''Dasytes gonocerus'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of soft wing flower beetles belonging to the family

Melyridae Melyridae (common name: soft-winged flower beetles) are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. Description Most are elongate-oval, soft-bodied beetles 10 mm long or less. Many are brightly patterned in black and brown, yellow, ...

Distribution

This species has an extensive and discontinuous presence in part of Europe (

Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Habitat

It mainly occurs at high altitude in mountainous meadows of central Spain, of the Cantabrian mountain, on the Pyrenees, on the Massif Central, in the western part of the Alps, in part of the Apennines and on several summits of the Balkans.Gianfranco Liberti, Robert Constanti
Notes synonymiques et taxonomiques sur Dasytes gonocerus Mulsant & Rey, 1868, et D. incertus Schilsky, 1895 (Coleoptera, Cleroidea, Dasytidae)

Description

''Dasytes gonocerus'' can reach a body length of about . These small black beetles have long erect black pubescence over the entire surface of the elytra and pronotum. This species is very similar to '' Dasytes alpigradus'' and '' Dasytes lombardus''. The three species are morphologically very close and only the males can be differentiated with certainty after examination of their reproductive organs (

aedeagus An aedeagus (plural aedeagi) is a reproductive organ of male arthropods through which they secrete sperm from the testes during copulation with a female. It can be thought of as the insect equivalent of a mammal's penis, though the comparison ...

).Yannick Chittaro, Andreas Sanchez - Annotated checklist of Cleroidea (Coleoptera) of Switzerland - Alpine Entomology 3 2019, 141–167 - DOI 10.3897/alpento.3.35994

Phenology

Adults can be found from July to September. These beetles feed on pollen and can be found especially on yellow

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

References

External links

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iNaturalist

{{Taxonbar, from=Q50386381 Melyridae Beetles of Europe