Advanced Insights into Goliathus orientalis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of Tanzania

Members of the Goliathus group in the order Coleoptera, family Scarabaeidae and the sub-family Cetoniidae is one among essential ecological insects worldwide with scanty documentation in Tanzania. The country was among the first point of collection of the specimen by Moser (1909) but subsequent attempts to locate and collect the specimen were unsuccessful possibly due to changed habitat and behaviour of Goliathus. Much of published work about the insect are based on the morphological characteristics of collected specimen which led to designation of six major species namely;Goliathus goliatus, G. cacicus, G. regius, G. albosignatus, G. orientalis and G. usambarensis, the last two being considered to exist in Tanzania. The current study reports on successful identification of habitats using biological cues and subsequently collected several Goliathus specimen that had been difficult to trace for more than a century. New insights into correct identity of the species by using a combination of morphological and molecular techniques have been set. The study has resolved that only one species, Goliathus orientalis with five sub-species exist in Tanzania.

A New,Well-Preserved Species of Glaresidae (Coleoptera:Scarabaeoidea) from the Jehol Biota of China

Glaresis orthochilus sp. nov. （Scarabaeoidea： Glaresidae）, the best preserved glaresid fossil, is described and illustrated from the Yixian Formation of western Liaoning province, north-east China. Glaresidae, the sister group of all extant Scarabaeoidea was established in the Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous and contained larger species than those found today.

New Genus of the Subfamily Geotrupinae (Coleoptera:Scarabaeoidea:Geotrupindae) from the Jehol Biota

Parageotrupes incanus gen. et sp. nov. （Scarabaeoidea： Geotrupidae： Geotrupinae） is described and illustrated from the Yixian Formation of western Liaoning province, China.

内蒙古典型草原土壤动物优势类群鞘翅目(Coleoptera)昆虫研究

1 994 1 996年 ,我们对内蒙古锡林郭勒盟白音锡勒牧场境内的大针茅草原 (StipagrandisSteppe)的土壤动物优势类群鞘翅目 (Coleoptera)昆虫进行了研究 .结果表明 :1 )大针茅草原中土壤鞘翅目昆虫的组成以金龟总科 (Scarabaeoidae)、步甲科 (Carabidae)为主 .2 )土壤鞘翅目昆虫密度具有明显的季节动态 ,即春季和秋季密度较高 ,夏季密度较低 .3 )土壤鞘翅目昆虫中不同类群对季节的变化有明显不同的响应 .4 )随季节变化土壤鞘翅目昆虫在土壤中的垂直分布及水平分布有显著变化 .

蚕豆象的线粒体基因组研究及系统发育分析

【目的】蚕豆象是农业上一种重要害虫,本文测序、分析了蚕豆象的线粒体全基因组,以期为更好地理解茎甲亚科分支类群、豆象亚科和蚕豆象的系统发育提供线粒体基因组数据。【方法】在系统发育分析中,内群取样包含茎甲亚科分支类群的22种昆虫,外群选择2个肖叶甲亚科(Basilepta fulvipes和Basilepta melanopus)昆虫,分别利用最大似然法和贝叶斯法重建茎甲亚科分支类群的系统发育关系。【结果】蚕豆象的线粒体基因组全长为16586 bp(GenB ank序列号:OP650255),包含37个基因(13个蛋白质编码基因、2个核糖体RNA基因和22个转运RNA基因)和一段非编码控制区。所有转运RNA基因中,除trnS1因缺少二氢尿嘧啶(DHU)臂而形成一个简单的环,无法构成稳定的三叶草结构外,其余转运RNA基因均能形成典型的三叶草结构。此外,trnS1的反密码子不是常见的GCU,而是UCU。【结论】本研究首次获得了蚕豆象的线粒体基因组全序列。2种不同的系统发育分析方法构建的系统发育关系显示:豆象亚科、茎甲亚科、水叶甲亚科和负泥虫亚科为单系群;豆象亚科与水叶甲亚科+负泥虫亚科为姐妹群;蚕豆象与四纹豆象为姐妹群。

呼和浩特市草原鞘翅目昆虫多样性研究

为明确呼和浩特市草原鞘翅目昆虫种类及分布,对鞘翅目昆虫多样性进行详细研究。2022年6月—9月,使用网捕法对设定的7条踏查路线进行昆虫采集。通过外观形态进行种类鉴定,并确定鞘翅目害虫种类,采用物种丰富度指数、多样性指数、优势度指数、均匀度指数与Jaccad群落相似性系数对采集的鞘翅目昆虫进行多样性分析。结果表明,此次调查共获得1 015个昆虫标本,经鉴定,属于17科49种。其中优势科为芫菁科和叶甲科,各占昆虫总种数的19.15%和23.40%,苹斑芫菁在各地区均有分布。和林格尔县是鞘翅目昆虫物种丰富度指数、多样性指数和均匀度指数最高的地区,优势度指数居中。不同地区间物种均匀度指数差异不大。以期明确并丰富该地区鞘翅目昆虫多样性,同时加强对害虫的预防管理工作,预防草原虫害的发生。

Deadwood position matters:Diversity and biomass of saproxylic beetles in a temperate beech forest

Deadwood plays a key role for biodiversity in forests.A significant number of beetles from this group are currently listed as endangered in the Red List.In addition to other management recommendations,there have been recent efforts to enrich stands with dead wood to promote biodiversity.An important parameter for forestry enterprises is the optimization of these interventions.The study investigated the abundance,species richness,gamma diversity,conservation value and biomass of saproxylic beetles in natural forests using window traps.A total of 89traps were used for saproxylic beetle monitoring,of which 29 were placed on lying logs,30 on snags and 30 as controls in forest stand space.A total of 35,011 beetles were recorded in 564 species(61 families).Notably,20,515 of these belong to saproxylic beetles(59%)in 311 species(55%),with 62 classified as Red-List species(20%).In the group of'all saproxylic beetles',the results indicate that a diversity and y diversity(q=0)remain consistent across various deadwood types,whileβdiversity showed significant differences.Significant differences were found in the Red-List species group,where a diversity and y diversity differed,with higher values observed in snags.Rarefaction based total species richness of site was estimated to be 391 species,including 74 Red-Listed species.Comparing the sample coverage of the studied stand categories showed that all saproxylic species exhibit a pronounced preference for inhabiting areas featuring lying logs.Conversely,Red-List species mainly inhabit snags,withβdiversity being more similar to snags and forest stand space.Notably,both the conservation value(weighted average by conservation status)and beetle biomass are significantly highest in snags,whereas stand space shows the lowest values across all measured saproxylic beetle indices.Furthermore,the use of traps set on the poles in forest stand space resulted in an underestimation of the actual stand richness by 20%-25%.Our results support the conclusion that snags are indispensable features in beech forests,playing a key role in promoting high species diversity,especially among Red-List species,and supporting the biomass of saproxylic beetles.Consequently,it becomes crucial to incorporate a higher percentage of standing deadwood in managed forests or actively create equivalent environments by introducing high stumps.

甘肃东南部拟步甲总科的物种多样性与区系组成

【目的】为了解甘肃省东南部地区拟步甲总科昆虫物种的多样性组成及其与生态环境和海拔分布的关系,对于揭示其区系组成格局和生态分布特点具有重要价值。【方法】在2020~2022年对4个不同海拔梯度的72个样地使用扫网法、搜索法、埋罐法和震落法进行调查采样,收集整理拟步甲标本。【结果】鉴定拟步甲总科昆虫1450头11科48属116种(亚种),包括甘肃省1新纪录科-长颈甲科、6新纪录属及35新纪录种。甘肃省东南部3市的拟步甲在世界动物地理区划中,以古北界与中日界成分为主,占59.48%;在中国动物地理区划中以华北区与西南区共有成分高达56.87%;α多样性分析结果显示:拟步甲在不同样区中,以天水市的多样性指数最高,为2.1;在不同海拔中,以1000~1500 m海拔段的多样性指数最高为2.0;β多样性分析显示:天水市与陇南市的拟步甲物种组成相似度最高,在0.77时聚为一支;1000~1500 m和1500~2000 m海拔段的拟步甲物种组成相似性最高,在0.80时聚为一支。【结论】甘肃省东南部拟步甲的物种多样性以天水市最高且与陇南市最相似,区系组成在世界动物地理区划中以古北界与中日界成分为主,在国内地理区划以华北区与西南区为主。

Current Knowledge of Mesozoic Coleoptera from Daohugou and Liaoning(Northeast China)

The present paper is devoted to an overview on fossil Coleoptera studied from Inner Mongolia, Daohugou （Middle Jurassic, Jiulongshan Formation） and Liaoning （Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous, Yixian Formation） deposited in Chinese collections. As a result, species of the tribe Sperchopsini and Hydrophilini from Hydrophilidae, families and subfamilies Silphidae, Syndesinae from Lucanidae, Pleocomidae, Trogidae, Trogissitidae, Pyrochroidae, Diaperinae from Tenebrionidae, and Cerambycidae were first registered in the Mesozoic and some families were defined as new. It was shown that many superfamilies represented in the Recent Fauna were formed within the Middle Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous. The materials examined confirm the hypothesis that Cucujiformian beetles are a younger group than other infraordera of Polyphaga （Staphyliniformia and Elateriformia） and, therefore, they appeared in the fossil record only in the late Mesozoic. It was shown and confirmed that most superfamilies appeared in the fossil records before Cucujoidea. The synonymy of Notocupes Ponomarenko, 1964; Sinocupes Lin, 1976, syn. nov.; Amblomma Tan, Ren et Liu 2005, syn. nov.; Euryomma Tan, Ren et Shih, 2006, syn. nov., non Stein, 1899 and Ovatocupes Tan et Ren, 2006, syn. nov.; synonymy of Tetraphalerus Waterhouse, 1901 and Odontomma Tan, Ren et Ge 2006, syn. nov.; and synonymy of Priacmopsis Ponomarenko, 1966 and Latocupes Tan et Ren, 2006, syn. nov. are proposed. Sinorhombocoleus papposus Tan et Ren, 2009 is transferred from the family Rhombocoleidae to Schizophoridae. Cervicatinius complanus Tan, Ren et Shih, 2007 and Forticatinius elegans Tan, Ren et Shih, 2007 are transferred from the family Catiniidae （suborder Archostemata） to superfamily Cleroidea （suborder Polyphaga： first among the family Peltidae and second as a closely related group to the latter family）. The family Parandrexidae is transferred from the superfamily Cucujoidea to Cleroidea. The ecological circumstances of the past ecosystems and hypotheses of historical development of the order Coleoptera are discussed. The age of faunas examined is considered. The list of the taxa described from Daohugou and Liaonlng is compiled.

Middle Jurassic Coptoclavidae (Insecta:Coleoptera:Dytiscoidea) from China:a Good Example of Mosaic Evolution

Adults of the aquatic coptoclavid beetles （Coleoptera： Adephaga： Dytiscoidea）, described from four Middle Jurassic fossil localities in Inner Mongolia and Liaoning in northeastern China, are attributed to Daohugounectes primitives Wang, Ponomarenko and Zhang, 2009, which was previously proposed after study of larvae. The generic name Timarchopsis Brauer, Redtenbacber and Ganglbauer, 1889 is proposed as a substitute for the preoccupied and junior homonym Necronectes Ponomarenko, 1977, non Milne-Edwards, 1881. Furthermore, the subfamily name Necronectinae Ponomarenko, 1977 is substituted by the available name Timarchopsinae. Daohugounectes is placed into Timarchopsinae because its adults have long, slightly apically widened tibiae and small femoral plates. The adults of this genus differ from those of other Timarchopsinae in the following features： antennae short and widened in the middle part; basal segments of protarsi not cut apically; metaventrite with a triangular plate. The larvae look like somewhat primitive forms in the subfamily Timarchopsinae. In contrast to these primitive larvae, the adults with some advanced characters can be regarded as among the most advanced forms in the subfamily Timarchopsinae, and probably represent a transition between the Timarchopsinae and Charanoscaphinae. Such mosaic evolution within Daohugounectes indicates that the evolutionary process of aquatic beetles is far more complex than previously thought.

Possible functions of the microtrichia on the cuticle of Ulomoides dermestoides(Chevrolat)(Coleoptera:Tenebrionidae)

Ulomoides dermestoides （Chevrolat） （Coleop- tera： Tenebrionidae） is one of the most notorious pests in northeastern China. We examined microtrichia on the thorax, elytra and abdomen of U. dermestoides using scanning electron microscopy and recorded their confor- mations （size, shape and insertion method） and distribu- tions （length, width and location）. Possible functions of the microtrichia were （1） stridulation： microtrichia on the inner surface of the elytra interacted with microtrichia on the dorsoventral axis of the thorax or on the costal vein of the hind wing; （2） to increase friction： at the major surface on the middle of the abdominal tergum, hind-wings, inner surface of the medial edge of the elytra and the posterior end of the elytra; （3） protection： the microtrichia covering the posterior face of the abdomen conserved water in the body and protected the body from damage; and （4） sensing organ： the special shape of the microtrichia on the nerva- tion near the vannal fold of the hind wing, the anterio- metapleuron on the metathorax, and the posterior field of the abdomen could perceive the environment. In conclusion, the size and shape of the microtrichia are tightly related to their functions, which may have evolved with the beetles＇ lifestyle.

Fossil Hydrophilid Beetles (Coleoptera:Hydrophilidae) of the Late Oligocene Rott Formation(Germany)

Fossil water scavenger beetles （Coleoptera： Hydrophilidae） of the latest Oligocene Rott Formation are revised, based on the examination of the type specimens, as well as numerous additional material from Statz （Los Angeles） and Kastenholz （Bonn） collections. Seven hydrophilid species are recognized, five of which are reliably attributed to the following genera： Berosus morticinus （von Heyden and von Heyden, 1866）, Paracymus excitatus （von Heyden and yon Heyden, 1866）, Paracymus sp., Hydrobiomorpha fraterna （von Heyden, 1859）, and Hydrophilus rottensis （Statz, 1939）. Coccinella？protogaeae Germar 1837 is attributed to the subtribe Hydrophilina, and Cymbiodyta？ austera Statz 1939 to the subfamily Hydrophilinae. Hydrous ebeninus Statz 1939 and Paracymus excitatus （form 3） are excluded from the Hydrophlloidea. Berosus capitatus Statz 1939 is synonymized with Berosus morticinus, and Hydrous neptunus von Heyden and von Heyden 1866 with Hydrobiomorphafraterna. Lectotypes of Philydrus morticinus von Heyden and von Heyden 1866 and Hydrous ebeninus Statz 1939 are designated. The significance of the hydrophllid fossils for paleoecological reconstructions of the former Rott Lake is briefly discussed.

Antifeedant and insecticidal activities of selected plant extracts against Epilachna beetle, Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Six different indigenous plants were screened for antifeedant and insecticidal activity against fourth instar larvae of Epilachna beetle, Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata, which is a severe pest on brinjal. Among the plants screened, Achyranthes aspera showed higher activity against the selected pest. Ethyl acetate extracts of A. aspera showed higher antifeedant index and insecticidal activity against fourth instar larvae of H. vigintioctopunctata. Preliminary phytochemical analysis revealed that the presence of alkaloid and quinines in the ethyl acetate extracts indicate higher percentage of activities. Hence, it may suggest its use for controlling the vegetables insect pest, H. vigintioctopunctata.

On two new species of the genus Leptomias Faust from Kashmir (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Brachyderinae)

Marshall (1916) referred 26 species to genus Leptomias Fst.and .put generic names Heteromias Fst., Parisomias Fst. and Piazomias Lacd. (part) as its synonyms. Gunther and Zumpt (1933) added Cneorrhinus Redtenb.also in the list of synonyms of Leptomias st.Later on, Aslam (1961) revalidated Parisomias Fst.reshuffled the position of a few species and described a number of new species under the restricted Leptomias Fst.Accordingiy, as many as 32 species were referred to the genus Leptomias Fst.

Early Jurassic Coleopterans from the Mintaja Insect Locality,Western Australia

Beetles （Coleoptera） are the most common insects recovered from the Lower Jurassic Mintaja insect locality of Western Australia, with over half of the fossils recorded from this site being isolated coleopteran elytra. A range of partial beetle bodies and other isolated beetle sclerites have also been recovered from the locality; much of this material is taxonomically unidenitifiable due to its disarticulation and poor preservation. A number of the Mintaja coleopterans are assigned to the archostematan family Ommatidae, including Zygadenia westraliensis （Riek, 1968） comb. nov, previously placed in the morphogenus Mesothoris, and an unnamed species of Tetraphalerus. Also recorded is a new species of elaterid, Lithomerus wunda sp. nov., along with other fragments likely attributable to the same family. The remaining material is assigned into morphospecies, separated primarily on preserved body parts - specifically, there are three morphospecies based on partially articulated coleopteran bodies, two morphospecies based on isolated head capsules, three morphospecies based on isolated thoracic sclerites, three morphospecies based on isolated abdominal sclerites, and 13 morphospecies based on isolated elytra. Overall, the ecology of these fossils is difficult to interpret due to poor preservation, although some of the beetles were likely aquatic, and the Ommatidae and Elateridae were both likely xylophilous. There is a strong similarity between the Mintaja coleopterans and those from the Late Triassic Denmark Hill locality of Queensland, though many of these similarities are based on morphotaxa and may be superficial in nature. Of the species that have been assigned to named taxa, all are generally typical of the Late Mesozoic worldwide, with Zygadenia, Tetraphalerus and Lithomerus all long-ranging, cosmopolitan genera.

Distribution and Taxonomy of the Subtribe Lagriina (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Lagriini) in China

In this paper, the distribution and taxonomy of the subtribe Lagriina in different provinces and regions of China was summarized. According to related data, different species of the subtribe Lagriina mainly distribute in the south of China. To be specific, Yunnan Province owns the greatest number of species, followed by Fujian Province and Sichuan Province. This study laid the theoretical foundation for further investigation of the evolutionary process of the subtribe Lagriina in China.