Short Elytra Research Articles

A New Tytthonyx LeConte (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) from Dominican Amber, with Notes on Diagnostic Characters of West Indian Cantharids with Short Elytra

Tytthonyx milleri Ivie, Fanti, and Ferreira, new species (Cantharidae, Tytthonyxini) is described from Miocene Dominican amber. The new species is compared with the other two described fossil taxa of the genus, as well as two additional, undescribed Dominican amber cantharid species, and their morphology is discussed. A comparison of extant and fossil Tytthonyx LeConte and Caccodes Sharp is given.

On the Andean genus Leschenius (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae): Updated phylogeny, with a new species from Ecuador, discovery of males, and larval description of the potato weevil Leschenius vulcanorum.

The weevil genus Leschenius del Río (Curculionidae: Entiminae: Naupactini) is distributed in the northern Andes, in Colombia and Ecuador. Among its species, L. vulcanorum stands out as an important pest of potatoes in its parthenogenetic form, which is known as “tiroteador de la papa”. In this study, the adult male and the larval stage (first and mature larvae) of L. vulcanorun are described and illustrated for the first time. A description of the male of Leschenius bifurcatus is also provided. A new bisexual species was discovered, Leschenius ventrilingulatus sp. nov., and is described from Ecuador. An updated phylogenetic analysis was performed, including the new species, with results indicating a sister group relationship between L. ventrilingulatus and L. vulcanorum. They can be distinguished because the former is usually of smaller size and is covered by denser and thicker setae, has shorter antennae, a subcylindrical shape of the pronotum, shorter elytra (about 1.5×longer than wide at base), the female has ventrite 4 with a posterior rounded projection, and posterior margin of ventrite 5 subacute, not excavated. This paper also includes lectotype designations, a revised key to all known species of Leschenius, habitus photos of males and females, illustrations of genitalia, and a distribution map.

Cicindelinae of Sri Lanka: New record of the arboreal tiger beetle Tricondyla gounellei Horn, 1900

Information is provided on the newly recorded Tricondyla gounellei Horn, 1900, an arboreal tiger beetle, hitherto known only from Southern India, with this being its first from Sri Lanka. Following field surveys conducted from 2017 to 2019 in forty-one locations in the country, this species was recorded from two locations, namely, Vellankulam in Mannar district and Kirinda in Hambantota district. Tricondyla gounellei closely resembles Tricondyla granulifera Motschulsky, 1857 previously recorded from Sri Lanka. However, T. gounellei can be distinguished from T. granulifera by the smaller body size, short elytra that are less narrow in the middle and palpi with black terminal joints, which in T. granulifera is red.

Naupactus xanthographus (Germar) species group (Curculionidae: Entiminae: Naupactini): a comprehensive taxonomic treatment

ABSTRACTWe undertake a taxonomic revision of Naupactus xanthographus (Germar 1824) (grape-fruit weevil) and the putative related species N. navicularis Boheman 1840, N. dissimilis Hustache 1947, N. mimicus Hustache 1938, N. dissimulator Boheman 1840 and N. marvaldiae new species. This species group mainly differs from other Naupactus by the presence of a pair of tubercles at the apex of the elytra. It ranges in Argentina, southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, in areas that belong to the biogeographic provinces of Atlantic, Araucaria and Paraná forests, Yungas, Chaco and Pampa. Naupactus xanthographus is broadly distributed in Argentina, mainly in the Pampean province, and it was introduced in central Chile, where it is considered a serious pest of grapes and several fruit trees. The remaining species are partially sympatric in the subtropical forests of southern Brazil, and N. dissimulator ranges along the gallery forests of Paraná and Uruguay rivers, down to La Plata River. It has been reported damaging citrus and ‘yerba mate’, like N. navicularis and N. dissimilis. The new species N. marvaldiae ranges in southern Brazil and north-eastern Argentina (Misiones), and differs from N. dissimulator, mainly by the very short elytra, the apical tubercles welldeveloped in males and females, the broader front femora, and the different shape of the apex of the penis. The other four species are probably more closely related and they separate from the pair N. dissimulator–N. marvaldiae because of the slightly widened front femora, well-developed corbels of the hind tibiae, and short to indistinct nodulus of the spermatheca.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:051587DD-37C2-4216-AA61-0E563BB44D64

A new species of the genus Anthonomus Germar (Curculionidae) in Mexican amber

A new species, Anthonomus dilatofemurus Poinar et Legalov, sp. nov., from Mexican amber is described and illustrated. The new species is close to A. cruraluma Poinar et Legalov and differs from it in the wider elytra with narrow striae and strongly swollen pro- and metafemora. It differs from A. browni Poinar et Legalov in the wide and short elytra, shorter and thicker weakly curved rostrum, and strongly swollen metafemur. It is distinguished from A. camoiranensis Clark by the metatitibia with uncus and from A. sulcatus Kirsch by the protibia with uncus, metatibia with ventral fringe of medium scales, narrower elongate pronotum, weakly convex elytra and weakly curved rostrum.

Diversitas dan sebaran kumbang staphylinid di lahan pertanaman padi (Oryza sativa L.) dan ubi jalar (Ipomoea batatas L.)

Staphylinid beetle (Coleoptera) is characterized by short elytra with orange, brown, or black body color. The objective of this research was to analyse diversity of staphylinid beetles in paddy and sweet potato fields and distribution of the species in sweet potato field. Collections of beetle were done by using road sampling method in two types of agricultural fields. Distribution of beetle population were observed in the plots (1 m x 1 m) placed systematically. Seven species of staphylinids were found in this research. Five species ( Paederus fuscipes Curtis, Stenus sp., Astenus sp., Hypostenus sp., and Cryptobium abdominale Motsch.) were found in paddy fields. We also found five species of staphylinid beetles ( P. fuscipes , Medon sp., Stenus sp., Hypostenus prahoeensis Benick, and Philonthus sp.) in sweet potato fileds. In paddy and sweet potato fileds were dominated by P. fuscipes . Diversity of staphylinid in paddy and sweet potato fields were low. In sweet potato fields, P. fuscipes showed highest important value index (115.98%), followed by Stenus sp. (69.35%), and H. prahoeensis (5.65%). and Population distribution of P. fuscipes , Medon sp., Stenus sp., dan Philonthus sp. were uniform, while H. prahoeensis was clump.

New Data on the Genus Sucinoptius (Coleoptera, Ptinidae) from Rovno Amber

Abstract Study of five examples of spider beetle inclusions from Rovno amber revealed that at least three of these spider beetles belong to the genus Sucinoptinus Bellés et Vitali, 2007, of them, S. rovnoensis sp. n. (most probably from Klesov) and S. brevipennis sp. n. from Dubrovitsa are described. S. rovnoensis is similar to the previously known S. bukejsi Alekseev in having the same general structure of pronotum and elytra, differing from it by the morphology of pronotal sides, which are only slightly rounded and practically not constricted near the base, whereas in S. bukejsi the sides are well rounded leaving a slight but clear constriction near the base. S. brevipennis is similar to S. bukejsi Alekseev and S. sucini Bellés et Vitali in having the same general structure of the prothorax, but differing from them in having much shorter elytra. Addition of these two new species to the two previously known, S. sucini, from the eastern Baltic Sea coast, and S. bukejsi, from Kaliningrad Region, indicates that the genus Sucinoptinus was much more diverse and widespread in Late Eocene forests than former reports suggested.

Two Omaliine Species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) New to Korea

A taxonomic study of two omaliine genera Acruliopsis Zerche and Omalium Gravenhorst in Korea is presented. Two species (Acruliopsis ussuriensis Zerche and Omalium japonicum Sharp) are reported for the first time in Korea. Diagnoses of those two genera with redescriptions of the species are presented. Acruliopsis ussuriensis is distinguished by more or less short elytra, a pair of conspicuous processes on male sternite VII and emargination of outer lateral margin of paramere at base. Omalium japonicum is distinguished by brown elytra and structure of aedeagus with swollen median lobe and expanded paramere. Habitus photographs and illustrations of diagnostic characters are provided.

Functional activity of allatotropin and allatostatin in the pupal stage of a holometablous insect, Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae)

Allatotropin (AT) and allatostatin (AS) neuropeptides are known to regulate the biosynthesis of juvenile hormones (JH) in insects. Furthermore, they possess myoregulatory and other activities in a wide range of insect species. The genome of Tribolium castaneum encodes two AS and one AT precursors. Here we cloned the cDNAs of the precursors, followed their expression patterns during the pupal stage, and established their putative roles in adult development and oviposition of the females using RNA interference (RNAi). Cloning of the cDNA and gene structure analyses of the Tc-AT gene confirmed that the gene is expressed in three mRNA isoforms. Real-time PCR data demonstrate that the Tc-AT isoforms and the AS genes, Tc-AS C and Tc-AS B, are expressed in discerning developmental and tissue-specific patterns. Single injections of dsRNAi (targeted against the Tc-AT, Tc-AS C, and Tc-AS B, respectively), into young pupae resulted in abnormal adult phenotypes, whereby about half of the animals (P1 phenotype) looked relatively normal, but the females laid low numbers of eggs. The other halves (P2) exhibited strong developmental defects with abnormal duration of the pupal stage, abnormal head and body sizes, short elytra, and incomplete sclerotization. Moreover, these females deposited no eggs and died within one week after emergence. Individual silencing of the Tc-AT mRNA isoforms showed that Tc-AT3 had the most disruptive influence on adult development and fecundity of the females. Our findings clearly indicate a significant role of AT and AS neuropeptides in the pupa. The distinct mechanisms of action, however, remain to be determined.

The first skiff beetle (Coleoptera: Myxophaga: Hydroscaphidae) from Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota

The first skiff beetle fossil and earliest myxophagan,Hydroscapha jeholensisn. sp., is described and illustrated on the basis of a single specimen from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation at Huangbanjigou of Beipiao City, Liaoning Province, Northeastern China. Based on the combination of diagnostic characters of this specimen (e.g., minute and fusiform body, short elytra, tapered abdomen, separated meso- and metacoxae, and 3-segmented tarsi), we suggest that it is a definitive representative of Hydroscaphidae belonging to the widespread hydroscaphid genusHydroscaphaLeConte, 1874. It also represents the only impression fossil of the beetle suborder Myxophaga. This find displays great significance for shedding light on the preservation of the minute aquatic beetles, since it is the first well-preserved impression fossil reported for the suborder, rather than amber inclusion.

Cinco novas espécies de Cerambycidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) da Região Neotropical e novos registros

New species are described: Tessaropa elongata sp. nov. from Brazil (Rondonia) has long elytra, a character that distinguishes it from the remaining species with short elytra; Hexoplon immaculatum sp. nov. from Ecuador (Pichincha) is characterized by the red-orange general color and black legs. Eburodacrys inaequalis sp. nov. from Bolivia (Santa Cruz) has elytral apices and same-color femora that cause it to be similar to E. ayri Martins & Galileo, 2006 and E. silviamariae Martins & Galileo, 2006, yet it differs from either species in the black lateral spines and dorsal tubercles of pronotum and the elongate eburneuos maculae of the elytra. Coleomethia bezarki sp. nov. (Costa Rica, Guanacaste) differs from C. australis Hovore, 1987 by male pronotum without rugosities, peduculate metafemora and metatibiae entirely pubescent. Bisaltes (B.) petilus sp. nov. (Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Alajuela) is separated from B. (B.)buquetii Thomson, 1868 and B. (B.) fuchsi Breuning, 1971 by the more slender body appearance, the absence of dark belts on pronotum, and the absence of circular macula in the anterior third of elytra. Notes and new records are provided for: Tetraibion concolor Martins, 2006 (Bolivia: La Paz); Gnomidolon ornaticolle Martins, 1960 (Panama: Colon); Mephritus apicatus (Linsley, 1935) (Brazil: Rondonia).

Two new species of the genus Mecyclothorax Sharp from New Guinea (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Psydrinae)

Two new species of the psydrine genus Mecyclothorax Sharp from New Guinea are described: M. lackneri sp. n., from central Papua (former Irian Jaya), western New Guinea, and M. kubor sp. n., from central Papua New Guinea, in the eastern half of the island. The first species was collected at median altitude and is most closely related to M. jiwikae Baehr of the same region, but is distinguished by wider pronotum and even shorter elytra, and by the structure of the aedeagus. The second species was sampled at high altitude of Kubor Range and is closely related to M. sedlaceki Darlington of the nearby Bismarck Range, but is distinguished by its larger body size and the presence of five deeply impressed setiferous punctures on the elytra. A revised key to the New Guinean species of Mecyclothorax is presented. Additional records of M. sedlaceki Darlington from Mt. Wilhelm are presented. Martin Baehr, Zoologische Staatssammlung, Munchhausenstr. 21, D-81247 Munchen, Germany. martin.baehr@zsm.mwn.de

Cereal Leaf Beetle11 Instars and Sex, Denned by Larval Head Capsule Widths2

Four instars of the cereal leaf beetle, Oulema mclanopus (L.), were determined from the frequency distributions of head capsule widths of field- and laboratory-reared larvae. Linear regressions and geometric progressions inadequately described the larval growth because of the smaller ratio of growth of the 3rd-4th instar. When the width of the 4th instar head capsule and the length of the adult elytra were correlated to sex, the male had a narrower head capsule and shorter elytra than the female.

Gamma Irradiation of the European Chafer. 1. Irradiation of Third-Stadial Larvae, with Observations on Spermatogenesis123

Gamma irradiation levels for LD50 values on 3rd-stadial larvae of Amphimallon majalis (Razoumowsky) were 3300 rad (3.3 krad) for fall-collected individuals and 7.1 krad for spring-collected individuals when exposed as mature 3rd-stadial grubs approaching the prepupal stage. Serial sections of grubs exposed to doses of 0.5 to 50 krad all showed visible cytological injury to the germinal cells with pyenotic nuclei present in the treated testicular follicle. Male 3rd-stadial grubs were consistently more susceptible to gamma irradiation than females; exposure to 1 krad in the former produced comparable effects in emergence as 2.5 krad in the latter. Both male and female adults emerging from grubs treated at 2.5 had had deformed wings. Grubs exposed to lower doses produced beetles with slightly shorter elytra than adults from nonirradiated grubs. Dose requirement for completely sterilizing larvae was higher than that for completely inhibiting metamorphosis.

The Biology of the Staphylinidæ.

This paper is an account of the life histories and habits of several Staphylinidae. The adults of this large family are too well known to require any particular description. The active, elongate beetles, with their short elytra that leave exposed most of the abdominal segments, are found in a variety of places. Many are carrion feeders and are popularly associated with the Silphidae by reason of their similar habits. They are also found in dung, in ants' nests, under the bark of trees, on the moist banks of streams and ponds, and in decaying animal or vegetable matter of all sorts.

THE COLEOPTERA OF CANADA

Easily recognized by the very short elytra which are divaricate and separately rounded at apex, about equalling the prothorax in length. M. bimaculatus, Say (fig. 23), is somewhat variable in colour, but is ordinarily black except a large testaceous blotch on each elytron. The thorax is rather broad, roughly punctured, the sides irregularly rounded, Length, .20–.32 in. Usually found on flowers, but has been bred from hickory, maple, ash, and dogwood.