Vesperidae
| Vesperidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Vesperus strepens | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Superfamily: | Chrysomeloidea |
| Family: | Vesperidae Mulsant, 1839 |
| Subfamilies | |
The Vesperidae are a small family of beetles, normally classified within the family Cerambycidae, of heterogeneous aspect but all characterised by larval stages related to roots of herbaceous plants or trees
Morphology
[edit]Adult
[edit]The nocturnal adults are characterised by earthy brown-testaceous colours, brachypterous wings or apterous (especially in females) and physogastry in females. Some tropical genera (Pathocerus) have comb-like antennae, some other (Hypocephalus) extremely reduced antennae. Some genera, such as the Brazilian Migdolus have well-developed mandibles, such as the males of the cerambycids Parandra and Spondylis, while others, such as the males of the genus Hypocephalus, have extremely modified mandibles.
Larva
[edit]The larvae have evolved some adaptations to subterranean life. In particular, the Mediterranean genus Vesperus have larvae characterised by a peculiar larval hypermetamorphosis. The larvae I have a normal worm-like aspect (though characterised by abnormally long setae), while those of following stadia have a C-shaped aspect, which makes them similar to the larvae of Melolonthinae.
Systematics
[edit]The family includes 3 subfamilies:
- Anoplodermatinae Guérin-Méneville, 1840
- Philinae J.Thomson, 1860
- Vesperinae Mulsant, 1839
In the past, the Vesperini has been placed within Lepturinae, the Anoplodermatini within Prioninae[1] and the Philini a mysterious group related to the Prioninae.[2] Some peculiar larval characteristics of Vesperus has prompted some authorities to separate them as a subfamily and later as a distinct family.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
In 1997 Švácha, Wang & Chen recognised the morphological similarities among these three groups in the larval stadia.[12] More recently, analyses on chromosomes has also evidenced strong differences with respect to Cerambycidae.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ LAMEERE A., 1913 - Cerambycidae: Prioninae - Coleopterorum Catalogus 52, S. Schenkling, Berlin, 108 pp.
- ^ GAHAN C. J., - Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma. Coleoptera Cerambycidae I - Taylor and Francis Ed., London, 329 pp. PDF [1]
- ^ Bense U., 1995 - Longhorn beetles. Illustrated key to the Cerambycidae and Vesperidae of Europe - Margraf Verlag, Weikersheim, 512 pp. "Illustrated key to the Cerambycidae and Vesperidae of Europe". Archived from the original on July 29, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
- ^ San Martín A. F., Bregana M., Irurzun J. I. R. 1997 - Nuevos datos sobre la fauna navarra de longicornios (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae & Vesperidae) - Zapateri: revista aragonesa de entomología 7: 191-208 [2]
- ^ Jenis I., 2001 - Long-Horned Beetles Distenidae, Oxypeltidae, Vesperidae, Anoplodermatidae & Cerambycidae I, Vesperidae and Cerambycidae of Europe I, A. Regulus, Zlin, 333 pp. [3]
- ^ Vanin S. A. & Ide S., 2002 - Classificação comentada de Coleoptera - III. Marco sistemático del proyecto Pribes 2002 PDF [4]
- ^ Brustel H., Berger P. & Cocquempot C. 2002 Catalogue des Vesperidae et des Cerambycidae de la faune de France (Coleoptera) - Annales de la Societé entomologique de France (N. S.) 38 (4): 443-461 PDF [5]
- ^ Dias M. M. 2004 - Novas ocorrências e descrição da fêmea de Mysteria darwini (Lameere) (Coleoptera, Vesperidae, Anoplodermatinae) - Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 48 (1): 141-143 PDF [6]
- ^ Lin, M. Y., Chen, S. K., & Chang, H. Y. 2004. - Morphological and ecological studies of Philus antennatus - Plant Prot. Bull. 46: 177-180 PDF [7]
- ^ Machado L. A., Habib M., Leite L. G. & Mendes J. M. 2006 - Estudos ecológicos e comportamentais de Migdolus fryanus (Westwood, 1863) (Coleoptera: Vesperidae), em cultura de cana-de-açúcar, em quatro municípios do estado de São Paulo - Arquivos Do Instituto Biologico (São Paulo), 73 (2): 227-233 PDF [8]
- ^ Machado L. A. & Habib M., 2006 - Migdolus fryanus (Westwood, 1863) (Coleoptera: Vesperidae): praga da cultura de cana-de-açúcar - Arquivos Do Instituto Biologico (São Paulo), 73 (3): 375-381 PDF [9]
- ^ ŠVÁCHA P., WANG J. J. & CHEN S. C. (1997) Larval morphology and biology of Philus antennatus and Heterophilus punctulatus, and systematic position of the Philinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae and Vesperidae). Annales de la Societé entomologique de France (N. S.) 33 (3): 323-369.
- ^ DUTRILLAUX A. M., MOULIN S. & DUTRILLAUX B. (2007) Presence d’un caryotype tres original a 53-54 chromosomes chez Vesperus xatarti Mulsant 1839 (Coleoptera : Cerambycidae :Vesperinae). Annales de la Societé entomologique de France (N. S.) 43 (1): 81-86. Available in PDF [10]