Diuresis in a desert beetle? hormonal control of the malpighian tubules ofOnymacris plana (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Summary Malpighian tubules of a desert tenebrionid beetle,Onymacris plana, have been studied as isolated preparations. Under control conditions tubules of female beetles secreted fluid at an average rate of 3.3 nl/min, but this rate was increased 20–25 times by a diuretic hormone (DH).Homogenates of the brain, corpora cardiaca (CC) and prothoracic ganglion induced striking increases in tubule secretion rates, which sometimes exceeded 100 nl/min. The increased rates were sustained for 3 h without renewal of the medium. Diuretic activity was also present in the other thoracic ganglia. High K treatment caused release of DH from the CC only.Exogenous cyclic AMP (1 mM) stimulated the isolated tubules ofO. plana, but to a lesser extent than the DH. The cationic composition of the secreted fluid resembled that of most other insect tubules, with high K and low Na concentrations. Stimulation with DH doubled the Na concentration.The DH was not inactivated by the tubules themselves, but was destroyed by contact with the haemolymph. An inactivation mechanism is vital in the apparently contradictory situation of a desert beetle possessing a diuretic hormone. The role of the cryptonephric system during diuresis is unknown.Abbreviations DH diuretic hormone - cAMP adenosine 3:5-cyclic monophosphoric acid - CC corpora cardiaca     

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.     

Testing the performance of a fragment of the COI gene to identify western Palaearctic stag beetle species?(Coleoptera,Lucanidae)

The taxonomy of stag beetles (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) remains challenging, mainly due to the sexual dimorphism and the strong allometry in males. Such conjecture confounds taxonomic based conservation efforts that are urgently needed due to numerous threats to stag beetle biodiversity. Molecular tools could help solve the problem of identification of the different recognized taxa in the “Lucanus cervus complex” and in some related Palaearctic species. We investigated the potential use of a 670 bp region at the 3’ end of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI) for barcoding purposes (different from the standard COI barcoding region). Well resolved species and subspecies were L. tetraodon, L. cervusakbesianus, L. c. laticornis, as well as the two eastern Asian outgroup taxa L. formosanus and L. hermani. Conversely, certain taxa could not be distinguished from each other based on K2P-distances and tree topologies: L. c. fabiani / L. (P.) barbarossa, L. c. judaicus / an unknown Lucanus species, L. c. cervus / L. c. turcicus / L. c. pentaphyllus / L. (P.) macrophyllus / L. ibericus. The relative roles of phenotypic plasticity, recurrent hybridisation and incomplete lineage sorting underlying taxonomic and phylogenetic discordances are discussed.     

The structure of a beetle (Coleoptera,Insecta) complex attracted by a light source in Galich’ya Gora Nature Reserve

In Morozova Gora tract, Galich’ya Gora Nature Reserve, 33 973 beetles of 542 species from 66 families were collected with the help of a 100-W light trap between 1996 and 2008. The structure of the beetle complex attracted by light is studied, as are the seasonal and annual dynamics of abundance and species composition of this group. The structure of the beetle complex attracted by light is unraveled based on the data on their daily activity. The influence of weather conditions in various seasons on beetles flight towards the light source is studied.     

Linking environmental stress, feeding-shifts and the ‘island syndrome’: a nutritional challenge hypothesis

Adaptation to insular environments often arises from changes and innovations in feeding behaviour allowing expanded foraging habits and an increased niche breadth. These shifts and innovations have traditionally been thought to be related to community-wide processes, but could also be the direct result of environmental constraints determining the abundance, availability and suitability of a particular food providing specific nutrients for survival, growth and reproduction. The link between environmental constraints on nutrients and life-history of insular organisms can help in understanding the convergent set of adaptations sustaining the ‘island syndrome’. We tested whether a potential insular nutrient shortage can drive diet shifts, nutritional biochemistry and growth stress, thus contributing to the modulation of life-history traits in a large passerine bird, the red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax). Results supported the insular nutritional challenge hypothesis, linked to an insular insect shortage. An insect shortage may in turn have determined the reduced consumption of this source of protein but increased consumption of other arthropods, and notably fruits, by insular nestlings and fully-grown individuals. Island birds showed comparatively low circulating levels of nutrients and metabolites associated with the consumption of protein-rich animal matter as opposed to carbohydrate-rich vegetal matter, as well as high growth stress reflected in poor feather quality. We propose that feeding shifts derived from an insular insect shortage may exert a strong influence on the allocation of limited time, energy and nutrients among competing functions associated with physiological changes and investment in reproduction and self-maintenance. Traits and patterns generally defining the insular syndrome could thus be linked to particular insular nutrient constraints forcing feeding shifts and nutritional challenges with physiological, demographic and life-history consequences.     

The Maghreb – one more important biodiversity hot spot for tiger beetle fauna (Coleoptera,Carabidae, Cicindelinae) in the Mediterranean region

The tiger beetle fauna of the Maghreb region is one of the richest in the Palaearctic, including 22 species and 5 subspecies and 19% of all Palaearctic species of Cicindelinae. Assembled to their chorotypes, the Maghreb tiger beetles fall into eight different groups that include Maghreb endemics (26% of fauna), Mediterranean (7%), West Mediterranean (40%), North African (4%), Mediterranean-Westturanian (4%), West Palaearctic (4%), Afrotropico-Indo-Mediterranean (4%), and Saharian (11%) species. The Mediterranean Sclerophyl and Atlas Steppe are the Maghreb biogeographical provinces with the highest species richness, while the Sahara Desert has the lowest Cicindelinae diversity. Twenty-five cicindelid species and subspecies (93% of Maghreb fauna) are restricted to only one or two habitat types in lowland areas. Only Calomera littoralis littoralis and Lophyra flexuosa flexuosa are recognized as eurytopic species and occur in three types of habitat. The highest tiger beetle diversity characterizes salt marshes and river banks (in both cases 11 species and subspecies or 41% of Maghreb fauna). Approximately 85% of all Maghreb tiger beetle species and subspecies are found in habitats potentially endangered by human activity.     

Is dispersal promoted at the invasion front? Morphological analysis of a ground beetle invading the Kerguelen Islands, Merizodus soledadinus (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

As a biological invasion proceeds, the spread of the alien may promote dispersal ability at the front by direct and indirect selection, thereby altering the dynamics of the invasion. Morphology correlates with dispersal in numerous taxa, and represents a relevant integration of temporal or geographical changes in dispersal. Using data from Laparie et al. (Biol Invasions 12:3405–3417, 2010) in a ground beetle introduced to a single location of the Kerguelen Islands in 1913, we examined the quantitative relationship between distance in residence time and morphological distance (computed from a multivariate combination of parameters). A consistent relationship depicted a quantitative match between differences in morphology and residence time. Body size increased from the founder population to successive child populations (femur, thorax, abdomen and head), which may indicate increasing dispersal ability along the colonization history of the species. The morphological differentiation may result from a combination of both dispersal pattern and residency effect in former populations, the latter leading to decreasing size when residence time increases, due to alteration of trophic conditions following invasion by the beetle. Our results offer a fertile ground for investigating spatial selection and promotion of dispersers on front margins, as they highlight the dynamic fashion of dispersal ability during invasions.     

Descriptions of eleven Opatrini pupae (Coleoptera,?Tenebrionidae) from China

The pupal stage of eleven Opatrini species occuring in the northern China are described and a key for their identifiaction is provided. The species are Scleropatrum horridum horridum Reitter, Gonocephalum reticulatum Motschulsky, Opatrum (Opatrum) subaratum Faldermann, Eumylada potanini (Reitter), Eumylada punctifera (Reitter), Penthicus (Myladion) alashanicus (Reichardt), Penthicus (Myladion) nojonicus (Kaszab), Myladina unguiculina Reitter, Melanesthes (Opatronesthes) rugipennis Reitter, Melanesthes (Melanesthes) maxima maxima Ménétriès and Melanesthes (Melanesthes) jintaiensis Ren.     

A sponge diversity centre within a marine ‘island’

The exposed and gulf-stream warmed south-west coast of Ireland has a Lusitanean fauna composed of elements of the colder waters to the north and east, and others from the warmer Mediterranean Sea. Lough Hyne, a small marine body, is unusual on this coast in being very sheltered, but also in being characterised by many different niches within a small space (1 km²). Sponges are particularly abundant, morphologically varied and more than 100 species have been described. Species diversity was measured at 6 m intervals on vertical and inclined profiles (to a maximum of 30 m) at six sites, spanning a range of flow rate and sedimentation regimes. Diversity, richness, evenness and density varied significantly with both flow regime and depth, but was much lower on the surrounding Atlantic coast. Four different sponge communities were differentiated on the basis of sponge species assemblages which correlated with different environmental conditions. At sites of turbulent and fast flow conditions, sponge diversity and richness were lowest, with the highest values being found at the sites of moderate and high sedimentation. Significant differences were observed in all four ecological variables with respect to substratum angle with the exception of the site experiencing the most turbulent flow conditions. Lough Hyne was found to possess the second highest sponge species diversity (H=3.626) and richness (77 species) of all available figures from temperate, polar and tropical areas (of similar sized sampling area). The uniqueness, diversity and species composition of the sponge community at this location suggests Lough Hyne is, biologically, a marine island within the island of Ireland.     

New metabolites of α-pinene produced by the mountain pine beetle,Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Emergent females of the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, contained five previously undetected volatiles: toluene, 4-methylene-6,6-dimethylbicyclohept-2-ene (verbenene), p-mentha-1,5,8-triene, o- and p-cymene. Exposure of wild or axenically reared beetles to protio- and deuterio-α-pinene or protio- and deuterio-trans-verbenol indicated that all compounds except toluene were produced from α-pinene, with trans-verbenol as a probable intermediate. The ratio between these α-pinene metabolites was insensitive to the level of α-pinene to which the beetles were exposed, suggesting a tightly regulated enzymatic and/or acid-catalyzed conversion of α-pinene. Exposure of females to either enantiomer of α-pinene or to the same amount of (±)-α-pinene indicated that female mountain pine beetles possess two enantiospecific enzyme systems for processing α-pinene. Production of p-cymene constitutes the first record in an insect of an aromatic volatile produced from a monoterpene hydrocarbon.     

Cryptohelops menaticus – a new genus and species of the tribe Helopini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from the Palaeocene of Menat (France)

A new genus and species, Cryptohelops menaticus gen. et sp. n., are described from the Palaeocene of Menat (France). The new genus belongs to the subtribe Helopina of the tribe Helopini (subfamily Tenebrioninae of Tenebrionidae) based on the coarse and dense punctation of the hypomera, shape of the prosternum and metepisterna, a similar appearance to the native genera Helops and Stenohelops and the structure of the epipleura. The new genus also resembles Raiboscelis and Entomogonus by having the protibiae excised along the base of the inner side. The new genus is the oldest representative of the tribe Helopini. Four species of Helops sensu lato previously described from the Oligocene (H. wetteravicus K. Heyden et L. Heyden, 1865) and Miocene (H. atticus Redtenbacher in Ungern, 1867; H. meissneri Heer, 1847 and H. molassicus Heer, 1883) lack important diagnostic characters and should be regarded as members of the tribe Helopini with uncertain generic attribution.     

Acute toxicity of a household bleach,sodium hypochlorite,to a whirligig beetle Orectogyrus alluaudi Régimbart, 1889 (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae)

Acute response of Orectogyrus alluaudi Régimbart, 1889 to sodium hypochlorite was reported after a 48-h acute toxicity test in an imitated field condition. O. alluaudi belongs to the water beetle family Gyrinidae (whirligig beetles) which includes more than 700 species. The test organisms were exposed to various concentrations of sodium hypochlorite ranging from 10 to 160 mg/l along with the control, and median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) values at 24 and 48 h of exposure were assessed. Mortality increased with the concentration of exposure. The 24 and 48 h LC₅₀ values estimated for sodium hypochlorite were 87.30 (73.21–107.06) and 72.32 (62.24–84.53) mg/l, respectively. A significant mortality (P < 0.001) was observed at 40, 80 and 160 mg/l of sodium hypochlorite when compared with the control. Addition of sodium hypochlorite altered the alkalinity and pH of the test water. Behavioural responses such as agitation and disorientation were also observed. The finding showed that indiscriminate use of the household bleach would have serious impact on the bionomics of this species.     

Species decline--but why? Explanations of carabid beetle (Coleoptera,Carabidae) declines in Europe

We investigated some of the causes of ground beetle decline using atlas data from Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands, countries in which natural environments have all but disappeared. We used ordinal regression to identify characteristics that are significantly correlated with the decline of carabid beetle species over the last 50-100 years, using a stepwise selection procedure to select the optimal model according to the Akaike Information Criterion. The results showed that large-bodied carabid populations have declined more than smaller ones, possibly because of their lower reproductive output and lower powers of dispersal. Habitat specialist populations (i.e. species with small niche breadths) have also decreased more than habitat generalist populations. Species with both long- and short-winged individuals have been less prone to decline than those that are exclusively either short-winged or long-winged. Dimorphic species may survive better in highly altered environments because long-winged individuals are good at dispersing between suitable habitats and short-winged individuals are good at surviving and reproducing in these newly colonised habitats. Finally, populations of large carabids associated with coastal, woodland or riparian habitat types were less prone to decline than populations of large carabids associated with various, open or grassland habitat types. The pattern is reversed for carabid species smaller than 8 mm in size. These results are explained in the context of habitat restoration and destruction in these highly modified western European countries.     

Revision of the West Indian Wattius Kaszab (Tenebrionidae,Toxicini, Eudysantina) with lectotype designations for Pascoe’s South American species

The Wattius species occurring in the West Indies are revised for the first time. Wattiuscucullatus (Pascoe), previously reported from Cuba, is diagnosed and restricted to Brazil. Wattiusasperulus (Pascoe), currently a synonym of Wattiuscucullatus, from Colombia is diagnosed and resurrected. All species found in the West Indies are endemic to the islands and form a single informal species-group. Three species are described: Wattiusandersonisp. n. from Cuba, Wattiusemmabaconaesp. n. from Hispaniola (Dominican Republic), and Wattiusviatorussp. n. from Cuba and the Bahamas, and lectotypes are designated for Calymmuscucullatus Pascoe and Calymmusasperulus Pascoe. A key to the West Indian species is provided.     

Bembidion (?Nipponobembidion) ruruy sp. n., a new brachypterous ground beetle (Coleoptera,Carabidae) from Kunashir Island,Kuriles, Russia

A new species, Bembidion (?Nipponobembidion) ruruy sp. n., is described from the foot of Ruruy Volcano, Kunashir Island, Kuril Archipelago, Russia. It is only the second consubgener, being characterized by the reduced wings, the rounded elytral shoulders, and the backward position of the posterior supra-orbital pore. In this connection, the subgenus Nipponobembidion Habu & Baba, 1968 is rediagnosed and both of its species are keyed. It might have originated from Plataphodes Ganglbauer, 1891, possibly in relation to volcanic activities in the region.     

A new flying water beetle (Coleoptera: Schizophoridae) from the Jurassic Daohugou lagerstätte

A new schizophorid beetle, Sinoschizala darani n. gen. n. sp. (Insecta: Coleoptera), is described from the Middle Jurassic volcano-sedimentary siliciclastics of the Daohugou Konservat-Lagerstätte (Inner Mongolia). Our knowledge of the allied aquatic archostematans is summarized with a particular reference to China. The unusual orientation (outspread elytra in flight position) and rare incomplete preservation (no head or abdomen) are discussed. With a wingspan of four centimetres, this is the largest species of Schizophoridae yet found in China, and the unique holotype suggests a natural casualty of a mating or colonizing flight rather than a volcanic eruption.     

How unique is the tiger beetle fauna (Coleoptera,Cicindelidae) of the Balkan Peninsula?

The tiger beetle fauna of the Balkan Peninsula is one of the richest in Europe and includes 19 species or 41% of the European tiger beetle fauna. Assembled by their biogeographical origins, the Balkan tiger beetle species fall into 14 different groups that include, Mediterranean, Middle Oriental, Central Asiatic, Euro-Siberian, South and East European, Pannonian-Sarmatian, West Palaearctic, Turano-European and Afrotropico Indo-Mediterranean species. The Mediterranean Sclerophyl and the Pontian Steppe are the Balkan biogeographical provinces with the highest species richness, while the Balkan Highlands has the lowest Cicindelidae diversity. Most species are restricted to single habitat types in lowland areas of the Balkan Peninsula and only Calomera aulica aulica and Calomera littoralis nemoralis occur in respectively 3 and 4 different types of habitat. About 60% of all Balkan Cicindelidae species are found in habitats potentially endangered by human activity.     

Genetic erosion in a stenotopic heathland ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae): a matter of habitat size?

Two centuries ago large areas of north-west Europe were covered by coherent heathlands which hosted numerous specialized species. Changes in land use made heathlands fragmented and rare, consequently, they are in the focus of nature conservation efforts today. But how large should remaining heathland patches be in order to secure the survival of populations of specialized species? We investigated the genetic diversity at five allozyme loci of Poecilus lepidus, a flightless and stenotopic heathland ground beetle. 29 populations from differently sized heathland patches in north-west Germany were analyzed. Results show a weak but significant genetic differentiation and no evidence for isolation by distance or other patterns of spatial autocorrelation. Linear regression analysis revealed significant relationships between patch size, allelic richness, number of alleles and expected heterozygosity. These findings are explained by severe habitat fragmentation together with strong fluctuations in population size which have been reported for this species in the past. To conserve the vast majority of the species’ genetic diversity for a period of 100 years we suggest to maintain heathland patches of at least 50 ha in size.     

Is preventative, concurrent management of the soybean aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and bean leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) possible?

In Iowa, the management of insect pests in soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., has been complicated by the arrival of the invasive species soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and occasional outbreaks of bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcata (F?rster) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), populations leading to economic losses. Several insecticide programs designed to reduce abundance of the overwintered and first generation C. trifurcata and the incidence of bean pod mottle virus were evaluated over 3 yr (2004-2006) for their impacts on A. glycines populations, at three locations in Iowa (Floyd, Lucas, and Story counties). There was no significant overlap of either overwintered (early May) or the first (early July) generations of C. trifurcata with A. glycines, because aphids were first detected in June and they did not reach economically damaging levels until August, if at all. During this study, insecticides targeting the overwintered population or the first generation of C. trifurcata provided a limited impact on A. glycines populations compared with untreated controls, and they did not prevent economic populations from occurring. Furthermore, the highest populations of A. glycines were frequently observed when a low rate of lambda-cyhalothrin (178 ml/ha) was applied targeting the overwintered population of C. trifurcata. Soybean yields were not protected by any of the insecticide treatments. Our results indicate that the use of either early season foliar or seed-applied insecticides for C. trifurcata management is of limited value for A. glycines management.