Ithycerus noveboracensis

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Ithycerus noveboracensis
Systematics
Order : Beetle (Coleoptera)
Subordination : Polyphaga
Family : Long beetle (Brentidae)
Subfamily : Ithycerinae
Genre : Ithycerus
Type : Ithycerus noveboracensis
Scientific name of the  subfamily
Ithycerinae
Schönherr , 1826
Scientific name of the  genus
Ithycerus
Schönherr , 1826
Scientific name of the  species
Ithycerus noveboracensis
( Forster , 1771)

Ithycerus noveboracensis is a species of weevil (superfamily Curculionoidea ) from North America. The American name is "New York weevil". The species is a taxonomically isolated relic form, the relationship of which is unclear, and has been assigned to numerous different families by various authors. It is the only species in the (monotypical) family Ithyceridae . Today it is mostly classified in a monotypical subfamily Ithycerinae within the long beetles (Brentidae).

features

The species reaches the impressive size of 12 to 18 millimeters for a weevil. It is colored black, including all attachments, but bears a conspicuous drawing made up of scaled hair. The elytra on every other space (between the rows of dots, which are usually pronounced in weevils, like many other beetles), have a strip of light-colored scales in which small spots made up of black, erect scales are interspersed. The scutellum is striking because of its very dense, light-colored scales. There are also three longitudinal stripes of light-colored scales on the pronotum. The beetle is elongated oval with parallel-sided in front, abruptly narrowed wing-coverts to the rear with pronounced front corners ("shoulders"). The pronotum is significantly narrower than the elytra (about half as wide) and constricts bell-shaped towards the front. The head, which is not narrowed towards the back, has two oval eyes protruding from the contour of the head. The trunk is very short (about as long as it is wide, barely half as long as the head), flattened at the top, slightly widened towards the front (widened) with two keels. The straight (not kneeling) antennae sit sideways in the middle of the trunk. They have a short and compact, three-part antenna lobe. The species is conspicuous by a special formation of the abdomen. This looks like he has six sclerites (ventrites). The sixth is actually a tergite (pygidium) that has migrated to the ventral side. Accordingly, the anus and the genital opening are not at the end of the body, but shifted forward on the abdomen.

The larva is noticeable for its distinct, two-segment thoracic legs (without a claw), while weevil larvae are typically completely legless. The head capsule has three larval eyes (stemmata or ocularia) on both sides. It reaches a maximum length of about 25 millimeters and is colored white with a yellow cap. Your cuticle is also noticeable because of its numerous small spicules.

Way of life

The species is tied to deciduous trees. The adult beetles feed on the leaves and occasionally on young twigs, flowers or buds. The larva lives in the ground and feeds on roots. Quite a broad spectrum of food is given, which includes the families Betulaceae , Juglandaceae and Fagaceae . It has also passed to fruit trees newly introduced by humans (family Rosaceae ). Most of the information is available from American beech and various types of oak , e.g. B. Quercus alba and Quercus velutina .

The female lays her eggs in the ground in summer at the foot of a suitable tree species. The larvae feed on the roots from the outside and can remove their entire bark. It takes two years to develop. They pupate in May or June of the second year.

distribution

The species is known from eastern North America (USA and Canada). The northern limit of the distribution runs through Quebec and Ontario, in the west Wisconsin and Nebraska are reached. The southernmost occurrences are in Georgia and Texas.

Economic importance

The species has occasionally been reported as harmful in tree crops or orchards.

Systematics

The position and relationship of Ithycerus noveboracensis have not yet been satisfactorily clarified. The species is characterized by a mosaic of original, plesiomorphic and derived characters. Plesiomorphies are, for example, the straight, non-kneeling antennae, the shape of the male genitals and the shape of the larva with two-segment legs. After cladistic analyzes of phylogeny, two different positions are proposed:

  • a) Basal branch of the line that leads to the weevils (in the narrower sense) (family Curculionidae )
  • b) original group within the family Brentidae .

Many researchers prefer to include the species as a monotypical subfamily Ithycerinae in the Brentidae family, even if the underlying results are anything but clear. This position assumes, among other things, that the Apioninae are also a subfamily of the Brentidae (and not an independent family Apionidae). Due to the unclear and contradicting data situation, many researchers preferred to place the species in a separate family Ithyceridae, at least until a better data basis is available. As such, they are e.g. B. listed in the world catalog. Today, however, the placement as a basal branch within the Brentidae is mostly favored.

swell

  • Donald E. Bright (1993): The insects and arachnids of Canada. Part 21: The weevils of Canada and Alaska Volume 1. Coleoptera: Curculionoidea, excluding Scolytidae and Curculionidae. (Canada Communication Group), ISBN 0-660-14433-6
  • Charles W. O'Brien (1994): A catalog of the Coleoptera of America north of Mexico. Family: Ithyceridae. United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook Number 529-146.
  • AA Legalov (2009): A review of fossil and recent species of the family Ithyceridae (Coleoptera) from the world fauna. Amurian zoological journal. 1 (2): 117-131.
  • Brenda Μ. May (1993): Larvae of Curculionoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera): a systematic overview. In: Lincoln, NZ (editor): Fauna of New Zealand, No. 28. Manaaki Whenua Press

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ DD McKenna, AS Sequeira, AE Marvaldi, BD Farrell (2009): Temporal lags and overlap in the diversification of weevils and flowering plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 106: 7083-7088.
  2. ^ Rolf G. Oberprieler, Adriana E. Marvaldi, Robert S. Anderson (2007): Weevils, weevils, weevils everywhere. Zootaxa 1668: 491-520.
  3. ↑ AE Marvaldi, AS Sequeira, CW O'Brien, BD Farrell (2002): Molecular and morphological phylogenetics of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea): do niche shifts accompany diversification? Systematic Biology 51: 761-785.
  4. ↑ Patrice Bouchard, Yves Bousquet, Anthony E. Davies, Miguel A. Alonso-Zarazaga et al. (2011): Family-group names in Coleoptera (Insecta). ZooKeys 88: 1-972. doi: 10.3897 / zookeys.88.807
  5. ↑ MA Alonso-Zarazaga & CHC Lyal (1999): A World Catalog of families and genera of Curculionoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera) excluding (Scolytidae and Platypodidae). (Entomopraxis). 315 pp. ISBN 978-84-605-9994-4
  6. ↑ Rolf Oberprieler: August 29. Brentidae: Introduction, Eurhynchinae, Ithycerinae, Microcerinae. In: Leschen, RAB; Bags, RG (editors): Handbook of Zoology. Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta. Part 38 Coleoptera, Beetles. Volume 3: Morphology and Systematics (Phytophaga). Walter de Gruyter, Berlin and Boston 2014. ISBN 978-3-11-027370-0 . Page 363–384.