[NatureNS] Re: Plate-thigh beetle

References: <4506C1BA.16155.250285@jtimpa.ns.sympatico.ca> <4507F5D4.2020506@chebucto.ns.ca> <76F98A92-9BBF-4E5F-BEBB-8A843BED1C77@ns.sympatico.ca> <45095ACB.1040104@chebucto.ns.ca> <4383BE53-1CFA-4FA3-A721-0F713B72B750@ns.sympatico.ca> <450AA655.7070808@glinx.com>
From: Christopher Majka <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca>
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:46:36 -0300
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects



--Apple-Mail-151--367829750
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset=WINDOWS-1252;
	delsp=yes;
	format=flowed

Hi Dave,

Indeed, they have huge coxal plates on the meta-sternum which hide =20
the base of the hind legs. There are only two genera (Eucinetus and =20
Nycteus) to contend with in this region (Euscaphurus is in the =20
Pacific northwest and Tohlezkus is in the American south), and three =20
species:

Eucinetus morio LeConte
Eucinetus terminalis LeConte
Nycteus punctulatus (LeConte)

The keys to these are as follows:

1. Elytra punctate . Nycteus punctulatus
- Elytra with fine transverse strigae or wrinkles. (=96> Eucinetus) 2

2. Hind tibia with 2 spurs. Eucinetus morio
- Hind tibia with 1 spur. Eucinetus terminalis

Additionally, E. morio is usually piceous or reddish brown with the =20
head and pronotum with a distinct reddish tinge, whereas E. =20
terminalis is black with the apical 1/4 of the elytra testaceous, so =20
the colour patterns are very distinctive. I have scattered records of =20=

all three species from around the province (only E. terminalis in =20
Cape Breton so far), but no previous records from Kings County. E. =20
terminalis is also found on Sable Island.

They are found in detritus or under fungus-covered bark of trees =20
where they feed on funal hyphae and on slime molds. For those =20
interested there are a couple of good images located at:

http://www.zin.ru/animalia/Coleoptera/images/eucibico.jpg
http://www.sbnature.org/collections/invert/entom/img/1811eucinetus.jpg

Neat beetles!

Chris

On 15-Sep-06, at 10:10 AM, David & Alison Webster wrote:

>
>
> Christopher Majka wrote:
>> Hi Eleanor,
>>
>> Astute entomological and etymological readers my recognize in this =20=

>> account the names, Nycetus, for whom the delightful beetle genus =20
>> Nycteus (Latreille, 1829)  (in the family Eucinetidae, the so-=20
>> called "plate-thigh beetles")  is named (five species in North =20
>> America), one of which N. punctulatus (LeConte) which is found in =20
>> (amongst other places), Nova Scotia.
> Hi Chris & All,                Sept 15, 2005
>     I collected a small beetle on Sept 5 (1208) that had two =20
> prominent features; very enlarged hind coxae and a combination of =20
> features that did not fit any family that I could think of. So your =20=

> mention of 'plate-thigh' solved that riddle, at least to family level.
>
>     The key in Amer. Beetles conflicts with the figures so one must =20=

> navigate by guesswork and doing so has Nycteus as the endpoint.
>  5.meso- & 5.meta-tarsomere longer than 4. respectively;
> procoxae transverse;
> 5 visible sternites with trace of 6th;
> sutural stria impressed in apical 3/5 but other stria not hinted;
> epipleura widened in basal 1/3;
> head hidden from above and narrowed abruptly distal to eyes;
> antenna long and gradually widened as in Fig 1.35 for E. terminalis =20=

> LeConte.
>
>     Does this fit N. punctulatus (LeConte) or any Nycteus ?
>
> Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville
>

_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.=20=

_.
Christopher Majka - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada  B3H 3A6
(902) 424-6435   Email <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca>
_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.=20=

_.


--Apple-Mail-151--367829750
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset=WINDOWS-1252

<HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
-khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Dave,<DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span">Indeed, they have huge coxal plates on the =
meta-sternum which hide the base of the hind legs. There are only two =
genera (<I>Eucinetus</I> and <I>Nycteus</I>) to contend with in this =
region (<I>Euscaphurus</I> is in the Pacific northwest and =
<I>Tohlezkus</I> is in the American south), and three =
species:</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span"><I>Eucinetus morio</I> =
LeConte</SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span"><I>Eucinetus =
terminalis</I> LeConte</SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span"><I>Nycteus punctulatus</I> =
(LeConte)</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>The keys to these are as =
follows:</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span">1. Elytra punctate . <I>Nycteus =
punctulatus</I></SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span">- =
Elytra with fine transverse strigae or wrinkles. (=96&gt; =
<I>Eucinetus</I>) 2</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>2. Hind tibia with 2 =
spurs.=A0<I>Eucinetus morio</I></DIV><DIV>- Hind tibia with 1 =
spur.=A0<I>Eucinetus terminalis</I></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span">Additionally, <I>E. morio</I> is usually =
piceous or reddish brown with the head and pronotum with a distinct =
reddish tinge, whereas<I> E. terminalis</I> is black with the apical 1/4 =
of the elytra testaceous, so the colour patterns are very distinctive.=A0I=
 have scattered records of all three species from around the province =
(only <I>E. terminalis</I> in Cape Breton so far), but no previous =
records from Kings County. <I>E. terminalis</I> is also found on Sable =
Island.=A0</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>They are found in detritus =
or under fungus-covered bark of trees where they feed on funal hyphae =
and on slime molds. For those interested there are a couple of good =
images located at:</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><A =
href=3D"http://www.zin.ru/animalia/Coleoptera/images/eucibico.jpg">http://=
www.zin.ru/animalia/Coleoptera/images/eucibico.jpg</A></DIV><DIV><A =
href=3D"http://www.sbnature.org/collections/invert/entom/img/1811eucinetus=
.jpg">http://www.sbnature.org/collections/invert/entom/img/1811eucinetus.j=
pg</A></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Neat=A0beetles!</DIV><DIV><BR=
 =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Chris</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV=
>On 15-Sep-06, at 10:10 AM, David &amp; Alison Webster wrote:</DIV><BR =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"> <BR> <BR> =
Christopher Majka wrote:<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite" =
cite=3D"mid:4383BE53-1CFA-4FA3-A721-0F713B72B750@ns.sympatico.ca"> Hi =
Eleanor,  <DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder">  </DIV>  =
<DIV><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span">Astute entomological and =
etymological readers my recognize in this account the names, =
<I>Nycetus</I>, for whom the delightful beetle genus<I>=A0Nycteus <SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-style: normal; "> (Latreille, =
1829)=A0</SPAN><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-style: =
normal; "> (in the family Eucinetidae, the so-called "plate-thigh =
beetles")=A0</SPAN></I> is named (five species in North America), one of =
which<I> N. punctulatus</I> (LeConte) which is found in (amongst other =
places), Nova Scotia.=A0</SPAN></DIV>  </BLOCKQUOTE> Hi Chris &amp; =
All,=A0=A0=A0 =A0=A0=A0 =A0=A0=A0 =A0=A0=A0 Sept 15, 2005<BR> =A0=A0=A0 =
I collected a small beetle on Sept 5 (1208) that had two prominent =
features; very enlarged hind coxae and a combination of features that =
did not fit any family that I could think of. So your mention of =
'plate-thigh' solved that riddle, at least to family level.<BR>  <BR> =
=A0=A0=A0 The key in Amer. Beetles conflicts with the figures so one =
must navigate by guesswork and doing so has <I>Nycteus</I> as the =
endpoint. <BR> =A05.meso- &amp; 5.meta-tarsomere longer than 4. =
respectively;<BR> procoxae transverse;<BR> 5 visible sternites with =
trace of 6th;<BR> sutural stria impressed in apical 3/5 but other stria =
not hinted;<BR> epipleura widened in basal 1/3;<BR> head hidden from =
above and narrowed abruptly distal to eyes;<BR> antenna long and =
gradually widened as in Fig 1.35 for <I>E. terminalis</I> LeConte.<BR>  =
<BR> =A0=A0=A0 Does this fit <I>N. punctulatus</I> (LeConte) or any =
<I>Nycteus</I> ?<BR>  <BR> Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville<BR> =
=A0<BR>    </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px =
0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px =
Times">_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._=
._._._.</FONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT =
face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Times">Christopher Majka =
- Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History</FONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: =
0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: =
12.0px Times">1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada<SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>B3H 3A6</FONT></P> <P =
style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" =
style=3D"font: 12.0px Times">(902) 424-6435 <SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 </SPAN>Email &lt;<A =
href=3D"mailto:c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca">c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca</A>&gt;</F=
ONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times"=
 size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px =
Times">_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._=
._._._.</FONT></P>  </DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>=

--Apple-Mail-151--367829750--

next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects