Beetle Specimens Research Articles

Rediscovery of Microbrachida Bierig, 1939, description of a new species from the Brazilian Amazon and its potential for biological control (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae).

The genus Microbrachida was described by Alexander Bierig based on one tiny rove beetle. Since then, it has not been studied. Recently, a set of small rove beetle specimens were collected in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, where they occur foraging mushrooms that grow on logs of cultivated trees. These mushrooms cause an infection known as witches' broom disease on those plants. Here, we redescribe Microbrachida and describe a new species in it. We also provide images of the diagnostic characteristics of the genus (including scanning electron micrographs), a key to the New World genera of Gyrophaenina, a key to the species of Microbrachida and a preliminary discussion about the potential biological control of the new species.

Beetle assemblage distribution along edge–forest gradient in a managed oak forest

Abstract Forest management practices creating small‐scale forest edge habitats in managed forests have substantial impacts on the formation of beetle assemblages. In 2021, we conducted research in a managed oak woodland in Central Slovakia using three flight interception traps (FITs) to study beetle assemblages. Two FITs were installed at the forest edge, facing both, the clearing and the closed‐stand forest, while the third FIT was positioned 100 m within the closed‐canopy forest. We employed a novel methodological approach, which involved separately collected subsamples within the ecotone using FITs differentiated as ‘ecotone inwards’ and ‘ecotone outwards’ to capture distinct directional movements at the edge. We recorded 5.997 beetle specimens, encompassing 417 species across 284 genera and 58 families. We found that the species diversity and abundance of beetles were not significantly different between the FITs. However, the species composition was significantly different. The partial detrended canonical correspondence analysis suggests that these compositional differences might be closely associated with the distribution of trophic guilds, indicating varied responses to habitat modifications induced by forest edge creation. The results of our study showed that phloephagous, saproxylophagous, xylomycetophagous, xylophagous and zoophagous beetles exhibited a positive association with the forest edge, while mycophagous, phytophagous and saprophagous groups were distinctly associated with the closed‐canopy forest. Our analyses indicated that the ‘ecotone outward’ part of forest edges of managed forest may attract higher number of trophic groups, while the ‘ecotone inward’ part of the forest edge hosted high abundances of phloephagous and xylomycetophagous species.

Epigeic spider and ground beetles (Carabid) communities of semi-natural and natural habitats in agricultural landscape in Slovakia

Abstract We studied the spatial structure of spiders and beetles in 4 types of habitats in the Poloniny National Park. Between the years 2020 and 2021, we recorded 1,597 beetle specimens and 3,765 spider specimens using the pitfall trap method. The most represented beetles were Poecilus versicolor (53.4%), Nebria brevicollis (10.3%), Staphylinus caesareus (4.4%) and Amara familiaris (4.1%). Among the spiders, there were species Pardosa pullata (21.81%), Pachygnatha degeeri (14.21%), Xerolycosa nemoralis (10.28%), Pardosa palustris (7.86%), Trochosa ruricola (6.24%) and Alopecosa pulverulenta (4.38%). We confirmed the occurrence of two European important species of beetles (Carabus zawadzkii, Carabus variolosus) and 3 species of spiders belonging to the vulnerable species according to the IUCN threat status (Gongylidiellum vivum, Palliduphantes milleri and Xysticus lineatus). We also found the spider Micaria micans, which is new to the Slovak fauna and information about its distribution and habitat preferences in Slovakia is presented. Using multivariate analyzes (CCA, RDA) and classification species into bioindicative groups, we found a greater connection of adaptable and eurytopic species of ground beetles to the mesophilic meadow and of spiders to the habitat Nardetum pasture. Based on bioindicative groups of species (adaptable, eurytopic and relict), we found only a small difference in percentile points between spiders and beetles.

New taxa of Afrotropical Toktokkies (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Molurina) from the Natural History Museum of Basel.

Investigation of the darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae) specimens from the Natural History Museum Basel (Switzerland) resulted in the discovery of two new species of Afrotropical toktokkies (tribe Sepidiini). Both taxa provided novel morphological data which, in the light of previously acquired molecular evidence, challenged the taxonomic coherence of the genus Dichtha. To accommodate this information a new genus Bouchardium gen. nov. is hereby proposed. The three following species were assigned to this new genus: Bouchardium chillygonzalesi sp. nov. (type species), B. cubicum (Guérin-Méneville, 1845) comb. nov. (transferred from Dichtha), B. mariae sp. nov. The placement of Bouchardium within the subtribe Molurina is briefly discussed. Additionally, a new species of the genus Toktokkus (T. zofiae sp. nov.) is described from South Africa.

Testing and optimizing metabarcoding of iDNA from dung beetles to sample mammals in the hyperdiverse Neotropics.

Over the past few years, insects have been used as samplers of vertebrate diversity by assessing the ingested-derived DNA (iDNA), and dung beetles have been shown to be a good mammal sampler given their broad feeding preference, wide distribution and easy sampling. Here, we tested and optimized the use of iDNA from dung beetles to assess the mammal community by evaluating if some biological and methodological aspects affect the use of dung beetles as mammal species samplers. We collected 403 dung beetles from 60 pitfall traps. iDNA from each dung beetle was sequenced by metabarcoding using two mini-barcodes (12SrRNA and 16SrRNA). We assessed whether dung beetles with different traits related to feeding, nesting and body size differed in the number of mammal species found in their iDNA. We also tested differences among four killing solutions in preserving the iDNA and compared the effectiveness of each mini barcode to recover mammals. We identified a total of 50 mammal OTUs (operational taxonomic unit), including terrestrial and arboreal species from 10 different orders. We found that at least one mammal-matching sequence was obtained from 70% of the dung beetle specimens. The number of mammal OTUs obtained did not vary with dung beetle traits as well as between the killing solutions. The 16SrRNA mini-barcode recovered a higher number of mammal OTUs than 12SrRNA, although both sets were partly non-overlapping. Thus, the complete mammal diversity may not be achieved by using only one of them. This study refines the methodology for routine assessment of tropical mammal communities via dung beetle 'samplers' and its universal applicability independently of the species traits of local beetle communities.

Damage to Sweet Chestnut Orchards in Croatia due to Invasive Alien Bark Beetle Xylosandrus germanus

Black stem borer, Xylosandrus germanus (Coleoptera: Scolytinae), was first recorded in Croatia in 2009. Until now, the insect has been reported only as a part of ambrosia beetles entomofauna in oak stands (Quercus robur and Quercus petraea). In 2021, severe attack of ambrosia beetles causing tree decline and mortality have been observed in three orchards of hybrid sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa x Castenea crenata). Orchards near Topusko, Marija Bistrica and Vugrovec were inspected for the symptoms. Twenty-seven adult ambrosia beetle specimens were collected from eight samples of damaged sweet chestnut trees, and were identified according to their morphology. All 27 ambrosia beetles were morphologically identified as X. germanus. This is the first record of black stem borer causing damage on cultivated sweet chestnut in Croatia. Considering similar reports from Italy and Slovenia, X. germanus could be regarded as a new, potentially damaging pest in chestnut plantations.

The first report of Chiloloba acuta (Wiedemann, 1823) from Sindh, Pakistan

The study was conducted between 2021 and 2022 to investigate the dung beetle species in the Sindh province of Pakistan. A total of 31 specimens of dung beetle specimens were collected from various locations across 15 districts within the province. The specimens analysed in this study belonged to the genus Chiloloba. The study yielded significant findings, as it reported the presence of a single species within the genus Chiloloba, namely Chiloloba acuta (Wiedemann, 1823), which had not been previously documented in Pakistan. This discovery marks the first record of Chiloloba acuta within the country. In addition to identifying the species, the study provided a comprehensive morphological description of Chiloloba acuta. This description included detailed information about the physical characteristics and features of the species, allowing for better understanding and classification. Furthermore, the study investigated the distribution of Chiloloba acuta within the Sindh province, providing insights into its geographic range and potential habitat preferences. Overall, this study contributes to the knowledge of dung beetles in Pakistan, specifically in the Sindh province. The identification and documentation of Chiloloba acuta expands the understanding of biodiversity in the region and highlights the importance of ongoing research in documenting and preserving unique species.

Urban Beetle Diversity in Natural History Collections—A Hundred-Year Perspective

Natural history museum collections are essential for understanding biodiversity and environmental changes, especially in large cities with rapid urbanization. While the collaboration between curators and taxonomists with ecologists becomes more frequent, the museum collections still are not used to their full potential. This study aimed to digitize beetle specimens from Zagreb, which are kept in the Croatian Natural History Museum collections, provide recent nomenclature, analyse the proportion of currently endangered species, georeference, and compare the sampling locations with today’s iNaturalist citizen science records, as well as land cover changes between the time of collection creation and now. Comparing the sampling locations of collection specimens and citizen science records, it is possible to track the city’s expansion. Beetle family composition is more similar in the city centre than on the outskirts of Zagreb, where land cover changes are more pronounced. The districts in the northern part of Zagreb held higher numbers of threatened saproxylic beetles in both museum collections and citizen science records, highlighting the importance of urban parks and forests and providing insights into potential conservation threats. Museum collections have proved to be a valuable source of biodiversity records frozen in time, helping us track the urban beetle fauna decline.

Can immature stages be ignored in studies of forest leaf litter arthropod diversity? A test using Oxford Nanopore DNA barcoding

Abstract Forest soil and leaf litter support diverse arthropod mesofauna for which diversity dynamics is challenging to study due to the high number of species and specimens, small body size and limited taxonomic knowledge. Immature stages (larvae) are even harder to identify than adults, as their morphology is largely unknown. Therefore, larvae are often ignored, even though they may form a substantial proportion of specimens collected, are less mobile than adults and their exclusion may provide an incomplete diversity profile. Here, we use Oxford Nanopore DNA barcoding to investigate whether the inclusion of larvae provides a more complete taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity profiles in leaf litter beetles (Coleoptera) from a subtropical forest in Taiwan. Our results indicate that larvae represent up to 38% of beetle specimens per sample, but most of them belong to 2–3 common species. Larvae of most beetle species are rarely collected repeatedly or in multiple specimens, possibly due to special habitat requirements or high seasonality. Taxonomic, phylogenetic and incidence‐based functional diversity measures were not affected by the exclusion of larvae in the Staphylinidae dataset but were strongly biased in all‐beetle dataset, especially when only common or abundant species were considered. Taxonomic beta diversity was not affected by the omission of larvae. Our results indicate that immature stages may be omitted in ecological studies of arthropods in case both adults and larvae co‐occur in the same habitat, and the sites are sampled repeatedly. Caution is needed (1) in groups in which larvae and adults do not inhabit the same environment or strongly differ in biology, (2) when rare species are omitted or (3) when functional diversity is calculated from abundance data.

Large‐scale sampling of beetle communities in Laos shows that conversion of natural forests into plantations leads to a decline in family richness and abundance

AbstractRapid economic development can pose a threat to the biodiversity of tropical countries. In Laos, this is manifested by the conversion of natural forests into plantations, even though this area is one of the biodiversity hotspots of Southeast Asia. Beetle communities can be good indicators of the impact of anthropogenic pressure on natural ecosystems. In this study, we analyzed for the first time a large‐scale inventory of Coleoptera to assess the ecological and anthropogenic drivers of beetle communities in Laos. We examined beetle communities (described at the family level) across the country, located in distinct habitat types, in order to understand the impact of the conversion of natural forest into plantations. We found that beetle abundance had declined in plantations compared to natural forests. At the same time, we observed fewer beetle families in plantations overall, but at the scale of sampling sites there was no difference in local richness compared to natural forests, suggesting a homogenization of beetle communities in anthropogenic habitats. Although results are certainly sensitive to our coarse classification of beetle specimens into families, the negative impact of the conversion of natural tropical forests into agriculture area can still be clearly demonstrated. Our findings highlight that it is possible to make use of unstructured large‐scale inventories to explore how beetle communities responds to landscape changes induced by human activities. We suggest that sampling beetle communities can be used as an ecological indicator to monitor anthropogenic impacts on tropical ecosystems.

New records of the subgenus Atomaria (Anchicera) Thomson, 1863 from European amber with description of the new species

ABSTRACT One new extinct species of the genus Atomaria Stephens, 1829 is described and illustrated: A. (Anchicera) telnovi sp. nov. from Rovno amber. It is the sixth species of the subgenus Anchicera in Eocene amber; two-thirds of all species and two-thirds of all reported Eocene amber silken fungus beetle specimens belong to this subgenus. The reasons for the relative abundance of Anchicera in the Eocene fossil resins are discussed. A key to extinct Eocene species of Atomaria is provided.

Catalogue of minute tree-fungus beetle specimens (Coleoptera, Ciidae) deposited in the State Museum of Natural History NASU, Lviv, Ukraine

The family of minute tree-fungus beetles has worldwide distributed and has counting about 650 species (Lopes-Andrade, 2011). About 75 species are known for Europe (Królik, 2020), the vast majority of them also occurs in the territory of Ukraine, where the greatest biodiversity is observed in the territory of the Ukrainian Carpathians – 38 species (Drogvalenko, 2008; Diedus, 2020). The family Ciidae is represented by 15 species in the collection of the State Museum of Natural History, National Academy of Scienses of Ukraine (SMNH). The most numerous is the genus Cis, which is represented by eight species: Cis bidentatus (Olivier, 1790) – 3 spec., C. boleti (Scopoli, 1763) – 24 spec., C. castaneus (Herbst, 1793) – 15 spec., C. comptus Gyllenhal, 1827 – 1 spec., C. glabratus Mellié, 1848 – 1 spec., C. lineatocribratus Mellié, 1848 – 1 spec., C. micans (Fabricius, 1792) – 19 spec., C. villosulus (Marsham, 1802) – 2 spec. In five genera we have one species: Dolichocis (D. laricinus (Mellié, 1848) – 2 spec.), Wagaicis (W. wagae (Wankowicz, 1869) – 4 spec.), Orthocis (O. alni (Gyllenhal, 1813) – 2 spec.), Rhopalodontus (R. perforatus (Gyllenhal, 1813) – 9 spec), Octotemnus (O. glabriculus (Gyllenhal, 1827) – 2 spec.) and two species in genus Sulcacis (S. fronticornis (Panzer, 1809) – 2 spec. та S. nitidus (Fabricius, 1792) – 30 spec.). The material of the SMNH collection originates from the territory of Lithuania (seven samples donated by Wankiewicz, which are only known to have been collected before 1886 (Łomnicki, M. 1886), eleven specimens from Poland (Kraków, Puszcza Białowieska, Potok, Strzałków, Załuż) and 172 specimens from western part of Ukraine (Male Polissia (Chornushovychi and Ditkivtsi), Opillia (Monastyryska, Lviv: Pasiky), West Podillia Upland (Tulyn, Buchach), Roztochchia (Lviv itself and its surroundings: Pohulianka, Pasiky, Kryvchytsi, Lysynychi, Znesinnia, Zubra) Volynska Upland (Potorytsia), Ciscarpathians Upland (Drohobych, Kosiv, Ivano-Frankivsk), Margin Gorgany range (Novyi Mizun). 10 specimens of them are collected by J. Mazurek, including such species as C. boleti, C. micans and S. nitidus from Lviv (Pohulianka, Pasiky, Zubra) during the spring-summer period of the beginning of the 20th century (7.04, 19.05, 20.07, 21.07, 13.08). Twenty specimens collected by M. Łomnicki: C. castaneus (Potorytsia, 15.05), C. micans (Kosiv, 19.06), O. alni (Bystrets, 1867.06.28), O. glabriculus (Ivano-Frankivsk, 3.06, Buchach, 2.08). Only one specimen of C. lineatocribratus wich is stored in SMNH was collected by Lgocki in Poland (Potoc). Other specimens have no information about collector.

Curation status of beetle specimens at the Invertebrate Collection of the Charles Darwin Research Station (ICCDRS), Galápagos Islands

The importance of a scientific collection is related to the preservation quality of its specimens. Specimens that have been properly preserved may contain more quantity and quality of data than neglected specimens. The objective of this study was to determine the curation status of the specimens of the order Coleoptera in the Invertebrate Collection of the Charles Darwin Research Station (ICCDRS) of the Charles Darwin Foundation, Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, Ecuador. Our diagnostics of the collection included the analysis of ten metrics of 9201 dry-pinned beetles. We found that 8612 specimens are in optimal conditions, and damaged specimens are randomly distributed in the collection, indicating that handling and storage are appropriate. 83% of the beetles are identified as species, and 85% of the specimens have been assigned a catalog number. These results indicate a very good curation status of this growing collection. Additionally, we discuss future directions to improve the curatorial process of this collection and incentivize its scientific use.

Leaf Beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) occurring in Dilek Peninsula Büyük Menderes Delta National Park of Aydın province (Turkey)

Leaf beetle specimens (Chrysomelidae) were collected from Dilek Peninsula Büyük Menderes Delta National Park (Aydın) and they were identified at the species level. As a result of the field studies, a total of 262 leaf beetles were collected, and 34 species belonging to 8 subfamilies and 26 genera were identified. Sixteen of these species were previously recorded from Aydın province and 18 species are new records for Aydın province. In addition, the host plants and provincial distributions for each species are provided.L

Fauna of Ground Beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in Broad-leaved Forests of the Republic of Mordovia (Central European Russia)

The fauna of Carabidae adults in broad-leaved forests of the Republic of Mordovia (central European Russia) was studied. A total of 18210 ground beetle specimens of 104 species (8 subfamilies) were collected. The most numerous species were eight species: Carabus cancellatus, Pterostichus niger, Pterostichus oblongopunctatus, Limodromus assimilis, Calosoma inquisitor, Carabus granulatus, Pterostichus melanarius, Carabus arvensis. The basis of the Carabidae fauna consists of 25 species with high occurrence (50% and higher). Among them, four species are characterized by 100% occurrence: Carabus granulatus, Carabus hortensis, Pterostichus niger, Pterostichus oblongopunctatus.

A photographic dataset of the beetle specimens by three passive acquisition methods in Ma On Shan, Hong Kong

A photographic dataset of the beetle specimens by three passive acquisition methods in Ma On Shan, Hong Kong

Cathepsin L Contributes to Reproductive Diapause by Regulating Lipid Storage and Survival of Coccinella septempunctata (Linnaeus).

Cathepsin L protease, which belongs to the papain-like cysteine proteases family, is an important player in many physiological and pathological processes. However, little was known about the role of cathepsin L in ladybird beetles (Coccinella septempuctata Linnaeus) during diapause. Here, we analyzed the characteristics of cathepsin L (CsCatL) in the females of C. septempunctata and its role during the diapause of the ladybeetle. CsCatL was cloned and identified from beetle specimens by rapid amplification of cDNA-ends (RACE). The cDNA sequence of CsCatL was 971 bp in length, including an 843 bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 280 amino acids. It was identified as the cathepsin L group by phylogenetic analysis. Knockdown of CsCatL by RNA interference led to decreased expression levels of fatty acid synthase 2 (fas 2) genes and suppressed lipid accumulation. Furthermore, silencing the CsCatL gene distinctly reduced diapause-related features and the survival of female C. spetempunctata under diapause-inducing conditions. The results suggested that the CsCatL gene was involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and played a crucial role in the survival of adult C. septempunctata during the diapause preparation stage.

Diversity and distribution patterns of Ecuador’s dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)

IntroductionEcuador harbors an astounding number of ecosystems and species. However, anthropogenic land-use changes are the primary drivers of biodiversity loss in major taxonomic groups, especially insects. Among them, the Scarabaeinae subfamily containing dung beetles, is an excellent taxon for studying taxonomic and functional diversity, as they are relatively stable taxonomically and have a wide variety of ecological services. Their distribution is mainly influenced by biogeography and climate as their main ecological and environmental factors will allow us to quantify what aspects of diversity are being impacted under different circumstances and at different scales.MethodsTo understand the main of dung beetle distribution drivers, we analyzed a museum database from the National Institute of Biodiversity, Ecuador (INABIO) of over 5000 dung beetle specimens with 122 species collected throughout the country, we addressed the following questions: i) How does tribe distribution vary across climatic and elevational gradients? and ii) How does functional and taxonomic beta diversity vary across spatial scales? To address them, we focused on three main tribes: Canthonini, Coprini, and Phanaeini. We constructed GLM’s and niche-based models to estimate Ecuador’s distributions based on climate variables to explore potential predictor variables, using tree classification models, along with taxonomic and functional beta diversity across scales.ResultsThe main variables influencing dung beetle distribution were elevation, and precipitation. The Phanaeini niche model is significantly better at predicting dung beetle presence throughout Ecuador than Canthonini and Coprini. We found high turnover in functional groups at larger scales, suggesting that dung beetles show high levels of habitat specialization, which associates to our findings where taxonomic beta diversity was higher in the Amazon basin compared to the coastal region. This may be due to the higher rate of dung production in Amazonia. Our findings also suggest that dung beetles are not found in areas above 2000m, mainly because dung beetles are well adapted to warmer and moist climatic regions. Precipitation and elevation are consistently essential variables for predicting Canthonini and Coprini presence, while temperature explains Phanaeini presence. Low levels of species turnover at the regional scale may be because the total species richness in Ecuador is different, where divergence in taxonomic beta diversity between the two regions is an artifact of such differences in richness in Amazonia versus the coast, the distinction is also due to nonrandomly low taxonomic beta diversity levels in the coastal region.ConclusionsOur results provide an essential framework for evaluating potential dung beetle habitat and diversity at different scales; therefore, by identifying dung beetles’ diversity, combined with considerations of habitat fragmentation, human land-use alteration, and climate change, will be an important next step to inform better and prioritize dung beetle conservation efforts in other countries.

Identification of Forensically Important Carrion Beetles (Coleoptera: Staphilinidae) in China Based on COI and COII.

Unambiguous and speedy necrophagous insect species identification is common task in forensic entomological study. Carrion beetles (Staphilinidae: Silphinae) belong to a small group of Coleoptera with less than 200 species worldwide. Some species are commonly found on dead body during forensic entomological investigation. Despite some species are hard to be categorized morphologically, present DNA-based technologies offer a potential identification strategy. Here, 37 carrion beetle specimens were collected from 15 locations throughout Chinese mainland. The cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and II (COII) genes among all specimens were successfully sequenced, which provided reliable markers for precise identification. Mostly, the interspecific distance could clarify the capability of these genes for identifying included carrion beetle species. Exceptions existed between close species in Nicrophorus genus (Fabricius 1775). The sequenced gene's phylogenetic analysis revealed that all carrion beetle specimens were correctly classified into eight genera, and most have relatively high supporting values (>90%). Our data gives genetic diversity and a reference for global forensically important carrion beetle species identification, as well as a conductive significance for future application of Chinese carrion beetles in forensic entomology.

Dermatitis linearis outbreak associated with Paederus balcanicus in Austria.

BackgroundDermatitis linearis is a toxic skin lesion caused by contact with certain beetles of the genus Paederus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). Dermatitis linearis outbreaks have been described mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, but so far not in Central Europe, and are considered an emerging public health concern potentially associated with climate change.Material and methodsFollowing diagnosis of dermatitis linearis in a cluster of six adults and one child with reported exposure to beetles with morphological characteristics of Paederus species at a recreational public open-air bath at Lake Neusiedl (Illmitz, Burgenland, Austria), we performed on-site inspection and installed light and pitfall traps. Collected beetle specimens of the genus Paederus were classified using morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding.ResultsA total of 32 Paederus beetles were collected using an aspirator (n = 2) and light traps (n = 30). No individuals of the genus Paederus were captured with the pitfall traps. Morphological analyses identified them as members of the Paederus balcanicus species, which was confirmed by genetic specification of four arbitrarily chosen individuals. Dermatitis linearis lesions were treated with topical steroids and healed but partly leaving scars and hyperpigmentation, over the course of a few weeks in all affected persons.ConclusionWe report for the first time (a) an outbreak of dermatitis linearis associated with exposure to autochthonous Paederus species in Austria, and (b) that contact to the species Paederus balcanicus may cause dermatitis linearis in humans. Adequate measures should be taken to prevent dermatitis linearis outbreaks in areas with resident Paederus occurrence.