''Sphaeridium'' is a genus of
beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
s in the family
Hydrophilidae
Hydrophilidae, also known colloquially as water scavenger beetles, is a family of beetles. Aquatic hydrophilids are notable for their long maxillary palps, which are longer than their antennae. Several of the former subfamilies of Hydrophilidae ...
, the water scavenger beetles. They occur in Europe, and some species have been
introduced to North America.
[Hanski, I. (1980)]
The three coexisting species of ''Sphaeridium'' (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae).
''Ann. Entomol. Fenn'' 46, 39-48.
Description
The adults are 4 to 7.5 millimeters long. They have short
antennae with hairy clubs at the tips.
These beetles live in
cow dung. The adults feed on the dung and other organic matter,
[ but the beetle larvae are predators of the maggots of the flies that breed in the dung, such as the ]face fly
''Musca autumnalis'', the face fly or autumn housefly, is a pest of cattle and horses.
Description
The face fly is similar to the closely related housefly but is slightly larger, averaging about 7–8 mm long and grey in colour with four ...
(''Musca autumnalis''). Two or more ''Sphaeridium'' beetle species may coexist in one pat, and the larvae may feed on each other. The female beetle deposits several eggs encased in a cocoon.[Sowig, P. (1997)]
Predation among ''Sphaeridium'' larvae: the role of starvation and size differences (Coleoptera Hydrophilidae).
''Ethology Ecology & Evolution'' 9(3), 241-251.
Species
Species include:''Sphaeridium''.
Fauna Europaea. Version 2.6.2.
*''
Sphaeridium abbreviatum''
Boheman, 1851
*''
Sphaeridium abditum''
Orchymont, 1943
*''
Sphaeridium abductum''
J.Balfour-Browne, 1950
*''
Sphaeridium affine''
Berge Henegouwen, 1987
*''
Sphaeridium aschenborni''
Berge Henegouwen, 1992
*''
Sphaeridium balfourbrownei''
M.Hansen, 1999
*''
Sphaeridium bipunctatum''
Thunberg, 1794
*''
Sphaeridium bipustulatum''
Fabricius, 1781
*''
Sphaeridium bisinuatum''
J.Balfour-Browne, 1950
*''
Sphaeridium bottegoi''
Marcuzzi, 1941
*''
Sphaeridium braziliense''
Berge Henegouwen, 1986
*''
Sphaeridium caffrum''
Laporte de Castelnau, 1840
*''
Sphaeridium chrysomelinum''
(Klug, 1833)
*''
Sphaeridium circumcinctum''
Régimbart, 1907
*''
Sphaeridium corradinii''
Marcuzzi, 1941
*''
Sphaeridium daemonicum''
Fikáček & Kropáček, 2015
*''
Sphaeridium densepunctatum''
Berlov & Shatrovskiy, 1989
*''
Sphaeridium dimidiatum''
Gory, 1834
*''
Sphaeridium discolor''
Orchymont, 1933
*''
Sphaeridium dolum''
J.Balfour-Browne, 1950
*''
Sphaeridium exile''
Boheman, 1851
*''
Sphaeridium eximium''
Berge Henegouwen, 1992
*''
Sphaeridium fallaciosum''
J.Balfour-Browne, 1950
*''
Sphaeridium flavomaculatum''
Orchymont, 1924
*''
Sphaeridium huijbregtsi''
Berge Henegouwen, 1986
*''
Sphaeridium inopinatum''
J.Balfour-Browne, 1958
*''
Sphaeridium inquinatum''
Kugelann, 1798
*''
Sphaeridium jongemai''
Berge Henegouwen, 1987
*''
Sphaeridium kolleri''
Orchymont, 1925
*''
Sphaeridium lunatum''
Fabricius, 1792
*''
Sphaeridium marginatum''
Fabricius, 1787
*''
Sphaeridium melanarium''
Gistel, 1831
*''
Sphaeridium ornatum''
Boheman, 1851
*''
Sphaeridium ortivum''
Orchymont, 1943
*''
Sphaeridium pellucidum''
Rossi, 1794
*''
Sphaeridium plagiatum''
Thunberg, 1794
*''
Sphaeridium punctiforme''
Schrank, 1798
*''
Sphaeridium quinquemaculatum''
Fabricius, 1798
*''
Sphaeridium rubrum''
Thunberg, 1794
*''
Sphaeridium ruficolle''
Frolich, 1792
*''
Sphaeridium rufipes''
Schrank, 1785
*''
Sphaeridium scarabaeoides''
(Linnaeus, 1758)
*''
Sphaeridium senegalense''
Laporte de Castelnau, 1840
*''
Sphaeridium seriatum''
Orchymont, 1913
*''
Sphaeridium severini''
Orchymont, 1919
*''
Sphaeridium sigillum''
Orchymont, 1943
*''
Sphaeridium simplicipes''
Marcuzzi, 1941
*''
Sphaeridium substriatum''
Faldermann, 1838
*''
Sphaeridium testudineum''
Rossi, 1794
*''
Sphaeridium thomsoni''
Orchymont, 1919
*''
Sphaeridium vaccarium''
Kugelann, 1798
*''
Sphaeridium vitalisi''
Orchymont, 1925
*''
Sphaeridium weiri''
Berge Henegouwen, 1992
References
Further reading
*Otronen, M., & Hanski, I. (1983)
Movement patterns in ''Sphaeridium'': differences between species, sexes, and feeding and breeding individuals.''Journal of Animal Ecology'' 52, 663-680.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10675002
Hydrophilidae genera