Eur. J. Entorno?. 97: 403-412, 2000 ISSN 1210-5759 Description of the early stagesAnomalipusplebejusplebejulus of (Coleóptera: Tenebrionidae) from Zimbabwe with notes on the classification of the Opatrinae Dariusz IWAN1 and Stanislav BEČVÁŘ2 1Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679 Warszawa, Poland; e-mail: [email protected] 2Institute ofEntomology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; e-mail: [email protected] Key words. Coleóptera, Tenebrionidae, Opatrinae, Tenebrioninae, Platynotini,Anomalipus, immature stages, classification, South Africa Abstract. Immature stages of a South African tenebrionid beetle,Anomalipus plebejus plebejulus Endrody-Younga, 1988, of the tribe Platynotini are described and illustrated. This account is the first modern description of the egg and first and older larval instars of the genusAnomalipus and the subtribe Anomalipina. The significance of larval charactersof Anomalipus and other relevant taxa for classification of the subfamily Opatrinae sensu Medvedev (1968) [= “opatrine lineage: Opatrini” sensu Doyen & Tschinkel (1982)] are discussed. A synopsis ofPlatynotini larvae is presented. INTRODUCTION ture stages of this genus. Further larval descriptions from Adults of the genus Anomalipus Latreille, 1846 were each Anomalipus species group recognised are needed to reviewed by Endrody-Younga in his excellent monograph test the congruence of larval morphological characters in 1988. He recognised 51 species, 26 subspecies and 22 with the evolutionary trends deduced from adults. infrasubspecific forms living in the South and the East of HISTORY OF THE PLATYNOTINI LARVAE the Afrotropical region. A cladistic analysis of the Anomalipus species was not carried out, however, the The larva of Anomalipus plebejus Peringuey was the kinship of species-groups was studied and presented in first described larva of a tenebrionid placed in the Platy­ the form of a phylogenetic tree. The genus was divided notini. Jack’s (1917) description is very brief, however he into 16 species-groups of four phylogenetic lineagesindicates fossorially developed anterior legs and smooth based on combinations of several states of three morpho­egg-shaped anal segment (illustrated in two projections) logical characters. Although observations on the produc­with pseudopodia missing. It is certain that he correctly tion of sound and mating behaviour in 11 species sup­assigned his larva to the genus Anomalipus. Additional ported this systematic arrangement neither the lineages valuable observations of this author are the relatively nor the species-groups were referred to formal taxonomiclarge size of the egg (4.25 x 2.25 mm), the length of the categories. larva (up to 50 mm) and that “...the adults emerge and In her correspondence, Dr. L. Prozesky-Schulze infor­the ova are laid at the commencement of the rains.” med the authors that despite the great structural variability The first modern descriptions of platynotine larvae are of the adults ofAnomalipus species, the larvae are rather those of Schulze (1962):Gonopus (Gonopus) tibialis(F.) uniform in appearance. She was able to divide them into 6 and G. (Gonopus) agrestis Fahraeus from South Africa. species-groups. She indexed her Anomalipus material At the end she wrote: “A following paper dealing with the under temporary names as no species taxonomy of thegenus Anomalipus will contain a comparative study of the genus was available to her. Because the revision of the genera Gonopus Latreille, Zophodes Fahraeus and genus appeared too late for her work, her study onAnomalipus Latreille of the Platynotini”. The next year, Anomalipus preimaginal stages has never been published. Schulze (1963) published her study on the Stizopina, a In 1999, the authors obtained several larvae of subtribe of the Opatrini. The introduction of this paper Anomalipus that were impossible to place in the Blapi- contains a short general review of the main traits found in morpha group using either Skopin’s (1964) or Watt’sthe larvae of the different tribes of Tenebrionidae from (1974) key. This is a further case of the problem dis­ southern Africa. She noticed that the ninth abdominal cussed by Schulze (1969), of some taxa from South sternum is reduced to a small appendage inAnomalipus Africa not fiting into the current larval system. larvae, and the punctures and deep holes on the head, the Even if the species ofAnomalipus are easily kept and thorax and last two segments may be transformed into reared in the laboratory (Endrody-Younga, 1988), this sensory capsules. In the preface Schulze wrote: “Papers study presents the first modern description of the imma­ on the Anomalipina of the Platynotini, the Drosochrini 403 and the Zophosini are in preparation.” At that time Kochand one pair on genae. Median endocarina absent. was undertaking a taxonomic study of the genusAnomali- Antennae 3-segmented (Fig. 2), second antennomere is pus, which was never published. Because of this Schultze 2.0 times longer than wide and about 2.5 times longer did not publish her study of larval morphology of the than first, bearing apically a circlet of six subtriangular Anomalipina (private correspondence with Dr. L. parts of subdivided sensillum surrounding base of apical Prozesky-Schulze) but her publications on the Droso- segment; segment 3 minute, about 1/5 diameter of second, chrini and the Zophosini appeared in 1968 and 1974,bearing subapical circlet of three short setae and a stout, respectively. In 1964 Schulze described larvae of the fol­ longer apical seta; antennal insertion lateral, separated lowing Platynotini species from southern Africa:Banto­ from mandible by a narrow strip of membrane. Stemmata demus zulu Koch, Quadrideres femineus (Lesne) and 5 on each side; an ocular spot composed of two nearly Zophodes fitzsimonsi Koch. Later in 1978 she reviewed fused stemmata arranged dorsally on anterior portion of all known larvae of the genusGonopus, adding descrip­ epicranial plate and a transverse row of three fused stem­ tions ofG. (Gonopus) angusticostis Gebien, G. (Agon­ mata antero-laterad from latter. Laterally, just before pro­ opus) hirtipes Fahraeus, G. (Agonopus) pliciventris notal margin, each epicranial plate with 2 or 3 deep pits Gebien and G. (Agonopus) transvaalensis Schulze. She (additional 1-5 pits on each side of prothorax); patterns showed that there are obvious morphological differences of their distribution variable (Fig. 19), they vary between between the subgenera Gonopus and Agonopus associated individuals and may also differ on the two sides of the with the ecology of these taxa. same specimen. Frontoclypeal suture distinct, epistomal Skopin (1972) added an interesting description of a ridge emarginate. Clypeus trapezoidal (Figs 3 and 4), at tenebrionid from Nepal based on single larva tentatively base 2.5 times wider than long; postclypeus with three identified as Pseudoblaps ampliata Fairmaire. pairs of setae arranged nearly transversally. Labrum In 1995 Iwan described the larvae of Opatrinus acicu- transverse, weakly emarginate, with single pair of long latus LeConte, O. gibbicollis Mulsant & Rey and O. medio -dorsal setae and with four long setae and eight minimus (Palisot de Beauvois) from Panama and North short spines on each side along anterior margin. America. His work increased the total number of descrip­ Epipharynx transverse-ovate with a pair of short spines in tions of species of Platynotini larvae to 14. Thecentre, two lateral setose patches below it, and strongly Anomalipina, Gonopina and Platynotina, all subtribessclerotized, triangular pair of posterior plates. Mandibles recognised by Koch (1956), are represented in this asymmetrical, protruding laterally (Figs 8-11); their bifid sample by one, six and seven species respectively. Never­ apices strongly sclerotised and dark; left mandible with a theless, preimaginal stages of the great majority of Platy­ triangular premolar tooth and a small tooth on base of notini genera and nearly 370 species are unknown. molar part; right mola reduced, premolar part prominent with irregular margin; prostheca absent; basolateral por­ DESCRIPTION tion of dorsal surface uniformly sclerotized without mem­ Anomalipusplebejusplebejulus Endrody-Younga, branous area; outer margin ventrally with elongated 1988 excavation - an antennal groove; both mandibles with Anomalipus plebejus Peringuey, 1896: 169. - Jack 1917: 91;two setae near base of ventral antennal excavation and Gebien 1938: 409 [446]; Keleinikova 1968: 208. one seta near its apex. Maxilla (Fig. 7) with well- Anomalipusplebejusplebejulus Endrody-Younga, 1988: 65. developed membranous articulating area; cardo trans­ The description is based on a later instar larva, 21.6 mm verse; elongate stipes bears 4 long setae: one at base and long, 2.0 mm wide, head capsule 1.8 mm broad. 3 anterolaterally; maxillary palpus 3-segmented, first seg­ Remaining two later instar larvae were also examined and ment subquadrate, second twice as long as first bearing only variability of head and pronotal pits was found. three setae anteriorly, segment 3 conical, slightly longer Body fairly strongly sclerotized, subcylindrical, segments than first, with sensory area on apex; mala with its inner transverse to subquadrate, no constriction between seg­ surface densely covered by strong spines, and slightly ments. Cuticle ivory to light brown, glabrous; head, pro- notched at inner margin. Labium with distinct notum and ninth abdominal