The preimaginal stages of Galerita ruficollis Dejean, 1825 and the position of the tribe Galeritini in the classification of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae).

Kirill V Makarov,Andrey V Matalin

doi:10.3897/zookeys.1044.63085

Abstract

The complete development cycle of Galerita (Galerita) ruficollis Dejean, 1825 was studied for the first time. In laboratory, at a temperature of 22 °C and long-day conditions, the development from egg to adult lasted 58–60 days. The development of the third instar larva lasted particularly long (on average, 19 days), and the most intense increase in biomass (from 20 to 100 mg) was observed at that phase as well. The extended embryonic development (11–20 days) and the relatively short development time of the third instar larva were found to be characteristic of G. ruficollis. The bifurcated protrusion of the anterior edge of the head was proven to represent an outgrowth of the frontal sclerite (frontale), but not of the nasale, as believed previously. The chaetotaxy of Galerita larvae is described in detail for the first time.Based on larval features, the monophyly of the Galeritini + Dryptini group is confirmed. Based on the morphology of the larvae and pupae, this group can be suggested as occupying a separate position within the Truncatipennia, possibly being related to the assemblage that includes Pterostichini, Harpalini, Licinini, Chlaenini, and Platynini. The monophyly of Zuphiitae (sensu Erwin and Sims 1984; Erwin 1985) and the Zuphiitae clade (sensu Ober and Maddison 2008) is confirmed.

Highlights

The larvae of ground beetles have been studied for almost 200 years, and at present, they have been described from all continents except Antarctica
The eggs laid in mud cells developed successfully, while in the second period all eggs were laid without mud cells and perished
In the Southern Hemisphere the larvae and pupae of Galerita carbonaria Mannerheim, 1837 and Galerita brasiliense Dejean, 1826 were found in Brazil from October to February (Costa et al 1988), while the third instar larvae of Trichognathus marginipennis Latreille, 1829 were collected in Paraguay in November and April (Arndt and Drechsel 1998), but in Brazil they were found in late July

Summary

Introduction

The larvae of ground beetles have been studied for almost 200 years, and at present, they have been described from all continents except Antarctica. The preimaginal stages of ground beetles of the temperate zones of Eurasia and North America have been investigated most fully, while information on the Carabidae larvae of the tropical and subtropical regions of both the Old and the New World is especially fragmentary. A significant contribution to the knowledge of the larvae of Carabidae was made by Terry Irwin, who was the first to describe the larvae from such genera as Brachinus Weber, 1801 (Erwin 1966, 1967), Eurycoleus Chaudoir, 1848 (Erwin 1975); Enceladus Bonelli, 1813 (Erwin 1978), Agra Fabricius, 1801 (Arndt et al 2001), Askalaphium Liebke, 1938 (Erwin and Medina 2003), Pheropsophus Solier, 1833 and Stenaptinus Maindron, 1906 (Frank et al 2009), Leptotrachelus Latreille, 1829 (Erwin and White 2012). He pioneered the publication of a synopsis of the immature stages of the tribe Pseudomorphini (Erwin 1981)

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Conclusion