Epilachnini
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| Mulsant , 1846 |
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The tribe Epilachnini is a group of ladybirds (Coccinellidae). It comprises 23 genera with around 1050 species worldwide. The group formerly formed a subfamily of ladybirds under the name Epilachninae. After a revision by Adam Ślipiński in 2007, only two subfamilies are still valid for the ladybirds, the Microweiseinae and the Coccinellinae . The Epilachnini belong to the Coccinellinae.
features
In the species of Epilachnini, both the larvae and the imagines are herbivores. Your mouthparts therefore have special characteristics. The mandibles have several small teeth against the tip. The mentum , the basal part of the labium (lower lip of the insect), is trapezoidal. The beetles are short but densely hairy.
In nature, the identification of the individual species is not difficult because the beetles - like many butterfly species , for example - are tied to certain food plants. Often they can be identified even more easily based on the characteristics of the larvae, which are very different from one another.
distribution
The Epilachnini are distributed worldwide in the tropical zones of the earth, but many species also occur in moderate latitudes, for example in Central Europe .
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of most of the former subfamilies of the ladybirds is the subject of much phylogenetic research. There is no doubt that they all belong to the Coccinellidae family, the grouping of the individual subfamilies or tribes as well as the phylogenetic relationship of the groups to one another are largely unclear. The genera Epilachna and Henosepilachna form a monophyletic group within the Epilachnini , the genus Solanophila is now included in Epilachna . This group is at the base of the Coccinellidae. The genus Subcoccinella seems to be closely related to the genus Rodolia , but this belongs to the Coccidulini . Their species are also not herbivores like their sister genus, but feed on aphids. This shows that the specific type of diet cannot be viewed as a characteristic of the relationship between individual genera, but has arisen several times in different groups within the ladybird. The shape of the mouthparts as found for the Epilachnini would then not be an original common feature, but the result of a convergent development based on a similar way of life.
Selected species
- Mexican bean beetle ( Epilachna varivestis )
- Twenty-four spotted ladybird or alfalfa ladybird ( Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata )
- Bryony Ladybird ( Henosepilachna argus )
- Grass ladybird ( Cynegetis impunctata )
- Henosepilachna nativitatis
Individual evidence
- ↑ Adam Ślipiński: Australian Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) their Biology and Classification. ABRS, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra 2007 ISBN 978-0642568557
- ↑ AP Kapur: The biology and external morphology of the larvae of Epilachninae (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research, 41, 1, pp. 161-208, 1950 doi : 10.1017 / S0007485300027565
- ↑ A. Magro, E. Lecompte, F. Magné, J.-L. Hemptinne & B. Crouau-Roy: Phylogeny of ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): are the subfamilies monophyletic? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 54,3, pp. 833–848, 2010 doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2009.10.022 PDF ( Memento of the original from March 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and still Not checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- A. Ślipiński & W. Tomaszewska: Coccinellidae (Coleoptera). In: Richard AB Leschen, Rolf G. Beutel, John F. Lawrence, NP Kristensen (Eds.): Handbook of Zoology. Arthropoda, Insecta, Coleoptera, Vol. 2. pp. 454-472, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York 2010
Web links
- Epilachninae at Fauna Europaea