Rapid cold-hardening in a Karoo beetle, Afrinus sp.

Abstract.  In the insect rapid cold-hardening response, survival at subzero temperatures is greatly improved by a brief pre-exposure at a milder temperature. It is predicted that insects with minimal cold tolerance capabilities living in variable environments should use rapid cold-hardening to survive sudden cold snaps. This is tested in Afrinus sp., a beetle that lives in an exposed habitat on rock outcrops in the Karoo Desert, South Africa, where microclimate temperatures drop infrequently to below freezing. Afrinus sp. shows a significant rapid cold-hardening response: survival of a 2-h exposure to −6.5 °C is much improved after pre-exposure to −2 °C, to 0 °C with a 2-h return to the rearing temperature, and to 40 °C, but not after pre-exposure to 0 °C. Little is known about the mechanism of the rapid cold-hardening response, although the data suggest that rapid cold-hardening may be mediated via several different mechanisms.     

基于线粒体COⅡ和Cytb基因序列的8种漠甲系统发育关系

对8种漠甲昆虫线粒体Cytb基因579bp和COⅡ基因585bp的序列片段进行联合分析。结果表明,8种甲虫在长度为1164bp的序列中碱基T,C,A,G的平均含量分别为33.7%,21.2%,33.5和11.6%,A+T平均含量明显高于G+C含量。密码子第三位点A+T含量高达77.2%,而该位点G的平均含量仅为4.0%。序列中碱基替换多发生于第三位点,转换略多于颠换,转换主要以C←T为主,颠换以A←T为主。以土甲族的Eumylada potanini为外群构建的系统发育树表明:漠王和漠甲以很高的置信值聚为一支,二者的关系与Bouchard最新的分类观点相吻合,即漠王族并入漠甲族成为一族;鳖甲族在支序图上另成一支,可视为一个单系群。     

A Tenebrionid beetle’s dataset (Coleoptera,Tenebrionidae) from Peninsula Valdés (Chubut,?Argentina)

The Natural Protected Area Peninsula Valdés, located in Northeastern Patagonia, is one of the largest conservation units of arid lands in Argentina. Although this area has been in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999, it has been continually exposed to sheep grazing and cattle farming for more than a century which have had a negative impact on the local environment. Our aim is to describe the first dataset of tenebrionid beetle species living in Peninsula Valdés and their relationship to sheep grazing. The dataset contains 118 records on 11 species and 198 adult individuals collected. Beetles were collected using pitfall traps in the two major environmental units of Peninsula Valdés, taking into account grazing intensities over a three year time frame from 2005–2007. The Data quality was enhanced following the best practices suggested in the literature during the digitalization and geo-referencing processes. Moreover, identification of specimens and current accurate spelling of scientific names were reviewed. Finally, post-validation processes using DarwinTest software were applied. Specimens have been deposited at Entomological Collection of the Centro Nacional Patagónico (CENPAT-CONICET). The dataset is part of the database of this collection and has been published on the internet through GBIF Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT) (http://data.gbif.org/datasets/resource/14669/). Furthermore, it is the first dataset for tenebrionid beetles of arid Patagonia available in GBIF database, and it is the first one based on a previously designed and standardized sampling to assess the interaction between these beetles and grazing in the area. The main purposes of this dataset are to ensure accessibility to data associated with Tenebrionidae specimens from Peninsula Valdés (Chubut, Argentina), also to contribute to GBIF with primary data about Patagonian tenebrionids and finally, to promote the Entomological Collection of Centro Nacional Patagónico (CENPAT-CONICET) and its associated biodiversity data. For these reasons, we believe that this information will certainly be useful for future faunistic, ecological, conservational and biogeographical studies.     

Towards a revision of the South American genus Praocis Eschscholtz (Coleoptera,Tenebrionidae), with estimation of the diversity of each subgenus

A review of the subgenera of the South American genus Praocis Eschscholtz (Pimeliinae: Praociini) is presented. Praocis comprises 77 species and 8 subspecies arranged in nine subgenera distributed in arid lands from Central Peru and Bolivia to the Southern part of Patagonia in Chile and Argentina. For each subgenus of Praocis: Praocis Eschscholtz, Mesopraocis Flores & Pizarro-Araya, subgen. n., Anthrasomus Guérin-Méneville, Filotarsus Gay & Solier, Postpraocis Flores & Pizarro-Araya, subgen. n., Hemipraocis Flores & Pizarro-Araya, subgen. n., Orthogonoderes Gay & Solier, Praonoda Flores & Pizarro-Araya, subgen. n., and Praocida Flores & Pizarro-Araya, subgen. n., we present a diagnosis using new and constant characters of adult morphology such as clypeal configuration, length and proportion of antennomeres 9, 10 and 11, arrangement of apical tomentose sensory patches on antennomeres 10 and 11, anterior margin of prosternum, lateral margin of elytron, ventral surface of profemora, and shape of protibiae. An identification key for the nine subgenera of Praocis is presented. Type species are designated for the five new subgenera; for Mesopraocis: Praocis calderana Kulzer, for Postpraocis: Praocis pentachorda Burmeister, for Hemipraocis: Praocis sellata Berg, for Praonoda: Praocis bicarinata Burmeister, for Praocida: Praocis zischkai Kulzer, and for the previously described subgenus Orthogonoderes: Praocis subreticulata Gay & Solier. The current number of species and the estimated number of species to be described are presented. The distribution ranges of the subgenera, including new records from collections and recent expeditions, are given. Habitat preferences and a discussion of the biogeography of the genus are also presented.     

漠甲亚科八种幼虫记述(鞘翊目：拟步甲科)

漠甲亚科Pimcliinae是一类广布于古北区的耐旱沙漠昆虫,幼虫在沙土内发育,危害 植物嫩芽和根部,经济意义较大。本文记述了采自宁夏、甘肃、内蒙古和新疆的8个种,即多毛扁漠甲、谢氏宽漠甲、泥脊漠甲^[1]、洛氏脊漠甲^[1]、光滑胖漠甲^[1]、蒙古漠王、谢氏宽漠王和大宽漠王的幼虫,并给出它们的检索表。幼虫标本保存于宁夏农学院。     

北方漠甲亚科昆虫蛹的鉴别

漠甲亚科Pimeliinae昆虫蛹为裸蛹 ,蛹态的分类鉴定和生物学在害虫防治方面具有重要的意义 ,也是系统学研究的重要内容之一。该文对从我国北方采集的漠甲亚科 4族 9属共 2 6种 (亚种 )昆虫的蛹进行分类、鉴定 ,并给出了检索表、鉴别特征和特征图 ,所有标本保存于宁夏大学生命科学学院昆虫标本室。     

漠甲亚科八种幼虫记述（鞘翅目：拟步甲科）

漠甲亚科Ｐｉｍｅｌｉｉｎａｅ是一类广布于古北区的耐旱沙漠昆虫,幼虫在沙土内发育,危害植物嫩芽和根部,经济意义较大。本文记述了采自宁夏、甘肃、内蒙古和新疆的８个种,即多毛扁漠甲、谢氏宽漠甲、泥脊漠甲［１］、洛氏脊漠甲［１］、光滑胖漠甲［１］、蒙古漠王、谢氏宽漠王和大宽漠王的幼虫,并给出它们的检索表。幼虫标本保存于宁夏农学院。