Economically important species of wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) were successfully associated with adults using cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcoding, proving the usefulness of this technique to ...associate life stages in taxonomically difficult pest groups. Previously unrecognized and morphologically difficult, even indistinguishable, pest larvae were shown to be identifiable using this technique. This is a critical step toward discovering effective species-based integrated pest management strategies for this resurgent pest group following the loss of Lindane seed treatments. Three new adult-larval associations were discovered for Hadromorphus callidus (Brown), Hemicrepidius carbonatus (LeConte) and Metanomus insidiosus (LeConte). Hypnoidus bicolor (Eschscholtz) was shown to comprise multiple divergent lineages at a level usually considered different species, indicating that the population structure of some pest species requires more investigation. The status of the prairie grain wireworm, Selatosomus destructor (Brown), as a full species or as a subspecies of Selatosomus aeripennis (Kirby) is called into question.
Biodiversity of Elateridae in three forest types, i.e., larch plantations (Larix kaempferi (Lamb.) Carriere), secondary forest, and primary forest, was investigated and compared. Click beetles were ...captured with malaise traps in 46 stands in three 14-d periods in June, July, and August. A total of 550 individuals, representing 53 species of click beetles, were captured for this study. The number of species and the number of individuals were not significantly different among the three forest types. However, the composition of species in the three forest types was different. The 46 stands were divided into three groups that were approximately equivalent to the three forest types by Twinspan analysis. Elaterid species associated with the primary forest was Dalopius exilis Kishii. Selatosomus puerilis Kishii and Hemicrepideus secessus secessus Candeze were specific to the secondary forest, and Hemicrepidius sinuatus sinuatus (Lewis) and Ampedus optabilis optabilis (Lewis) showed their preference for the larch plantation. In environmental factors investigated, openness of the canopy influenced the number of the species.
Among the richest ecosystems in bioluminescent Coleoptera in Brazil, the Cerrado (savannas) is the most threatened one by agricultural expansion. The Emas (PNE) and Chapada dos Guimarães (PNCG) ...National parks are 2 of the last main remnants of the original Cerrado ecosystems in Central-west Brazil. During the past 3 decades, we have conducted several expeditions to collect, observe and study bioluminescent beetles occurring in the PNE and surrounding farms. More recently we also started to investigate the PNCG. We recorded a total of 51 bioluminescent species, including fireflies (n = 29), click beetles (n = 11), phengodids (n = 10), and staphylinids (n = 1).The PNE region was the richest one, especially for phengodids (n = 9). Among the habitats that compose the Cerrado physiognomy, the Cerrado and cerradão hosted most of the bioluminescent species, followed by forest, open fields and marshes. Most fireflies inhabiting the Cerrado ecosystem emit yellow-green light, whereas most click beetles emit predominantly green light, and among phengodid species, orange and red-light emission was found in 3 species.The spectacular click beetle Pyrearinus termitilluminans Costa-lodging luminous termite mounds were found in PNE and also reported for the first time at PNCG. In the farms around the PNE, however, a declining number of bioluminescent species was recorded in cerradão areas after the replacement of the surrounding cattle pastures by sugarcane plantations, especially adult phengodid males that were no longer attracted to light traps. Habitat reduction, use of agricultural pesticides and artificial night lighting are thought to be the major causes of such impact on bioluminescent beetle diversity.
Bioluminescence has been hypothesized as aposematic signalling, intersexual communication and a predatory strategy, but origins and relationships among bioluminescent beetles have been contentious. ...We reconstruct the phylogeny of the bioluminescent elateroid beetles (i.e. Elateridae, Lampyridae, Phengodidae and Rhagophthalmidae), analysing genomic data of Sinopyrophorus Bi & Li, and in light of our phylogenetic results, we erect Sinopyrophoridae Bi & Li, stat.n. as a clicking elaterid‐like sister group of the soft‐bodied bioluminescent elateroid beetles, that is, Lampyridae, Phengodidae and Rhagophthalmidae. We suggest a single origin of bioluminescence for these four families, designated as the ‘lampyroid clade’, and examine the origins of bioluminescence in the terminal lineages of click beetles (Elateridae). The soft‐bodied bioluminescent lineages originated from the fully sclerotized elateroids as a derived clade with clicking Sinopyrophorus and Elateridae as their serial sister groups. This relationship indicates that the bioluminescent soft‐bodied elateroids are modified click beetles. We assume that bioluminescence was not present in the most recent common ancestor of Elateridae and the lampyroid clade and it evolved among this group with some delay, at the latest in the mid‐Cretaceous period, presumably in eastern Laurasia. The delimitation and internal structure of the elaterid‐lampyroid clade provides a phylogenetic framework for further studies on the genomic variation underlying the evolution of bioluminescence.
Phylogenomic analyses define the ‘lampyroid clade’ with bioluminescent elaterid‐like Sinopyrophorus Bi & Li as a sister to soft‐bodied bioluminescent fireflies, glowworms and railroad worms (Lampyridae, Rhagophthalmidae, Phengodidae).
The ‘lampyroid clade’ is a sister to click beetles (Elateridae), but the support for the monophyletic click beetles remains low.
Fireflies and their non‐clicking relatives are modified click beetles. The first luminescent elateroid was a clicking beetle, with an estimated origin in the lower Cretaceous, putatively in Eastern Asia.
Small scale distribution of insect root herbivores may promote plant species diversity by creating patches of different herbivore pressure. However, determinants of small scale distribution of insect ...root herbivores, and impact of land use intensity on their small scale distribution are largely unknown. We sampled insect root herbivores and measured vegetation parameters and soil water content along transects in grasslands of different management intensity in three regions in Germany. We calculated community-weighted mean plant traits to test whether the functional plant community composition determines the small scale distribution of insect root herbivores. To analyze spatial patterns in plant species and trait composition and insect root herbivore abundance we computed Mantel correlograms. Insect root herbivores mainly comprised click beetle (Coleoptera, Elateridae) larvae (43%) in the investigated grasslands. Total insect root herbivore numbers were positively related to community-weighted mean traits indicating high plant growth rates and biomass (specific leaf area, reproductive- and vegetative plant height), and negatively related to plant traits indicating poor tissue quality (leaf C/N ratio). Generalist Elaterid larvae, when analyzed independently, were also positively related to high plant growth rates and furthermore to root dry mass, but were not related to tissue quality. Insect root herbivore numbers were not related to plant cover, plant species richness and soil water content. Plant species composition and to a lesser extent plant trait composition displayed spatial autocorrelation, which was not influenced by land use intensity. Insect root herbivore abundance was not spatially autocorrelated. We conclude that in semi-natural grasslands with a high share of generalist insect root herbivores, insect root herbivores affiliate with large, fast growing plants, presumably because of availability of high quantities of food. Affiliation of insect root herbivores with large, fast growing plants may counteract dominance of those species, thus promoting plant diversity.
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