Corresponding author: Kirstin A. Williams (
Academic editor: B. Muller
Sap beetles of the genus
Williams KA, Clitheroe C-L, Villet MH, Midgley JM (2021) The first record of
Many insects associated with stored products have been moved between continents following humans’ colonisation of new places. In the case of cryptogenic species, this invasion process has been so thorough that the geographical origin of the insect invaders is no longer clear, e.g. the Hide Beetle,
The sap beetle family
At least some sap beetles of the genus
The collection of a single specimen of
An adult specimen of
Cooked sheep shank bones were placed in custom-made traps hung about 50 cm above ground in trees at municipal rubbish dumps (or landfills) in Makhanda (
The adult beetles (n = 28) were identified from their morphology using the keys in
One hind leg of a single beetle (NMSA-COL 1898) was used for DNA analysis. DNA was extracted using the Qiagen DNeasy tissue kit (Qiagen, Inc., Valencia, CA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. A portion of the cytochrome oxidase I (
To facilitate comparative biology, a molecular phylogeny of four of the seven species of
Sequences from NCBI GenBank and
Species | Location | GenBank accession number | |
---|---|---|---|
|
Athenstedt, Germany |
|
GCOL10982-16. |
Athenstedt, Germany |
|
GCOL10988-16. |
|
Edenkoben-Rhodt, Villa Ludwigshoehe, Germany |
|
FBCOO036-13. |
|
Haembach, Haembacher Teich, Halde, Germany |
|
GCOL5018-16. |
|
Hailiniemi, Finland |
|
COLFE1417-13. |
|
Hailiniemi, Finland |
|
COLFE1416-13. |
|
Kallvik, Helsinki, Finland |
|
COLFD167-12. |
|
Kallvik, Helsinki, Finland |
|
COLFD168-12. |
|
Lauttasaari, Finland |
|
COLFE421-12. |
|
Nobitz-Klausa, Leinawald, Germany |
|
GBCOL020-12. |
|
Wesel-Diersfordt, Diersfordter Wald Gatter, Germany |
|
FBCOC604-10. |
|
|
Arnsberg-Breitenbruch, NWZ Hellerberg, Germany |
|
FBCOH678-12. |
Bornheim-Hemmerich, Ortslage, Germany |
|
FBCOG1013-12. |
|
Nobitz-Klausa, Leinawald, Germany |
|
GBCOC743-12. |
|
Oberheimbach, Franzosenkopf, Germany |
|
GBCOE444-13. |
|
|
Bornheim-Hemmerich, Ortslage, Germany |
|
GCOL7562-16. |
Langenthal, Germany |
|
GCOL9483-16. |
|
Rowe Tamarack Trail, Canada |
|
SSWLC101-13. |
|
Saalealtarm, Germany |
|
GCOL9547-16. |
|
Schaidt, NWR Stuttpferch, Germany |
|
FBCOE490-12. |
|
Staerkerwald, Germany |
|
GCOL7701-16. |
|
Wandersleben, Burg Gleichen, Germany |
|
GCOL9399-16. |
|
|
Charitable Research Reserve, Canada |
|
RRSSC3383-15. |
|
|
|
– |
|
Puslinch, Canada |
|
COLON045-10. |
|
Sable Island National Park Reserve, Canada |
|
CNSIB573-15. |
Kawartha Lakes, Canada | – | BARSL067-16. |
|
|
|||
|
United States of America |
|
GBCL15295-13. |
|
Rana u Loun, Oblik, Czech Republic |
|
GBCOU1431-13. |
Langenthal, Germany |
|
GCOL9484-16. |
|
Wandersleben, Burg Gleichen, Germany |
|
GCOL9400-16. |
|
|
GCOL9401-16. |
||
|
Hailiniemi, Finland |
|
COLFE1409-13. |
|
COLFE1410-13. |
||
|
COLFE1411-13. |
||
|
COLFE1412-13. |
||
Rana u Loun, Oblik, Czech Republic |
|
GBCOU1469-13. |
|
|
GBCOU1470-13. |
||
|
GBCOU1861-13. |
||
|
GCOL6778-16. |
a Misidentification (see Fig.
Three mature larvae were prepared for scanning electron microscopy (
Twenty-eight adult specimens of
The partial
Species | % Coverage | % Match | E-value |
---|---|---|---|
|
100% | 100% | 0.0 |
|
99% | 89.3% | 0.0 |
|
99% | 88.21% | 0.0 |
|
– | No significant similarity | |
|
100% | 87.82% | 0.0 |
|
– | No significant similarity |
Body length 2.4–3.7 mm, oblong ovate, sparsely pubescent, testaceous except for piceous markings on anterior half of elytra, and pale markings on lateral pronotal margins and posterior half of elytra; antennal club not longer than wide; pronotum transverse, concave anteriorly and arcuate laterally, with sides converging more apically than basally, with two oval depressions before scutellum; elytra jointly at least 0.75 as wide as their length, their apices obliquely rounded, forming a common arc and usually exposing one abdominal tergite (Fig.
Bayesian inference tree of
Mandible (Fig.
Lateral view of terminal end of
This study presents the first record of
The morphological character states listed in Table
Character states differentiating the known larvae of
Character | Character state | |
---|---|---|
|
|
|
Head capsule | 2.3 times as wide as long (excluding labrum) | 1.4 times as wide as long (excluding labrum) |
2nd antennomere | with setae, including one directly proximal to sensory area | without setae |
Sensory appendix of 2nd antennomere | about two thirds as long as 3rd antennomere | about half as long as 3rd antennomere |
Mola | transversely ridged | transversely ridged and asperated |
Abdominal paratergites | touching in midline | set fairly close together but not touching in midline |
Spiracular tubes on A8 | as wide as tall | wider than tall |
The collection of adults in Makhanda in 2001, 2012 and 2013 confirmed that
Their presence in Makhanda (E. Cape, RSA) suggests that they have been in South Africa for many years, since the town has no international airport and the nearest commercial harbours are over 120 km away. The failure to find specimens in Port Alfred (E. Cape, RSA) is ambiguous evidence of the species’ distribution because the sampling effort was limited.
Nothing is published about the biology of
We thank Lyndall Pereira for assistance with DNA extraction and amplification; Burgert Muller for assistance with editing of graphics; Gimo Daniel, Alexander Kirejtshuk, Burgert Muller, one anonymous reviewer and especially Riaan Stals for their valuable comments; and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa for funding. Any opinion, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Research Foundation.
Key to adults of the species of the genus
1 | Pronotum with convex median area not demarcated from explanate lateral margins by grooves |
|
– | Pronotum with convex median area demarcated from explanate lateral margins by roughly parallel, arcuate grooves |
|
2(1) | Antennal club elongate-oval, distinctly longer than wide |
|
– | Antennal club rounded or subtriangular, not longer than wide |
|
3(2) | Elytra 1.5 times longer than their combined width. Pronotum narrowly explanate laterally; anterior margin shallowly, arcuately notched. Antennal club not constricted in middle |
|
– | Elytra at most 1.3 times longer than their combined width. Pronotum widely explanate laterally; anterior margin deeply notched; Antennal club constricted in middle |
|
4(2) | Antennal club rounded, about as long as wide. Mentum without distinct sulcus along posterior border |
|
– | Antennal club broad or subquadrangular to obovate to trapezoidal or subtriangular, usually shorter than wide. Mentum with distinct transverse sulcus along posterior border |
|
5(1) | Grooves between convex median area of pronotum and its explanate margins indistinct |
|
– | Grooves between convex median area of pronotum and its explanate margins distinct |
|
6(5) | Pronotum narrowly explanate laterally. Antennal club not constricted in middle. Postmentum with lateral margins raised and sharp; its punctation rugose |
|
– | Pronotum widely explanate laterally. Antennal club constricted in middle. Postmentum with lateral edges margins; its punctation simple and widely spaced |
|
The report of a specimen in the Natural History Museum, London (Lee et al. 2015) is a lapsus calami (Kirejtshuk, pers. comm.).
This specimen is misidentified on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) as Omosita japonica (Gess and Ranwashe 2017).