Phaleria

Phaleria
	Phaleria cadaverina
Systematics
Order :	Beetle (Coleoptera)
Subordination :	Polyphaga
Family :	Black beetle (Tenebrionidae)
Subfamily :	Diaperinae
Tribe :	Phaleriini
Genre :	Phaleria
Scientific name
	Phaleria
	Latreille , 1802

Phaleria (from gr. Φαλερός - shiny) is a genus of beetles from the family of black beetles (Tenebrionidae).

features

They are relatively small, mostly 4 to 9 millimeters in size, with an oval body contour and mostly brown-yellow in color. The head is embedded in the pronotum up to the eyes . The pronotum is slightly transverse, almost square in shape. Its base is provided with a longitudinal line on both sides and finely edged. The mesosternum is indented in a deep V-shape on the front edge. The elytra show a finely dotted stripe.

The antennae are rather short, strong and, as with all black beetles, arise under a rim-shaped widening of the cheeks. Their deflection is therefore not visible from above. The legs are also short and strong and have strong bristles apically. The front rails in particular are widened and flattened towards the end (grave legs). The eyes are relatively large, transverse and kidney-shaped.

Way of life

You can find the animals almost exclusively on sandy beaches on the coast. They are halobiont and rely on relatively coarse and loose substrate in which to dig. Both the adults and their larvae are nocturnal and spend the day buried up to more than 10 centimeters deep in the upper sand layers of the Eulitoral . The food consists of detritus in the form of carrion and washed-up plant material. Therefore, they often gather in larger groups under stranded seaweed and seaweed. They are fully airworthy. The beetles are often the prey of larger spiders and ground beetles.

Phaleria species are often one of the numerically most dominant beetle species on beaches. Nevertheless, they can serve as indicators of the quality of a beach, as they specialize in particularly small-scale (micro) habitats and are very sensitive to disturbances.

Occurrence

With the exception of Australia, the Arctic and Antarctic, Phaleria is found on coasts around the world. There are 9 species in Europe and more than 60 worldwide.

Species (Europe)

Phaleria acuminata sexton , 1852
Phaleria atlantica Fauvel , 1899
Phaleria bimaculata ( Linnaeus , 1767)
Phaleria cadaverina ( Fabricius , 1792)
Phaleria ciliata Wollaston , 1854
Phaleria insulana Rey , 1890
Phaleria ornata Wollaston , 1864
Phaleria provincialis Fauvel , 1901
Phaleria reveillierei Mulsant & Rey , 1858

Individual evidence

↑ S. Schenkling: Explanation of the scientific beetle names from Reitter's Fauna Germanica. KG Lutz 'Verlag, Stuttgart 1917.
↑ H. Freude, KW Harde, GA Lohse: Die Käfer Mitteleuropas , Vol. 8. Spectrum Academic Publishing House in Elsevier, Munich 1966.
↑ ^a ^b C.A. Triple Horn, LE Watrous: A Synopsis of the genus Phaleria in the United States and Baja California (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). In: The Coleopterists Bulletin Vol. 33, No. 3 (Sep. 1979), pp. 275-295.
↑ ^a ^b A. Aloia, I. Colombini, u. a .: Behavioral adaptations to zonal maintenance of five species of tenebrionids living along a Tyrrhenian sandy shore. In: Marine Biology (1999) 133: 473-487.
↑ L. Cheng: Marine Insects. Scripps Institution of Oceanography Technical Report. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 1976.
↑ I. Colombini, MA Mateob u. a .: On the role of Posidonia oceanica beach wrack for macroinvertebrates of a Tyrrhenian sandy shore. In: acta oecologica No. 35: 32-44 (2009).
↑ C. Olabarria, M. Lastra, u. a .: Succession of macrofauna on macroalgal wrack of an exposed sandy beach: Effects of patch size and site. In: Marine Environmental Research No. 63 (2007) 19-40.
↑ I. Colombini, A. Chaouti u. a .: An assessment of sandy beach macroinvertebrates inhabiting the coastal fringe of the Oued Laou river catchment area (Northern Morocco). In: Du bassin versant vers la mer: Analyze multidisciplinaire pour une gestion durable. Travaux de l'Institut Scientifique, Rabat, série générale, 2008, n ° 5, 81–91.
^ M. Lillig: A new species of the genus Phaleria Latreille, 1802 from Dhofar in Oman (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Diaperinae). In: Zoology in the Middle East No. 51, 2010: 89-93.

Web links

Commons : Phaleria - collection of images, videos and audio files

Phaleria at Fauna Europaea

[1] S. Schenkling: Explanation of the scientific beetle names from Reitter's Fauna Germanica. KG Lutz 'Verlag, Stuttgart 1917.

[2] H. Freude, KW Harde, GA Lohse: Die Käfer Mitteleuropas , Vol. 8. Spectrum Academic Publishing House in Elsevier, Munich 1966.

[triplehorn-3] C.A. Triple Horn, LE Watrous: A Synopsis of the genus Phaleria in the United States and Baja California (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). In: The Coleopterists Bulletin Vol. 33, No. 3 (Sep. 1979), pp. 275-295.

[aloia-4] A. Aloia, I. Colombini, u. a .: Behavioral adaptations to zonal maintenance of five species of tenebrionids living along a Tyrrhenian sandy shore. In: Marine Biology (1999) 133: 473-487.

[5] L. Cheng: Marine Insects. Scripps Institution of Oceanography Technical Report. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 1976.

[6] I. Colombini, MA Mateob u. a .: On the role of Posidonia oceanica beach wrack for macroinvertebrates of a Tyrrhenian sandy shore. In: acta oecologica No. 35: 32-44 (2009).

[7] C. Olabarria, M. Lastra, u. a .: Succession of macrofauna on macroalgal wrack of an exposed sandy beach: Effects of patch size and site. In: Marine Environmental Research No. 63 (2007) 19-40.

[8] I. Colombini, A. Chaouti u. a .: An assessment of sandy beach macroinvertebrates inhabiting the coastal fringe of the Oued Laou river catchment area (Northern Morocco). In: Du bassin versant vers la mer: Analyze multidisciplinaire pour une gestion durable. Travaux de l'Institut Scientifique, Rabat, série générale, 2008, n ° 5, 81–91.

[9] M. Lillig: A new species of the genus Phaleria Latreille, 1802 from Dhofar in Oman (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Diaperinae). In: Zoology in the Middle East No. 51, 2010: 89-93.