adults were reared to document 170 host associations, including 87 (51.2% of total) new host plant records. Neoclytus acuminatus acuminatus (Fabricius) had the broadest host range with 30 fully identified hosts, followed by Xylotrechus colonus (Fabricius) with 13 hosts; the remaining 56 species developed in seven or fewer hosts. Cerambycid adults emerged from 62 woody species in 33 genera distributed among 20 plant families. The number of known host families for each species usually is given, along with comments about questionable host records. Evaluation of host records and suggestions for improved reporting are discussed.
Larvae of Liogenys suturalis (Blanchard, 1851) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) are often found feeding on the roots of plants in the central-western region of Brazil where it is major crop pest. Herein we describe the third instar and investigate the mating behavior of L. suturalis. Adult insects were collected with light traps from September to December during 2011–2014 at the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul, in Aquidauana and Cassilândia, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. In the laboratory, eggs were gathered from ovipositing females and used to initiate a rearing system to obtain third instars. The larvae were preserved in alcohol prior to preparing the description. Mating pairs were formed to observe mating behavior. Adults mated from 18:00 to 23:00 h, and a higher number of matings was observed between 18:00 and 20:00 h. Adults were found in the field feeding on leaves of Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi (Anacardiaceae).
On the basis of literature research and specimens gathered during Polish zoological expeditions to the Middle Nile Valley, a catalogue of the Nubian Tenebrionidae was compiled with 46 species and subspecies belonging to 28 genera. New distribution records for 17 species are listed, nine of which, Adesmia (Oteroscelopsis) dilatata (Klug, 1830), Pimelia (Pimelia) angulata angulata (Fabricius, 1775), Pimelia (Pimelia) derasa derasa Klug, 1830, Trachyderma (Trachyderma) genei Solier, 1836, Zophosis (Oculosis) abbreviata Solier, 1834, Adavius nodieri (Fairmaire, 1893), Gonocephalum (Gonocephalum) inaequale inermipes Gridelli, 1945, Mesomorphus colasiKaszab, 1963, and Neocaedius aegyptiacus (Mulsant and Rey, 1859), are recorded in this region for the first time.
The pectoralis species-group of Nearctic PachybrachisChevrolat, 1836 is defined and revised. The group is composed of seven species: Pachybrachis clarki Barney, Pachybrachis diversus Fall, Pachybrachis obsoletus Suffrian, Pachybrachis peccans Suffrian, Pachybrachis pectoralis (F. E. Melsheimer), Pachybrachis sobrinus Haldeman, and Pachybrachis tridens (F. E. Melsheimer). Pachybrachis sobrinus Haldeman is elevated to full species status (revised status), while Pachybrachys sticticus Blatchley and Pachybrachys oculatus Suffrian are designated as synonyms of P. sobrinus. Lectotypes are designated for Cryptocephalus pectoralis Melsheimer, P. sobrinus, Pachybrachys sticticus Blatchley, Cryptocephalus tridens Melsheimer, Cryptocephalus flavicornis Melsheimer, Pachybrachis mollis Haldeman, and Pachybrachys diversus Fall. Thirty-six new state records are confirmed. A key to species is given, and a description, figure, and range map is presented for each species.
Athoplastus Johnson and Etzler, new genus, is described for two species formerly in Ctenicera Latreille, 1829: Athoplastus acutus (Knull, 1946), new combination, and Athoplastus rainieri (Van Dyke, 1932) new combination; and two new species occurring in the Pacific Northwest region of the USA. Athoplastus lochsa Etzler and Johnson, new species, from northern Idaho and Athoplastus palouse Etzler and Johnson, new species, from easternWashington and northern Idaho are described. The larva of A. acutus is described, matching Montana adults with COI barcoding. Cool-season vernal activity observations on ethology, habitat, and phenology are provided. Taxonomic comparisons are also given.
Highway-associated, lentic freshwater habitats are ubiquitous throughout the landscape of the southern USA and support diverse assemblages of aquatic insects. However, because of their generally small size, dynamic hydro-period, and disturbed nature, these habitats are often overlooked by naturalists, and subsequently faunal surveys are rare. This work addressed this knowledge gap by specifically surveying for a common and widespread group of beetles within these habitats, predaceous diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Semi-permanent and ephemeral freshwater habitats associated with two major state highways and one interstate highway were sampled in early and late summer of 2009 within a 40-km radius of Hattiesburg, MS. Among 15 tire ruts, 18 ditches, and 30 ponds, we collected 861 adult and 545 larval dytiscids representing 18 different species. Our findings suggest that highway-associated, freshwater habitats may act as important habitat and dispersal “stepping-stones” for certain species of dytiscids in the landscape and likely play a part in maintaining the metapopulations and regional biodiversity of these taxa.
Megacerus westcotti Romero, new species, is described and figured. A key to the 32 Mexican species of Megacerus Fåhraeus is presented, and new host and distribution records are given for species in the genus. Megacerus centralis (Pic) is redescribed.
We aimed to verify how distinct habitats (forest, cerrado, rupestrian field, and introduced pasture) and attractive baits contribute to histerid beetle distribution in the Serra de São José, Brazil. Beetles were sampled using baited pitfall traps (50 g of omnivore dung, bovine dung, or bovine carcass), resulting in the collection of 1,129 individuals representing 22 species. Histerid diversity was reduced in areas with low vegetation complexity, where we also observed a high dominance of Hister cavifrons Marseul. Meanwhile, Euspilotus excavata Arriagada was abundant and exclusive in the forest. Habitats exhibited distinct histerid communities according to a ANOSIM test, but the same test failed to find that baits attracted different “communities” of species. These results highlight the simplification process acting after habitat degradation, with a prevalence for common species with a large geographic distribution. Our results also show the importance of habitat diversity at the landscape level to histerid biodiversity in the Neotropics.
The cosmopolitan beetle Necrobia violacea (Linnaeus) (Cleridae), formerly thought adventive in the New World through European trade, is reported from a sealed assemblage within the skull of a western camel (Camelops hesternus Leidy, Camelidae) from the famous Rancho La Brea Tar Pits in southern California and radiocarbon dated to approximately 44,000 years ago. The biogeographical significance of this find is discussed in the context of other pre-Columbian records of members of the genus Necrobia Olivier.
Population ecological and monitoring results are presented for the endangered Ohlone tiger beetle, Cicindela ohlone Freitag and Kavanaugh, at six study sites near Santa Cruz, CA, covering the years 2000 through 2017. Mapping of larval burrows and nearest neighbor analysis found a highly clumped distribution pattern. The numbers of both larvae and adults exhibited substantial year-to-year fluctuations. The range of adult seasonal activity varied over the years, with extreme dates from 13 January to 21 May. Daily, study period, and generation population sizes of adults were estimated using three absolute population estimation methods: capture-recapture; frequency of capture; and repeated counts along fixed belt transect routes throughout the entire adult activity period. In a 12-day capture-recapture study, daily population estimates using four different models ranged from 35 to 146 adults, with estimated average life spans of 3.0–7.2 days. Estimated adult generation sizes using belt transect counts over the 18 years ranged from 136 to 1,025 at Glenwood, 139 to 1,000 at Marshall Field, 284 to 944 at Grey Whale, and 504 to 1,808 at Moore Creek. Temporal trends in generation sizes at these four sites were associated with land use and habitat management activities, including grazing, controlled burns, and trail use by hikers and bikers, plus annual and seasonal precipitation amounts. Results of these studies suggest that both larvae and adults should be monitored as part of adaptive management programs specifically designed for this endangered beetle.
We evaluated the larval host plant specificity of Cerambycidae in a tropical lowland rainforest in Panama.Beetleswere reared from standardized timber baits of freshly-cut wood exposed for 35 days to ovipositing females in the Galeta Island Protected Area, Colón province, Panama. Baits from six species of woody plants belonging to five families yielded 109 longhorn beetles, representing 11 species in nine genera.Host specificity was low,with themajority of longhorn species reared fromwood of more than one plant family. Only the genus Inga Mill. (Fabaceae) hosted a possibly specialized species (Cosmotoma fasciata Fisher). Longhorn abundance and diversity were highest in Gustavia superba (Kunth) O. Berg (Lecythidaceae). Most adults emerged four and six months after the timber baits were exposed. Fifty-seven percent of longhorn beetles were reared from low wood density trees (400–460 kg/m3); we do not have enough data to propose reliable wood density preferences for other cerambycids reared in this study. More rearing samples will be required to support the results shown in this paper.
Reclamation of salinity-affected land for intensive agricultural production represents a highly promising pathway towards feeding our increasing global population. Nonetheless, biodiversity and ecosystem service responses to agricultural intensification in desalinized landscapes remain poorly understood. In our study, we analyzed long-term diversity responses of carabids as important pest control agents to agricultural intensification in desalinized landscapes by comparing data from 1997 and 2014, and we analyzed the potential role of field-margins as beetle refuge habitats. Despite agricultural intensification, carabid species richness increased significantly following desalinization, with this increase being chiefly limited to field margins. Carabid assemblages also showed a dramatic temporal species turnover, leading towards a species-rich, homogeneous community dominated by generalists. Therefore, we believe that desalinization triggered positive regional diversity responses despite simultaneous agricultural intensification, with semi-natural field margins playing an increasingly important role as local diversity hotspots. Nonetheless, the highly uniform composition of the generalist beetle assemblages and its potential implications for ecosystem functioning require further scrutiny, and the targeted management of semi-natural habitats appears crucial to optimize farmland biodiversity and associated ecosystem services in desalinized agricultural landscapes.
The genus Xyleborus Eichhoff is the most diverse and complex of the subtribe Xyleborina. There are economically important species within this group, and, given its growing interest, it is necessary to create taxonomic tools to facilitate their identification. Therefore, the present research was focused on the study of the spermathecal capsule. This structure was analyzed in 15 Xyleborus species present in Mexico. Euwallacea posticus (Eichhoff) was included in the study because it was previously part of the genus Xyleborus. Five types of spermathecae were defined within the genus, and all 16 Mexican species have evident differences that allow species separation, including those that are closely related. Distinctive morphological characteristics of the spermathecae are the collum, cornu, nodulus, middle constriction, and general shape.
A survey of weevils (Curculionidae) in Tayma Province, located in the northwestern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), yielded additional new country records. Eight species are reported for the first time from the KSA, along with two other previously recorded species.
Eleven species of lady beetles (Coccinellidae) from Sindh Province, Pakistan are diagnosed: Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus, Coccinella undecimpunctata Linnaeus, Coccinella transversalis Fabricius, Harmonia dimidiata (Fabricius), Hippodamia variegata (Goeze), Menochilus sexmaculata (Fabricius), Oenopia mimicaWeise, Micraspis allardi (Mulsant), Psyllobora bisoctonotata (Mulsant), Bulaea lichatschovii (Hummel), and Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (Linnaeus). Diagnostic characters of selected genera and the 11 species are provided. The present study is the first detailed documentation of lady beetles of the tribe Coccinellini from Sindh Province.
This article is only available to subscribers. It is not available for individual sale.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have
purchased or subscribe to this BioOne eBook Collection. You are receiving
this notice because your organization may not have this eBook access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users-please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
Additional information about institution subscriptions can be foundhere