Darkling Beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) of Canadian Grasslands
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119 Chapter 3 Darkling Beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) of Canadian Grasslands Patrice Bouchard* and Yves Bousquet Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0C6 Email: [email protected]; [email protected] *corresponding author Abstract. Darkling beetles occur in most terrestrial ecosystems, but they are especially conspicuous in warmer and drier habitats. This chapter documents the diversity, distribution, and biology (where known) of 31 species of darkling beetles that are abundant in Canadian grasslands. Included are habitus drawings of characteristic species from most genera (and subgenera within the genus Eleodes), as well as distribution maps for some species largely restricted to Canadian grasslands. Résumé. On trouve des ténébrions dans la plupart des écosystèmes terrestres, mais ils sont particulièrement présents dans les habitats plutôt chauds et secs. Le présent chapitre se penche sur la diversité, la répartition et la biologie (lorsqu’elle est connue) de 31 espèces de ténébrions abondantes dans les prairies canadiennes. Le chapitre comprend des illustrations d’espèces caractéristiques de la plupart des genres (et des sous-genres dans le cas du genre Eleodes), ainsi que des cartes de la répartition de certaines espèces limitées pour l’essentiel aux prairies canadiennes. Introduction The family Tenebrionidae is one of the most speciose groups of Coleoptera, with approximately 20,000 described species worldwide (Bouchard et al. 2009; Matthews et al. 2010). It includes groups formally treated as separate families, such as the Lagriidae and Alleculidae, now recognized as subfamilies within Tenebrionidae (e.g., Aalbu et al. 2002a, 2002b; Bouchard et al. 2005, 2011). This is the sixth most diverse family of beetles in North America (north of Mexico), with approximately 1,200 species described in 190 genera (Marske and Ivie 2003). The Canadian fauna includes 141 species (Bousquet et al. 2013); British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec support the highest diversity. The darkling beetle fauna of Canadian grasslands is quite distinctive and comprises 31 species (Tables 1 and 2). Darkling beetles occur in most terrestrial habitats, from high latitudes in Canada and Alaska to the hottest deserts (Matthews and Bouchard 2008; Matthews et al. 2010; Acorn 2011). Larvae mostly feed on dead plant matter and can be found in two main types of microhabitats: dead or decaying wood, or soil and sand (Aalbu 2002b; Matthews et al. 2010). Larvae of several species occurring in soil or sand are known to feed on live plant material (these are called false wireworms; see Table 3) and can cause considerable damage to crops in Canada and elsewhere (Allsopp 1980). Because of their relatively Bouchard, P. and Y. Bousquet. 2014. Darkling Beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) of Canadian Grasslands. In Arthropods of Canadian Grasslands (Volume 4): Biodiversity and Systematics Part 2. Edited by D. J. Giberson and H. A. Cárcamo. Biological Survey of Canada. pp. 119-140. © 2014 Biological Survey of Canada. ISBN 978-0-9689321-7-9 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3752/9780968932179.ch3 120 P. Bouchard and Y. Bousquet Table 1. Overall diversity of darkling beetles in Canada and in the Canadian grasslands. Subfamily No. Genera No. No. Species No. Defensive Biological Notes in Canada Genera in in Canada Species in Glands Canadian Canadian Grasslands Grasslands Lagriinae 4 0 6 0 Present Forest dwellers; Latreille, 1825 larvae feed on dead plant matter Phrenapatinae 2 0 2 0 Absent Forest dwellers; Solier, 1834 larvae feed in rotten wood Pimeliinae 7 6 8 7 Absent Ground-dwelling Latreille, 1802 scavengers; larvae feed in soil Tenebrioninae 25 5 59 23 Present Diverse feeding habits, Latreille, 1802 including in stored products, on seedlings, and in rotten wood Alleculinae 8 0 29 0 Present Forest dwellers; Laporte, 1840 larvae feed in dead wood or in soil Diaperinae 10 1 25 1 Present Diverse feeding habits, Latreille, 1802 including in fungi and in stored products Stenochiinae 8 0 12 0 Present Forest dwellers; larvae Kirby, 1837 feed in rotten wood 64 12 141 31 large size and abundance, darkling beetles represent an important source of nutrition for vertebrates such as birds, reptiles, and mammals in semi-arid and arid ecosystems (e.g., Doyen 1974; Seely 1985; Floate et al. 2008). Predation by rodents can be an important factor in limiting darkling beetle populations in some arid ecosystems (Parmenter and MacMahon 1988). Approach For the purpose of this chapter, we focus on grasslands in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba (see highlighted areas in Fig. 1 in Shorthouse and Larson 2010). Tenebrionidae specimens in all major insect collections in western Canada were examined by the authors in preparation for an upcoming taxonomic treatment of the fauna for Canada and Alaska. For each native species occurring in Canadian grasslands, we summarize below their distribution in North America and within Canadian grasslands (locality names are listed in alphabetical order within each province), and we include notes on their biology when available. Dorsal habitus drawings are included for most genera and subgenera (Figs. 1–7). Most species illustrated are blackish or dark gray, although they may appear pale from the illustrations. Examples of characteristic distributional patterns for Canadian Darkling Beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) of Canadian Grasslands 121 grassland species are included in Figs. 8 and 9. Note that the coastal species Coelus ciliatus Eschscholtz, 1829, is excluded from this treatment. Acronyms used in the text are defined as follows: CNC, Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes (Ottawa, Canada); USNM, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington D.C., USA). Annotated List of Native Darkling Beetles of Canadian Grasslands Subfamily Pimeliinae Latreille, 1802 1. Anepsius montanus Casey, 1891 (Fig. 1) Distribution in North America. This species ranges from Alberta to southeastern New Mexico (Doyen 1987). Canadian grasslands records. ALBERTA: Medicine Hat; Onefour. Biological information. Based on the shape of their enlarged foretibiae and their unequal protibial spurs, this species is likely associated with aeolian sand (Doyen 1987) although extensive collecting on sand dunes elsewhere in Alberta and Saskatchewan did not yield any specimens (J.H. Acorn, pers. comm.). Biological data for this species, as well as for all other species in the tribe Anepsiini, are essentially unknown (Doyen 1987). Fig. 1. Dorsal habitus of Anepsius montanus (left) and Coniontis ovalis (right). Scale bar = 1 mm. 122 Table 2. Distribution of darkling beetles occurring in Canadian grasslands. Abbreviations: AB = Alberta; AK = Alaska; BC = British Columbia; LB = Labrador; MB = Manitoba; NB = New Brunswick; NF = insular Newfoundland; NS = Nova Scotia; NT = Northwest Territories; NU = Nunavut; ON = Ontario; PE = Prince Edward Island; QC = Quebec; SK = Saskatchewan; YT = Yukon Territory. Species AK YT NT NU BC AB SK MB ON QC NB NS PE LB NF Subfamily PIMELIINAE Latreille, 1802 ANEPSIUS LeConte, 1862 A. montanus Casey, 1891 – – – – – AB – – – – – – – – – ASIDOPSIS Casey, 1912 A. opaca (Say, 1824) – – – – – AB SK – – – – – – – – A. polita (Say, 1824) – – – – – AB SK – – – – – – – – CONIONTIS Eschscholtz, 1829 Bousquet Y. Bouchardand P. C. ovalis LeConte, 1851 AK – – – BC – – – – – – – – – – GLYPTASIDA Casey, 1912 G. sordida (LeConte, 1853) – – – – – AB SK – – – – – – – – MELANASTUS Casey, 1907 M. acutus (Horn, 1870) – – – – – AB SK – – – – – – – – PHILOLITHUS Lacordaire, 1859 P. densicollis (Horn, 1894) – – – – BC – – – – – – – – – – Subfamily TENEBRIONINAE Latreille, 1802 BLAPSTINUS Dejean, 1821 B. discolor Horn, 1870 – – – – BC – – – – – – – – – – B. intermixtus Casey, 1890 – – – – BC – – – – – – – – – – B. metallicus (Fabricius, 1801) – – – – – AB SK MB ON QC NB NS PE – – B. pratensis LeConte, 1859 – – – – – AB – – – – – – – – – B. substriatus Champion, 1885 – YT – – BC AB SK MB – – – – – – – ELEODES Eschscholtz, 1829 (Subgenus Blapylis Horn, 1870) E. constrictus LeConte, 1858 – – – – BC – – – – – – – – – – E. novoverruculus Boddy, 1957 – – – – BC AB – – – – – – – – – E. pimelioides Mannerheim, 1843 – – – – BC – – – – – – – – – – E. tenebrosus Horn, 1870 – – – – BC – – – – – – – – – – (Subgenus Eleodes Eschscholtz, 1829) E. hispilabris connexus LeConte, 1857 – – – – BC – – – – – – – – – – E. hispilabris hispilabris (Say, 1824) – – – – – AB SK MB – – – – – – – E. obscurus sulcipennis Mannerheim, 1843 – – – – BC – – – – – – – – – – (Subgenus Litheleodes Blaisdell, 1909) E. extricatus convexinotus Thomas, 2005 – – – – – AB SK – – – – – – – – E. extricatus extricatus (Say, 1824) – – – – – AB SK – – – – – – – – E. vandykei modificatus Blaisdell, 1921 – – – – BC – – – – – – – – – – (Subgenus Melaneleodes Blaisdell, 1909) E. humeralis LeConte, 1857 – – – – BC – – – – – – – – – – E. obsoletus obsoletus (Say, 1824) – – – – – AB SK MB – – – – – – – E. tricostatus (Say, 1824) – – – – – AB SK MB – – – – – – – (Subgenus Metablapylis Blaisdell, 1909) E. nigrinus LeConte, 1858 – – – – BC – – – – – – – – – – (Subgenus Promus LeConte, 1862) E. opacus (Say, 1824) – – – – – AB SK MB – – – – – – – EMBAPHION Say, 1824 E. muricatum (Say, 1824) – – – – – AB SK – – – – – – – – HELOPS Fabricius, 1775 H. convexulus LeConte, 1861 – – – – BC AB – – – – – – – – – MECYSMUS Horn, 1870 M. laticollis Casey, 1890 – – – – – AB – – – – –