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2. Good-bye Scydmaenidae, or why the ant-like stone beetles should become megadiverse Staphylinidae sensu latissimo (Coleoptera)
- Creator:
- Grebennikov , Vasily V. and Newton, Alfred F.
- Type:
- article, model:article, and TEXT
- Subject:
- Coleoptera, Staphylinidae sensu latissimo, Staphylinine Group, Scydmaenidae, taxonomy, phylogeny, classification, morphology, larvae, 18S rDNA, parsimony, Bayesian, and neighbour joining
- Language:
- English
- Description:
- Ant-like stone beetles (Coleoptera: Scydmaenidae) include more than 4,850 described species in about 90 genera maintained as a separate cosmopolitan family since 1815. Recent authors have hypothesised that Scydmaenidae might be rooted deep inside rove-beetles (Staphylinidae). To test this hypothesis we analysed 206 parsimoniously informative larval and adult morphological characters scored for 38 taxa. Strict consensus topologies from the shortest trees in all 12 analyses consistently placed Scydmaenidae as sister to (Steninae + Euaesthetinae) in a monophyletic Staphylinine Group (with or without Oxyporinae). The single fully resolved and most consistently supported topology maintains a monophyletic Staphylinine Group consisting of Oxyporinae + (Megalopsidiinae + (("Scydmaenidae" + (Steninae + Euaesthetinae)) + (Leptotyphlinae + (Pseudopsinae + (Paederinae + Staphylininae))))); Solierius lacks larval data and is ambiguously placed within the Group. Eight analyses of variably aligned 18S rDNA data for 93 members of Staphylinoidea under parsimony, neighbour-joining and Bayesian approaches were markedly inconsistent, although partly congruent with the Scydmaenidae + (Steninae + Euaesthetinae) hypothesis. Our results strongly suggest that ant-like stone beetles do not form an independent family, but are morphologically modified members of Staphylinidae and, consequently, should be treated as a 32nd recent subfamily within the megadiverse Staphylinidae sensu latissimo. Formal taxonomic acts are: Scydmaeninae Leach, 1815, status novus (= Scydmaenidae Leach, 1815); Scydmaenitae Leach, 1815, status novus (= Scydmaeninae Leach, 1815); Mastigitae Fleming, 1821, status novus (= Mastiginae Fleming, 1821); Hapsomelitae Poinar & Brown, 2004, status novus (= Hapsomelinae Poinar & Brown, 2004). The family Staphylinidae sensu latissimo becomes the largest in Coleoptera and in the whole of the Animal Kingdom, with 55,440 described species (extant plus extinct), thus surpassing Curculionidae with an estimated 51,000 described species.
- Rights:
- http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ and policy:public
3. Grub-like larvae of Neuroptera (Insecta): a morphological review of the families Ithonidae and Polystoechotidae and a description of Oliarces clara
- Creator:
- Grebennikov , Vasily V.
- Type:
- article, model:article, and TEXT
- Subject:
- Oliarces, Ithone, Polystoechotes, Ithonidae, Polystoechotidae, Neuroptera, larva, description, morphology, and phylogeny
- Language:
- English
- Description:
- First instar larvae of Polystoechotidae sp., and first and older instar larvae of Ithone fusca Newman and Oliarces clara Banks are described; those of the latter species for the first time. The family Ithonidae is unique in Neuroptera in having grub-like C-shaped older instar larvae. Potential morphological synapomorphies of mature larvae of Ithonidae and Polystoechotidae are the mandibles with exceptionally broad base and markedly thickened apical part; antennal curvature is fixed and rather characteristic in shape; ocular area reduced or absent; cardo and stipes are markedly enlarged with stipes much larger than the cardo; presence of gula (Polystoechotes) or some traces of gular sclerotisation (Ithone, Oliarces). Larvae of Ithone have numerous larval autapomorphies such as C-shaped first instar larva with reduced abdominal segments IX and X; fused tibia and tarsus on all legs and dorsally directed maxillae. Larvae of Ithonidae and Polystoechotidae have some similarities with those of the family Dilaridae, such as no or one pair of stemmata; body not flattened dorso-laterally; mesothoracic spiracle located on fold between prothorax and mesothorax; short and stout mandibles widened at base and tapered apically; robust and elongated fore legs; tarsi on all legs markedly shortened; more than three larval instars. Older instar larvae of Ithonidae are markedly similar to those of the beetle superfamily Scarabaeoidea in having a C-shaped body, at least in older instars; body round in cross-section; sclerites on thorax and abdomen reduced and body surface membranous; each thoracic and abdominal segment subdivided dorsally into two or three fleshy lobes; ventral surface of abdominal apex bears a field of short and stout setae. Chaetotaxy pattern in first instar Ithonidae and Polystoechotidae larvae suggests that it is possible to homologise the sensilla in different genera and provide a system of sensilla designation for Neuroptera larvae. This study is illustrated with 36 morphological drawings.
- Rights:
- http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ and policy:public