Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 1957-01-02 A taxonomic study of the families of Utah coleoptera excluding rhynchophora T. Blaine Moore Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Moore, T. Blaine, "A taxonomic study of the families of Utah coleoptera excluding rhynchophora" (1957). Theses and Dissertations. 7829. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7829 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. A. Taxonomic Stl:ldy ot the Families of Utah Coleoptera Excluding Rhynchophora A Thesis Presented to the Department of Zoology and Entomology Brigham YoungUniversity In Partial :Fultillment of the Requirements for the Degree o:f Master ot Arts 219086 by T. Blaine Moore January- 2, 1957 This thesis by '1'. Blaine Moore is accepted in its present .torm by the Special Thesis Committee as satisfying the thesis requirements for the degree or Master of Arts. Signedt (l!oimiiI-£teetlhalrman) (Coiiimlt!£eeMember} ii TABLEOF CONTENTS Introduction. .. • • • • • • . ,.. • • • • • l Aclmowledgments., • • • . .. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 Discussion. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ••••• • • • • • • • • 2 List or families of Utah Coleoptera •••••••••• • • • • • • • 5 Liat o£ abbreviations. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 7 Explanation of .figure l. • • • • • • • • • • • • /Ir •• • • • •••• 8 EJcplanation of drawings. • • • • • • • • • ••• • • /Ir • • • • • • .10 Elq)lanat.ion o.f terms •• • • • • • • • • ..... • • • • • • • • • • .14 Description of sub-orders • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .15 Key to the sub-orders of Coleoptera •••••••••••••• • • .16 .Adephaga. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .16 Key to the superfamilies of Adephaga. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .17 Caraboidea ••••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 17 Key to the families o! Caraboidea •••••••••••••••••• 18 Polyphaga • •••• • ••• • •• • •• • • • • • • • • • • • ••• .19 Key to the series o! auperfam:Uies of .Polyphaga •• • • • • .20 Brachelytra •••• •••••••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .21 Key to the .f'a.milles of Braehelytra ••••••••••••• • • • • .22 Po'.cyformiaand Clavicornia ••••••••••••••••• • • • • •24 Key to the superfamilles of Polyf'ormia and Clavicornia •• • . ·• .. • 25 Cantharoidea •••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . .. • ••• • 26 Key to the families ot Cantharoidea • • • • • • ••••••••••••• •• 27 Cleroidea ••••••••••••• • • • • • • . .., . .. •• 28 ill Key to tho families of Oleroidea • • ••••••• • • • • • • • • • 28 Elateroidea. • • • • • .. • • • • ••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 29 Key to the fanlilies of Elateroidea. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 29 Dryopoidea • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • JO Key to the fam1J1es of Dryopoidea•••••••••••••••••• 31 Byrrhoidea • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .32 Key to the families of Byrrhoidea ••••••••• • •••••••• 32 CucuJoidea • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 33 Key to the £andlies of Cucujoidea •••• • ••••••••••••• 33 Tenebrionoidea • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 36 Key ta the families of Tenebrianoidea ••••••••••••• • •. 37 Bostrichoidea ••••••••••••••••••••• • •••••• 40 Key to the families of Boatrichoidea • ., • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 40 Lamelllcornia. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 4l Key to the families of La.llsllieornia (Searabaeoidea} • ••••••• 42 Phy'tophago. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 42 Key to the families of Phytophaga. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 4.3 General discussion of keys • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 145 ~,. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • " • 50 Literature cited • • • • • • • • • • • • ......... • ••••• 52 1 Abstract • ., • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • S4 iv INTRODUCTION The order Coleoptera, represented in North America by' more than twenty-six thousand species 1n one mmdred nine famllies according to Sabroaky" (1952), ia by far the largest order of insects. The members of this large group are characterized by- having a horny exoskeleton or chitin, corneous .front wings or ely-tra, and membranous hind wings. They have strong chewing mouth parts and development is by complete metamorphosis. Although extensive work has been done with the order Coleoptera, there still remains nmch more to do, especially in taxonOJfV. Such char• acters as genital structures, sperma.thecae and larval forms, along with the more commonly used external structures, will do mu.ehto clarify the phylogeny and taxonOJl\Vo£ Ooleoptera. Most Coleopterists seem to be unaware of the novice 'Whenthey construct their keys and, as a result, beginning students get lost verr easily among the complicated terms and inde£inite statements so o!ten used. The purpose or this thesis, therefore, is to construct simplified keys to the families or Coleoptera of Utah. To do this the order will be broken up into sub•orders, series of superf'amilifus, superfall'dll.es and .families, with separate keys to all o£ these groups. No key will be large, thus reducing to a minimumany- cumbersomeness, and the difficulty in using them will be minimised. 0£ the one hundred nine .families 0£ beetles mentioned above, only sixty-nine of them are llated in this thesis as being represented in Utah. Several other :families, most of which are tiny and inhabit ant nests, l 2 mammalnests, fungi or decaying orgeic matter, may some dtq' be found in the area. However, :more extensive collecting and study is needed before a complete list of utah £and.lies can be made with any great assurance. ACKN<lrlLEDGMENTS Inasnmch as a theaia 1s the result of the combined efforts of so InailY'people who have rendered assistance in one way or another, appreci• ation is extended to those individuals and groups. The author especially wishes to give thanks to Dr. Vasco M. Tanner, head of the Department of Zoology and Entomology of Brigham Young Univer- sity, whose patience and understanding, along with his inspirational guidance, has made the completion of this thesis possible. Dr •. Tanner gave freely o£ his ti.ma# u well as t.he use of his library and collections, to make possible the research in connection with this thesis. He also served as Special Thesis Committee Chairman. Appreciation is also extended to Dr. Wilmer w. Tanner for the suggestions and help as the work progressed, and £or his help as a member of the Special Thesis Committee. 'l'hanks also to Dr. c. Lynn Haywardand Dr. Dorald Allred for their interest, along with the many helpful sug- gestions rendered the author,. And finally, to those authorities of Coleopterology whose previous works have contributed so much, I am very grateful. DIOOUSSION In order to makeworkable keys to the families of Coleoptera, the first thing t.o consider is usable charaeteriatics, 1. e., those which are easiest to see and identify on the specimen. Due to the extremei,- small 3 size of the members o£ sane families, this becomes very ditf'icult. 1'here- £ore, positive identitieation or certain characters will be possible only by- preparing specimens on slidea for study under the compound :microscope. The taxonomic characters used in this paper are l18ted below. Tarsit Comparative sizes ot segments, shape of segments, and nwli>er of tarsal joints. Tibiaea Tibial spurs. Elytraz Shape., portion o£ abdomen exposed or covered, pubescence, etc. Headt Co:rrparative width with pronotum and base ot elytraJ position of bead with reference to pronotlllllJ whether or not it projects into a beakJ formation o! & neck behind the eyes. Pronatum.1 Shape and conparative size with head or base of Oomparat...ive sue, aue of facets, and marginal shape. Antennae, Number of segmantsJ forms of antennae, 1. e., fili• form., serrate, lamella.te., fl.a.bell.ate, plumose or clubbed. Abdominal tergite: Numbere:xposed behind elytra. Abdominal sternites1 Numbervisible .trom.beneath. Co.xal cavities, Open or closed behind. OoxaeI Shape., c011parative size and pro:ximat1on. Hind wingst Marginal hair in one or two families. Gular suture, Two separate in BOOE, while in others they are fused as one. 4 Maxillary pal.pi: Relative size and shape. Pronotum and elytrai The ways in vhicb they join at base. Scutellumt Its presence, or apparent. absence. Epimeront Approximation to coxal. eavitiea. All of the above characters are in general use by Coleopterista in taxonomic studies. Those used wre taken from Jaques (1951}, Comstock I (1949), Essig (1948), Edwards {1954},Borror and De Long (1954). Tanner (1927) indicates that the majority of students treat the taxonomic and morphological study of in.sects as distinct and unrelated studies, as well as ends in themselves. This, he mentions, is an inade- quate point of view and one n.ot u;p to the standards advocated by Leconte and Horn in their "Classification of Goleoptera." Although the use ot genital structures is of great importance in taxonomic work, they have not been considered here. The reason is that keys of the types used in this paper must have characters that are readily' discernable to the begin- ner without mutilating the specimen. However, this cannot always be fol•