Agathidium vaderi
| Agathidium vaderi | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Agathidium vaderi | ||||||||||||
| Wheeler & Miller , 2005 |
Agathidium vaderi is a species of the sponge ball beetle family. He was named after the fictional character Darth Vader from the Star Wars filmsbecause of his broad, helmet-like head.
features
The beetle has a body length of about 2.6 to 3.2 millimeters and, compared to related species of the genus Agathidium , which are more spherical in construction, a relatively narrow, flattened shape. It is reddish-brown in color with yellow-brown antennae and legs. The head is flattened and broadened, the eyes are very small and reduced to narrow triangles. The most similar species is the closely related beetle Agathidium kimberlae , from which Agathidium vaderi differs primarily in terms of genital morphology.
distribution and habitat
Previously known specimens were found in the mountainous region of the border region between the US states of North Carolina , Tennessee and Georgia at altitudes of 500 to 1400 m. The type locality is the Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . The beetles live in the litter of the forest floor on decaying wood. Probably they feed as many species of the genus Agathidium of slime molds .
Related species
Agathidium bushi , Agathidium rumsfeldi , Agathidium cheneyi .
See also
literature
- Quentin D. Wheeler, Kelly B. Miller: Slime-mold beetles of the genus Agathidium Panzer in North and Central America, Part II. Coleoptera: Leiodidae . In: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History . No. 291 , March 24, 2005, ISSN 0003-0090 , p. 87–88 (English, amnh.org [PDF]).
Web links
- Press release from Cornell University (English)