Search results for "beetles"

Redescription of the forgotten New Caledonian weevil genus

2018

Abstract Callistomorphus is one of the “forgotten” genera of the tribe Eugnomini inhabiting rain forest in New Caledonia. In this paper, the genus Callistomorphus and the type species C.farinosus are redescribed. Eight new species, Callistomorphusfundatussp. n., C.gibbussp. n., C.malleussp. n., C.minimussp. n., C.rutaisp. n., C.szoltysisp. n., C.torosussp. n. and C.turbidussp. n., are described, originating from the main island of New Caledonia. Illustrations and SEM photographs of the external morphology and the male and female terminalia are provided, as well as dorsal habitus colour photographs of the adults, a key to the species, a distribution map, and a discussion of the systematic po…

Insects and fungi: ecological interactions and functional biodiversity

Data from: Ancient symbiosis confers desiccation resistance to stored grain pest beetles

2017

Microbial symbionts of insects provide a range of ecological traits to their hosts that are beneficial in the context of biotic interactions. However, little is known about insect symbiont-mediated adaptation to the abiotic environment, e.g. temperature and humidity. Here we report on an ancient clade of intracellular, bacteriome-located Bacteroidetes symbionts that are associated with grain and wood pest beetles of the phylogenetically distant families Silvanidae and Bostrichidae. In the saw-toothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis, we demonstrate that the symbionts affect cuticle thickness, melanization and hydrocarbon profile, enhancing desiccation resistance and thereby strongly i…

Wolbachia prevalence and diversity in selected riverine predatory beetles (Bembidiini and Paederini)

2018

Despite the many studies on Wolbachia in Coleoptera, data about the prevalence of this bacterium among ground and rove beetles are missing. This study describes Wolbachia distribution and diversity in predatory beetles co-habiting the same environment - submontane river channels. Three species of Paederini (Staphylinidae) and four Bembidiini (Carabidae) were collected from six river catchments of the Carpathians. Wolbachia was absent in three species: Paederidus rubrothoracicus (Goeze), Bembidion decorum (Zenker in Panzer), Bembidion modestum (F.) - but detected in four others. Paederus limnophilus Erichson and Paederidus ruficollis F. were infected at only some sites by different strains o…

Ptiliolum marginatum (Aube, 1850) (Coleoptera: Ptiliidae)– gatunek nowy dla Polski z Białowieskiego Parku Narodowego

2021

We present the first record of Ptiliolum marginatum for Poland. The specimens have been extracted from two nests of the wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix in 2020, during investigations of the invertebrate fauna inhabiting bird nests. The samples were collected in the strictly protected part of the Białowieża National Park, in eastern Poland. We provide general information on the geographical distribution of Ptiliolum marginatum in Europe, the state of knowledge of the genus Ptiliolum in Poland, and further documentation including colour photographs of dorsal and ventral habitus, and characteristic features of hind femora and spermatheca of females.

Species Composition and Structure of Beetle Associations in Caves of the Częstochowa Upland, Poland

2023

This paper presents the study’s results on beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) inhabiting caves in the Częstochowa Upland, southern Poland. During two years of research, 2084 specimens, representing 105 species from 19 beetle families, were collected. The obtained results indicate that many beetle species choose to inhabit caves despite lacking specific adaptations for living in such environments. The cave entrance zone is the most attractive place for surface species to inhabit because its climatic conditions are more stable than outside the cave, some sunlight is present, and the availability of organic matter is high. In the deeper parts of the studied caves, the number of occurring species ra…

Transcriptomes of parents identify parenting strategies and sexual conflict in a subsocial beetle

2015

This work was funded by UK NERC grants to M.G.R. and A.J.M. an NERC studentship to D.J.P. the University of Georgia and a US NSF grant to A.J.M. and M.G.R. Parenting in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides is complex and, unusually, the sex and number of parents that can be present is flexible. Such flexibility is expected to involve specialized behaviour by the two sexes under biparental conditions. Here, we show that offspring fare equally well regardless of the sex or number of parents present. Comparing transcriptomes, we find a largely overlapping set of differentially expressed genes in both uniparental and biparental females and in uniparental males including vitellogenin, ass…

Morphological variability in and distributional data on phaleria bimaculata populations from islands of the central mediterranean area

2011

This study aimed to collect new taxonomic and distribution data on Phaleria bimaculata (L.) (Coleoptera Tenebrionidae) from Sicily (southern Italy), the circum-Sicilian islands and the Maltese archipelago. Particular attention was paid to the diagnostic morphological features observed in the populations sampled, focusing on the subspecies Phaleria bimaculata marcuzzii Aliquò. P. bimaculata individuals were collected from 20 different locations, of which 2 were located in the Sicilian mainland, 9 in circum-Sicilian islands and 9 in the Maltese Islands. In addition, four Phaleria acuminata Kuster populations were also recorded along southern Sicilian shores. The two Phaleria species were neve…

Characterization of trophic links in an agrosystem : weed seed predation by carabid beetles

2012

Agroecology gives evidence of new perspectives in agriculture, and open doors for alternative weed management approaches through different regulation mechanisms. Seed predation is one of them, and the interest is growing to deepen knowledge, relative to this process. This Phd work aims (i) to describe weed seed predation, the dominant carabid predators and the available resource at a local scale in a common crop (winter wheat); (ii) to study predation profiles of main predators, and the pair-wise correlations between the biological components of the system; (iii) to bring new insights regarding potential regulation of weed communities, through seed predation by carabid beetles. Complementar…

Molecular barcoding for central-eastern European Crioceris leaf-beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

2011

Abstract Among Crioceris leaf-beetles, the two most widespread species (Crioceris asparagi and C. duodecimpunctata) are serious invasive plant pests, while another two (C. quatuordecimpunctata and C. quinquepunctata) are rare species restricted to steppe-like habitats in Eurasia. The aim of the research was to check the genetic distinctiveness of these four species and develop barcodes for their molecular identification using the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene and two nuclear markers: Elongation Factor 1-α (EF1-α) and Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 (ITS1). The identification of each species was possible and reliable with the use of COI and ITS1 markers. EF1-α was omitted in an…