''Deretaphrus'' is a genus of dry bark beetles in the family

Bothrideridae Bothrideridae is a family of beetles in the superfamily Coccinelloidea. They are known commonly as the cocoon-forming beetles or dry bark beetles. They occur worldwide with most native to the Old World tropics. In older literature, the family wa ...

. A taxonomic revision of the genus published in 2013 listed 25 species, which exhibit a

disjunct distribution In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but considerably separated from each other geographically. The causes are varied and might demonstrate either the expansion or contraction of a s ...

. There are 22 species of the genus described from Australia, with single species also being found in each of New Caledonia, Bolivia, and North America.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Deretaphrus'' was erected by Edward Newman in 1842, when he described four new species of beetle from specimens that had been collected in

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

, Australia, which was then part of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Of these four species, the first listed, ''D. fossus'', became the type of the genus. The other species initially assigned to the genus, ''D. puteus'', ''D. illusus'' and ''D. vittatus'', were subsequently moved out of ''Deretaphrus'', initially to the genus '' Bothrideres''.

Life cycle

Larva

The beetles in this genus have

ectoparasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has c ...

larvae, the first instar being a mobile

planidium A planidium is a specialized form of insect larva seen in the first-instar of a few families of insects that have parasitoidal ways of life. They are usually flattened, highly sclerotized (hardened), and quite mobile. The function of the plani ...

, which is adapted to locate suitable hosts. Later instars have a more typical beetle-grub morphology and are typically found under tree bark, feeding on

cerambycid The longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), also known as long-horned or longicorns, are a large family of beetles, with over 35,000 species described. Most species are characterized by extremely long antennae, which are often as long as or longer than ...

and

buprestid Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheaded borers. The family is among the largest of the beetles, with some ...

woodboring beetle The term woodboring beetle encompasses many species and families of beetles whose larval or adult forms eat and destroy wood (i.e., are xylophagous). In the woodworking industry, larval stages of some are sometimes referred to as woodworms. The t ...

grubs. The final larval instar spins a silken cocoon in which to pupate: an unusual

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

among beetles. Which part of the larva secretes the silk has not been determined, and it could come from the mouth or from anal glands.Lord and McHugh, pp. 11–12; where the planidium is referred to as a

triungulin A planidium is a specialized form of insect larva seen in the first-instar of a few families of insects that have parasitoidal ways of life. They are usually flattened, highly sclerotized (hardened), and quite mobile. The function of the plani ...

Adult

Adults are most often found under tree bark, or on its outer surface at night, but have also been collected at light traps. Examination of their gut contents suggests that their diet consists of plant material.

Distribution

Species of the genus ''Deretaphrus'' are principally found in Australia. In 1872

George Henry Horn George Henry Horn (April 7, 1840 – November 24, 1897) was a U.S. entomologist who specialized in the study of beetles. Born in Philadelphia, Horn attended the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated with a degree in medicine in 1861 ...

described ''D. oregonensis'' from North America. Appended to his formal description is a note describing his initial disbelief that the first specimen of the species that he had been sent was actually, as claimed, from California.

A specimen was received several years since from California, but from a source whence Australian species had been sent, and little credit was therefore given to the authenticity of the locality, especially as all the known species were Australian. Lately, however, another has been attained free from any suspicion of error, and I have therefore ventured to name it.

By the time he made his description, Horn was aware that

John Lawrence LeConte John Lawrence LeConte (May 13, 1825 – November 15, 1883) was an American entomologist of the 19th century, responsible for naming and describing approximately half of the insect taxa known in the United States during his lifetime,

and

Thomas de Grey, 6th Baron Walsingham Thomas de Grey, 6th Baron Walsingham (29 July 1843 – 3 December 1919), of Merton Hall, Norfolk, was an English politician and amateur entomologist. Biography Walsingham was the son of Thomas de Grey, 5th Baron Walsingham, and Augusta-Louisa ...

were in possession of specimens of ''D. oregonensis'' that had undoubtedly been collected in America. The species has since been found in a number of states to the west of the

Rockies The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Can ...

, and in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, ranging from the Pacific Northwest to California. In 1903

Antoine Henri Grouvelle Antoine Henri Grouvelle (17 January 1843 – 9 June 1917 Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French entomologist who specialised in Coleoptera. He was also an engineer who directed a tobacco factory. He worked on world fauna of the heterogeneous group of bee ...

described ''D. interruptus'' from

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. A South American species was added to the genus in 2013 when Lord and McHugh described ''D. boliviensis'', on the basis of a single specimen that had been collected in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

.Lord and McHugh, p. 21–22 Lord and McHugh describe this

as "very odd", and suggest that ''D. boliviensis'' may have a wider distribution in South and Central America.Lord and McHugh, pp. 12–13

Species list

The following were treated as species by Nathan P. Lord and Joseph V. McHugh in their 2013 revision of the genus: * ''D. aequaliceps'' Blackburn, 1903 * ''D. alveolens'' Carter and Zeck, 1937 * ''D. analis'' Lea, 1898 * ''D. antennatus'' Lord and McHugh, 2013 * ''D. boliviensis'' Lord and McHugh, 2013 * ''D. bucculentus'' Elston, 1923 * ''D. carinatus'' Lord and McHugh, 2013 * ''D. erichsoni'' Newman, 1855 * ''D. fossus'' Newman, 1842 * ''D. gracilis'' Blackburn, 1903 * ''D. hoplites'' Lord and McHugh, 2013 * ''D. ignarus'' Pascoe, 1862 * ''D. incultus'' Carter and Zeck, 1937 * ''D. interruptus'' Grouvelle, 1903 * ''D. iridescens'' Blackburn, 1903 * ''D. lateropunctatus'' Lord and McHugh, 2013 * ''D. ocularis'' Lord and McHugh, 2013 * ''D. oregonensis''

Horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

, 1872 * ''D. parviceps'' Lea, 1898 * ''D. piceus'' (Germar, 1848) * ''D. puncticollis'' Lea, 1898 * ''D. rodmani'' Lord and McHugh, 2013 * ''D. viduatus'' Pascoe, 1862 * ''D. wollastoni'' Newman, 1855 * ''D. xanthorrhoeae'' Lea, 1898 Lord and McHugh list three

morphotype In biology, polymorphism is the occurrence of two or more clearly different morphs or forms, also referred to as alternative ''phenotypes'', in the population of a species. To be classified as such, morphs must occupy the same habitat at the s ...

s, all from Australia, that could not be determined according to the above list, but were not described as new species for lack of sufficient material.

References

Sources

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q18115597 Bothrideridae Articles created by Qbugbot Coccinelloidea genera Taxa named by Edward Newman