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Larval morphology of the Neotropical genus Epispasta (Coleoptera, Meloidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2012

Andrea Di Giulio ,
John D. Pinto  and
Marco A. Bologna
Andrea Di Giulio
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi “Roma Tre”, Viale Marconi 446, 00146 Roma, Italy
John D. Pinto
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States of America
Marco A. Bologna*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi “Roma Tre”, Viale Marconi 446, 00146 Roma, Italy
*
1 Corresponding author (e-mail: bologna@uniroma3.it).
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Abstract

The first-instar (triungulin), second-instar, and third-instar larvae of the South American monotypic genus Epispasta Selander, 1960 are described and figured. The triungulin of E. abbreviata (Klug, 1825) is highly adapted for phoresy on bees and resembles the triungulins of several other phoretic genera in the subfamily Meloinae. The second- and third-instar larvae of Epispasta are unique in that they retain the campodeiform phenotype of the first instar. These instars in other meloid genera are scarabaeiform. A discussion is provided on the similarity of the triungulin of Epispasta to that of other phoretic meloines. We argue that this similarity is a result of morphological convergence correlated with phoretic behavior and is not evidence of a relationship. The position of Epispasta in Meloinae remains questionable, as none of its larval or adult features ally it to any other genus.

Résumé

Dans ce travail sont décrits et figurés le premier, deuxième et troisième étages larvaires du genre monotypique Epispasta Selander, 1960, endémisme de l'Amérique du Sud. La larve primaire, ou triungulin, de E. abbreviata (Klug, 1825) c'est très modifié et adapté à la phorésie sur les abeilles sauvages. Le phénomène de convergence morphologique parmi les triungulins phorétiques de la sous-famille Meloinae est aussi discuté. Le deuxième et troisième étages larvaires sont très particulières car elles, case unique parmi les Méloides, gardent le phenotype campodeiforme du triungulin tandis que une phenotype scarabeiforme. Les similitudes entre le triungulin de Epispasta et ceux d'autres Méloines phorétiques sont discutées et indiquent qu'il s'agit de convergence évolutive, corrélée à la phorèsie, plutôt que des relations phylogénétiques. La position du genre Epispasta dans la sous-famille Meloinae n'est pas clarifié par les caractères larvaires. Aussi les caractères des adultes n'aident pas à clarifier des relations étroites avec d'autres genres de ce group taxonomique.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 137 , Issue 6 , December 2005 , pp. 657 - 671
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2005

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