A new species of Maladera from Jordan (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericini)

A new Maladera species is described from Jordan: M. schnitteri sp. n. A key to the species of the subgenus Eusericula is given, and the habitus and genitalia are illustrated.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D41D75B5-D700-4C2B-9058-04D14006C810     

A comparative analysis of metabolic rate in six Scarabaeus species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from southern Africa: further caveats when inferring adaptation

Alterations in VO(2) or VCO(2) are amongst the more polemical physiological adaptations ascribed to insects. Generally, metabolic rate is thought to be lowered in response to arid conditions, and elevated in species from cold environments compared to their more temperate relatives. However, most studies have rarely addressed the influence of both environmental factors in unison. To this end, standard metabolic rate and its temperature dependence were measured (at 4 degrees C intervals from 16 to 32 degrees C) in six Scarabaeus dung beetle species (three flightless, three volant) from a variety of habitats (warm, arid to cool, mesic) in southern Africa using flow-through respirometry. Mass specific VCO(2) varied from 0.0158 ml g(-1) h(-1) at 16 degrees C to 0.1839 ml g (-1) h(-1) at 32 degrees C. The slopes of the rate temperature curves were similar for all species (Q(10)s of 2.14-2.84), although the intercepts differed significantly in the direction (warm arid to cool mesic): S. gariepinus相似文献   

Phylogeography of the Namib Desert dung beetles Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) MacLeay (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Aim Namib biogeography in many instances remains reliant on advanced and detailed systematic studies. This study attempts to combine molecular phylogenetic data, geology and palaeo‐climatic data to (i) resolve the relationships of the 13 morphological species of Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) and (ii) relate their evolution to past climatic and geological events. Location South Africa and Namibia. Methods Sequencing of a 1197 bp segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene of the 13 species within Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) was undertaken. Analyses performed included Parsimony and Maximum Likelihood as well as imposing a molecular clock. Results The molecular phylogeny showed strong support for 11 of the 13 morphological species. The remaining two species, S. (P.) glentoni and S. (P.) hippocrates, formed a complex and could not be assigned specific status on the basis of the COI gene phylogeny. Strong support for the three species formerly classified within the genus Neopachysoma was consistently obtained. The subgenus appears to have arisen c. 2.9 Ma. Species within the subgenus arose at different times, with the common ancestor to Neopachysoma and the hippocrates complex having evolved 2.65 and 2.4 Ma, respectively. Scarabaeus (P.) denticollis, S. (P.) rotundigenus, S. (P.) rodriguesi and S. (P.) schinzi are some of the youngest species, having diverged between 2 million and 600,000 years ago. Main conclusions Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) is a derived monophyletic clade within the Scarabaeini. The subgenus appears to be young in comparison with the age of the Namib Desert, which dates back to the Miocene (c. 15 Ma). The psammophilous taxa are shown to disperse with their substratum and habitat, barchan dunes. Clear south/north evolutionary gradients can be seen within the species of this subgenus, which are consistent with the unidirectional wind regime. Species with a suite of mostly plesiomorphic characters have a southerly distribution while their derived psammophilous relatives have central to northern Namib distributions. Major rivers such as the Orange, Buffels and Holgat appear to be gene barriers to certain species as well as areas of origin of speciation events.     

A new species and new records of Laelaspis Berlese (Acari, Laelapidae) from Iran

This paper reports on three species of mites of the genus Laelaspis in Iran - Laelaspis calidus Berlese from Pheidole pallidula, Laelaspis humeratus (Berlese) from Tetramorium caespitum and Laelaspis dariusi Joharchi & Jalaeian, sp. n. fromsoil. The new species is described and illustrations provided.     

Discontinuous gas-exchange cycles in Scarabaeus dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): mass-scaling and temperature dependence.

Although discontinuous gas exchange cycles (DGC) are known from many insects, the effects of body size and temperature on DGC have not been widely examined. Here, these effects are investigated in five Scarabaeus dung beetle species from mesic and xeric habitats. The investigation tests two hypotheses: that previous estimates of the scaling exponents for the DGC and its characteristics are more broadly applicable to insects, and that, in response to temperature, both DGC frequency and the quantity of CO2 emitted during the open (O) phase (O-phase emission volume) are modulated. Like previous workers, we find that V&d2;co2 scaled as mass0.968 and that O-phase emission volume scaled as mass0.833. However, temperature-associated increases in .Vco2 (Q10's of 2.19-2.65) were modulated mostly by increases in DGC frequency since O-phase volumes remained constant across temperature. Flutter (F)-phase and O-phase durations were closely coupled to DGC duration, although the relationship between closed (C)-phase duration and DGC duration was less pronounced. We show that ventilation phase coefficients, previously considered a measure of the proportional duration of each phase of the DGC, calculated from the slopes of these relationships are a measure of change in phase duration with change in DGC duration and not a measure of the way in which total DGC duration is apportioned among phases. We suggest that proportions be used to estimate the contribution of each of the phases to the total duration of the DGC.     

A new Oxyurida (Thelastomatidae) from Cyclocephala signaticollis Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from Argentina

Cephalobellus cyclocephalae n. sp. (Oxyurida: Thelastomatidae), a parasite of larvae of Cyclocephala signaticollis (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae), found in Argentina is described and illustrated. It is characterized by the cuticle striated at the anterior end in both sexes, with 15 annules, buccal cavity short and not armed, and the male with 4 pairs of genital papillae, 1 pair of preanal papillae, 3 pairs of postanal papillae.     

A new species of Maladera Mulsant & Rey, 1871 from Iran (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Sericini) and a review of the distribution of the genus in Iran

A new species of Maladera Mulsant & Rey, 1871 is described from Iran: M. kermanensis sp. n. The habitus and genitalia of the new species are illustrated. Additional records of Maladera species and a checklist of the species occurring in Iran including a map of their distribution are given.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:812B8D62-2DD5-42CF-8BCD-F576CF3D2A7E     

Thermoregulatory strategies in two closely related sympatric Scarabaeus species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)

Abstract. The thermoregulation strategies of Scarabaeus sacer L. and Scarabaeus cicatricosus Lucas were studied in the Doñana National Park, Spain. In this area, both species coexist, showing the same habitat and food preferences. However, S. cicatricosus is active during warmer parts of the day compared to S. sacer. Both species thermoregulate their thoracic temperature but, whereas the abdomen of S. sacer is a passive thermal window, S. cicatricosus actively thermoregulates abdominal temperature by increasing heat transfer from the thorax to the abdomen at high T_a values. In the case of S. sacer, their endothermy indicates an adaptive capacity to thorax heat retention, as occurs mainly in winter‐flying insects. This mechanism, possibly related to the aerodynamic flight posture in Scarabaeinae, could be an effective barrier to retard the rate of abdominal heat loss during flight. This endothermic strategy makes flight difficult at higher temperatures, although it allows flight during cooler periods of the day. On the other hand, S. cicatricosus showed a different adaptive behaviour to S. sacer. In this case, a significant decrease in abdominal heat loss at higher ambient temperatures would indicate a decrease in heat transfer from the thorax to the abdomen, as occurs in some desert and semiarid insects. This ‘heat exchanger’ mechanism observed in S. cicatricosus could be due to the irregular posture adopted during flight, with the posterior legs clearly extended and separate from the body. This behaviour increases turbulence and convective cooling, favouring exposure of the soft abdominal tergal cuticle and, subsequently, water loss. Thus, for S. cicatricosus, the well‐adapted ‘heat exchanger’ permits flight during periods of the day when temperatures would possibly be lethal for those species with high endothermy. From an adaptive viewpoint, these mechanisms of thermoregulation may explain how both closely‐related sympatric species respond in different ways to environmental temperature, favouring their coexistence.     

A new species of the genus Pergalumna Grandjean, 1936 from Iran (Acari: Oribatida: Galumnidae)

A new species of galumnid mite (Acari: Oribatida: Galumnidae), Pergalumna persica sp. n., is described from Fars province, southern Iran. The new species is characterised by a pointed rostrum, minute interlamellar setae, medium long, setiform sensilla, with finely barbed, slightly dilated head, complete dorsosejugal suture, large, nearly elongate-triangular areae porosae Aa, absence of median pore, and large body size.     

Pre-copulatory isolation in sympatric Melolontha species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

1 The two most abundant cockchafer species in Europe, the forest cockchafer Melolontha hippocastani Fabr. and the European cockchafer Melolontha melolontha L., tend to form calamitous mass breedings with casual reports on sympatric and simultaneous occurrence. 2 Both species are known to use feeding‐induced green leaf volatiles (GLV) as primary attractants (sexual kairomones) for mate finding. The attractiveness of GLV is enhanced by the sex pheromones 1,4‐benzoquinone in M. hippocastani and toluquinone in M. melolontha. Phenol attracts males from both species. All three compounds are present in females of both species. 3 In the present study, it is confirmed that only male M. melolontha perform the typical swarming flight at dusk, as has already been shown for M. hippocastani. Furthermore, whether swarming Melolontha males were cross‐attracted to heterospecific females, and whether males could discriminate olfactorily between conspecific and heterospecific females, was tested in the field. 4 Males of both species preferred females when given the choice between females and males of the other species. However, they preferred conspecific females when females from both species were offered simultaneously. 5 The results suggest that species‐specific pheromone blends contribute to precopulatory reproductive isolation in sympatric populations of M. melolontha and M. hippocastani, but are not mutually exclusive or indispensable prerequisites for mate finding as in other insects.     

A new species and new distribution records of Zercon C. L. Koch from Iran (Acari: Zerconidae)

A new species of the family Zerconidae, Zercon persicus sp. n., is described based on female and male morphological characters. It was collected in West Azarbaijan province (northwestern Iran). Idiosomal chaetotaxy, poroidotaxy and related notations are illustrated. The similarities and differences between the related species within the genus are discussed. Records of some other Zercon species from the province are given for the first time.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3D1122C7-2B86-40D2-974E-EE69035A2413     

A new mexican species of Dichotomius Hope (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and a key to species of the carolinus group

A new species of Dichotomius Hope is described based on specimens from states of Yucatan and Quintana Roo, Mexico. Dichotomius maya n. sp. is included in a new key to species of the carolinus group, which comprises besides new species described herein, the following species with North American and Central American distribution: D. carolinus L., D. colonicus (Say), D. annae Kohlmann & Solis and D. amicitiae Kohlmann & Solis.     

Nine eriophyoid mite species from Iran (Acari, Eriophyidae)

Nine eriophyoid mites, including two new species and five new records, from Iran are described and illustrated. They are Aceria acroptiloni Shevchenko & Kacalev, 1974, rec. n. on Rhaponticum repens (L.) Hidalgo (Asteraceae); Aceria anthocoptes (Nalepa, 1892), rec. n. on Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. (Asteraceae); Aceria lactucae (Canestrini, 1893), rec. n. on Lactuca virosa L. (Asteraceae); Aceria pulicarissp. n. on Pulicaria gnaphalodes (Vent.) Boiss. (Asteraceae); Aceria tosichella Keifer, 1969 on Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. (Poaceae); Eriophyes rotundae Mohanasundaram, 1983 on Cyperus rotundus L. (Cyperaceae); Aculops maroccensis Keifer, 1972, rec. n. on Mentha piperita L. (Lamiaceae); Aculus medicagersp. n. on Medicago sativa L. (Leguminosae); Tetra lycopersici Xue & Hong, 2005, rec. n. on Solanum nigrum L. (Solanaceae).     

Morphological variation in adult Xylotrupes gideon australicus (Scarabaeidae,Coleoptera, Insecta)

Variation in horn and body size of both sexes of Xylotrupes gideon australicus is normally distributed with no evidence of dimorphism in either sex. This contrasts with that of X. gideon gideon, in which males are dimorphic for horn length, but horn size varies within morphs. Males of X. gideon australicus are generally larger than females, but the distributions of all characters, except tarsal length, overlap considerably. Males have longer legs, presumably to facilitate mating.     

Two new rhabditida species (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) parasites of Cyclocephala signaticollis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Argentina

Two different Rhabditida species (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) Parasitorhabditis platidontus n. sp. and Cruznema campestris n. sp. are described and illustrated from the larvae of Cyclocephala signaticollis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Parasitorhabditis platidontus n. sp. is characterized by having 4 odontoplates in the stoma and the vulva is at 80% of the length of the body. Cruznema campestris n. sp. can be distinguished by the presence of 4 odontoplates and the arrangement of the male genital papillae, 9 pairs, of which 4 are preanal and 5 postanal.     

A new species of tumbling flower beetles of the genus Mordellaria (Insecta: Coleoptera: Mordellidae) from the Baltic amber

The beetle Mordellaria friedrichi sp. nov. is described from the Baltic amber. The new species differs from extant species of the genus in the shape of the eyes and antennae and in the ratios of the length of the pygidium and length of the elytron, pronotum, and anal sternite.