Leschen, R. A. B. 2003: Erotylidae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Cucujoidea): phylogeny and review. Fauna of New Zealand 47, 108 pp. INVERTEBRATE SYSTEMATICS ADVISORY GROUP REPRESENTATIVES OF L ANDCARE RESEARCH Dr O. R. W. Sutherland Landcare Research Lincoln Agriculture & Science Centre P.O. Box 69, Lincoln, New Zealand Dr T.K. Crosby and Dr M.-C. Larivière Landcare Research Mount Albert Research Centre Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand REPRESENTATIVE OF U NIVERSITIES Dr R.M. Emberson Ecology and Entomology Group Soil, Plant, and Ecological Sciences Division P.O. Box 84, Lincoln University, New Zealand REPRESENTATIVE OF MUSEUMS Mr R.L. Palma Natural Environment Department Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa P.O. Box 467, Wellington, New Zealand REPRESENTATIVE OF O VERSEAS I NSTITUTIONS Dr M. J. Fletcher Director of the Collections NSW Agricultural Scientific Collections Unit Forest Road, Orange NSW 2800, Australia * * * SERIES EDITOR Dr T. K. Crosby Landcare Research Mount Albert Research Centre Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand Fauna of New Zealand Ko te Aitanga Pepeke o Aotearoa Number / Nama 47 Erotylidae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Cucujoidea): phylogeny and review Richard A. B. Leschen Landcare Research, Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand [email protected] Manaak i W h e n u a P R E S S Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand 2003 4 Leschen (2003): Erotylidae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) Copyright © Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd 2003 No part of this work covered by copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping information retrieval systems, or otherwise) without the written permission of the publisher. Cataloguing in publication LESCHEN, RICHARD A. B. Erotylidae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) / R. A. B. Leschen – Lincoln, Canterbury, N.Z. : Manaaki Whenua Press, 2003. (Fauna of New Zealand, ISSN 0111–5383 ; no. 47). ISBN 0-478-09350-0 I. Title II. Series UDC 595.763.67 Suggested citation: Leschen, R. A. B. 2003. Erotylidae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Cucujoidea): phylogeny and review. Fauna of New Zealand 47, 108 pp. Prepared for publication by the series editor using computer-based text processing, layout, and printing at Landcare Research, Mt Albert Research Centre, Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand M~ori text by H. Jacob, Huatau Consultants, Levin. Published by Manaaki Whenua Press, Landcare Research, P.O. Box 40, Lincoln, Canterbury, N.Z. Website: http://www.mwpress.co.nz/ Printed by PrintLink Ltd, Wellington Front cover: Hapalips prolixus (Sharp) (Illustrator: D. W. Helmore). Publication of the Fauna of New Zealand series is the result of a research investment by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology under contract number C09X0202. Fauna of New Zealand 47 5 POPULAR SUMMARY HE WHAKARAPOPOTOTANGA Class Insecta Order Coleoptera Family Erotylidae Erotylid beetles The family Erotylidae (here combined with Languriidae) is Illustration / Whakaahua: Hapalips prolixus (Sharp) (Il- composed of approximately 3500 species worldwide, and lustrator / Kaiwhakaahua: D. W. Helmore). is another one of those beetle groups that has had few researchers because most species are small, brown, and not Ng~ P§tara Erotylid considered attractive. But this is true only for the bulk of the species, because many plant-feeding (Languriinae) and Kei te ~hua 3500 ng~ momo o te wh~nau Erotylidae (kua fungus-feeding (Erotylini) forms are big, beautiful, and easy uru mai ng~ Languriidae ki t‘nei tatauranga) puta noa i te to collect and identify. It is only by unfortunate evolution- ao. Heoi anÇ, he tokoiti noa te hunga rangahau i te wh~nau ary reasons that these bigger forms don’t occur in New nei, i te mea he pakupaku, he parauri te tae, ~, ki ‘tahi, he Zealand: New Zealand split off from the ancient continent anuanu anÇ ki te titiro atu. Engari ahakoa kei te tika pea Gondwana before these bigger groups evolved. t‘nei kÇrero mÇ te nuinga, k~ore e tika ana mÇ te katoa. He Part of this contribution deals with the development maha hoki ng~ momo kai tipu (ng~i Languriinae) me ng~ of a classification for the world fauna. Biological momo kai harore (ng~i Erotylini) he rahi tonu te hanga, he classifications allow scientists and the public to ~taahua, he m~m~ anÇ ki te kohikohi, ki te tautohu. Ko te communicate about the world of plants and animals by ~hua o te kunenga mai te take k~ore a Aotearoa e nohoia providing a natural reference system that conveys, among ana e ng~ momo rahi ake. Ar~ n‘, i wehe mai a Aotearoa i other things, where species belong in the tree of life and Te Uri M~roa i mua i te kunenga mai o ng~ momo rahi ake. what taxa they are related to. This taxonomic reference E aro ana t‘tahi w~hanga o t‘nei tuhinga ki te hanganga system is typically based on phylogenetic trees that are o t‘tahi pãnaha whakarÇpã mÇ ng~ erotylid huri i te ao. graphic representations of how life evolved. How the M~ ng~ whakarÇpãtanga koiora ka takoto he pãnaha New Zealand members of Erotylidae fit into this new tohutoro m~ori e whakaatu ana kei hea ake o te ao koiora classification is of primary importance for understanding t‘n~ me t‘n~ momo, ~, ko wai m~ ng~ uri tata, e taea ai e the origins of our local fauna and how they relate to other ng~ tohunga pãtaiao me te hunga tãmatanui te whakawhiti erotylids. kÇrero mÇ ng~ aitanga a T~ne. I te nuinga o te w~, ka noho The New Zealand fauna is rather small, and the 9 species ko ng~ ‘r~kau whakapapa’ hei t~huhu mÇ te pãnaha are treated here, while the remaining species in the tribe whakapapa, e m~m~ ai te whakaahua p‘hea te kunenga Erotylini (Thallis and Cryptodacne) are treated elsewhere. mai o ng~ uri maha. He mea tino nui kia mÇhiotia te tãranga The family can be easily separated from other groups, but o ng~ momo Erotylidae o Aotearoa i roto i t‘nei a microscope will be necessary to discriminate these species whakapapa hou, i te mea m~ reira e mÇhiotia ai tÇ r~tou from similar families such as Cryptophagidae. The included pãtakenga mai, me Ç r~tou hononga ki ‘tahi atu erotylid. (continued overleaf) (haere tonu) 6 Leschen (2003): Erotylidae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) identification keys will help. The species are not difficult E 9 noa iho ng~ momo erotylid e kitea ana i Aotearoa, to identify, and some, like Loberus and Cathartocryptus, ~, koir~ ng~ mea e ~ta tirohia ana i konei. Ko ‘r~ atu momo have distinctive colour patterns that make for easy o te iwi Erotylini (ng~i Thallis me ng~i Cryptodacne), kei recognition. te kÇrerotia i w~hi k‘. He m~m~ te wehewehe i t‘nei o ng~ What is extraordinary about the New Zealand species wh~nau i ‘tahi atu rÇpã, engari me whakamahi rawa he is that these have phylogenetic or family relationships karu whakarahi hei wehewehe i ‘nei momo mai i ‘tahi with erotylid beetles throughout the rest of the world. wh~nau ~hua rite te hanga, p‘r~ i ng~ Cryptophagidae. Many species have close relationships with species in Heoi, he ~whina kei ng~ ara tautohu e mau mai ana ki te Australia, New Caledonia, South America, and possibly tuhinga nei. K~ore e p‘r~ rawa te uaua o te tautohu i ng~ South Africa. The unusual genus Loberonotha, found only momo. He whai tauira kano ‘tahi e m~rama ana te kitea in New Zealand, may be related to taxa distributed in Boreal atu, p‘r~ i ng~ Loberus me ng~ Cathartocryptus, e m~m~ ai Europe, but its exact relationship is unclear and requires te tautohu i a r~tou. additional study. Ko te mea rerek‘ o ng~ momo o Aotearoa, he whai The family Erotylidae is composed of a mixture of hononga ~-wh~nau r~tou ki ‘r~ atu p§tara erotylid i ng~ feeding types, and this is reflected in New Zealand’s fauna. tÇpito katoa o te ao. Ar~ ng~ momo maha he hononga tata Cathartocryptus, Cryptodacne, and Thallis are strictly a Ç r~tou ki ng~ momo o Ahitereiria. o New Caledonia, o fungus feeding, Loberonotha is plant feeding, perhaps Amerika ki te Tonga, tae atu ki }wherika ki te Tonga. Ar~ specialising on pollen, and the remaining species are t‘tahi puninga korok‘ o Aotearoa, ko Loberonotha te ingoa, scavengers feeding on plant and fungus tissues. Some t‘r~ pea he hononga Çna ki ng~ rÇpã e kitea ana i âropi ki species are restricted to certain habitats; for example, te Raki; heoi anÇ, he rehurehu te ~hua o te hononga – me Loberus depressus is found commonly at the leaf axes of haere tonu he rangahautanga e m~rama ake ai. cabbage trees, and Hapalips can be found in the sheaths of He rerek‘ te ~hua o te kai a t‘n~, a t‘n~ o te wh~nau nikau palms. These species can be collected in traps (flight Erotylidae, ~, e whakaataria ana t‘nei ~hua i ng~ momo o intercept traps) and by sifting leaf-litter. Looking on host Aotearoa. He kai harore te Cathartocryptus, te plants and fungi provide the best areas for collecting some Cryptodacne, me te Thallis. He kai tipu te Loberonotha, species. otir~, ko te hae anake pea t~na kai. Ko ‘r~ atu momo, ka Like many beetles in New Zealand, most species of hamuhamu noa i ng~ tipu me ng~ harore kua mate. He Cryptodacne, Loberus, and Thallis are flightless and must ripoinga wh~iti Ç ‘tahi, hei tauira, kitea nuitia ai a Loberus walk between food sources.