Maxwell V. L. Barclay

The Familial Placement and Specific Membership of Escalerina Bolívar Y Pieltain and Paulusiella Löbl (Coleoptera: Elateridae, Dascillidae, Drilidae), with New Synonymies

ABSTRACT The familial placement of the often-confused genera Escalerina Bolívar y Pieltain and Paulusiella Löbl are established to be Dascillidae: Karumiinae and Elateridae incertae sedis, respectively. Escalerina is placed in synonymy with Karumia Escalera, new synonymy, as are Drilocephalus Pic, new synonymy, and Zarudniola Semenov and Martynov. Selasia sweihana Geisthardt is transferred to Paulusiella Löbl as Paulusiella sweihana (Geisthardt), new combination. The membership and history of the genera are reviewed.

Two new species of Cyanopenthe Nikitsky from Taiwan (Coleoptera, Tetratomidae, Penthinae).

Two new species of Cyanopenthe Nikitsky, 1998 are described from Taiwan, under the names of Cyanopenthe taiwana sp. nov. and Cyanopenthe leei sp. nov., representing the first documented occurrence of the genus in Taiwan. Descriptions of both species, including the first description of males of Cyanopenthe, are supplemented with photos of habitus, antennae and abdomens of females, and illustrations of pronotum, genitalia of both sexes and abdominal ventrite V of females. Additionally, for Cyanopenthe metallica (Champion, 1916), photos of habitus and antenna of the holotype, supplementary description and illustrations of genitalia and abdominal ventrite V of females are provided. A key for the identification of Cyanopenthe species is given.

Redescription of Aporrhipis Pascoe, 1887 (Coleoptera: Lycidae), with a Discussion of its Tribal Placement

Abstract Aporrhipis flexilis Pascoe, 1887 is the sole species of a monospecific genus of beetles from Brazil, originally described in the family Ripiphoridae. Despite the fact that this genus was moved to Lycidae, its correct tribal placement remains uncertain. In this study, A. flexilis is redescribed, its tribal placement is discussed, and it is tentatively placed within the Calopterini, Acroleptina. The problems of distinguishing the Acroleptina from the Leptolycini are highlighted by this case, and a plea is made for additional specimens to help resolve this conundrum.

Forest quality, forest area and the importance of beta-diversity for protecting Borneo's beetle biodiversity

The lowland forest of Borneo is threatened by rapid logging for timber export and clearing for the expansion of timber and oil palm plantations. This combination of processes leaves behind landscapes dotted with small, often heavily-degraded forest fragments. The biodiversity value of such fragments, which are easily dismissed as worthless, is uncertain. We collected 187 taxa of rove beetles across a land-use gradient in Sabah, Malaysia, spanning pristine tropical lowland forest to heavily-degraded forest. Using these data, we identified shifts in alpha-, beta-, and gamma-diversity in response to forest quality and distance, then applied our findings from continuous expanses of forest to make predictions on hypothetical forest areas. We found that maintaining high forest quality is more important than forest area for conserving rare taxa (those important for conserving biodiversity per se), and that very small areas (10 ha) are likely to harbour the same richness of rove beetles as larger areas (100 ha) of equal forest quality. We estimate a decline in richness of 36% following heavy logging (removal of 95% of the vegetation biomass) from a forest area of 100 ha or less. Maintaining large forest area as well as high forest quality is important for conserving community composition, likely to be more important for conserving ecosystem functioning. We predict a decline of 35% in community diversity in conversion of a 100 ha area of unlogged forest to a 10 ha area of heavily-logged forest. Despite significant declines in alpha-diversity, beta-diversity within small rainforest areas may partially mitigate the loss of gamma-diversity, reinforcing the concept that beta-diversity is a dominant force determining the conservation of species in fragmented landscapes. In contrast to previous findings on larger animals, our results suggest that even small fragments of degraded forest might be important reservoirs of invertebrate biodiversity in tropical agriculture landscapes. These fragments, especially of lightly-logged forest, should be conserved where they occur and form an integral part of management for more sustainable agriculture in tropical landscapes.

The Type of Nicrophorus chryseus Mazokhin-Porshnyakov, 1953 (Coleoptera: Silphidae) Rediscovered and a Commentary on “Accidental Taxonomy”

Abstract Study of the previously lost type of Nicrophorus chryseus Mazokhin-Porshnyakov, 1953 determined it to be a member of the polymorphic Holarctic species Nicrophorus investigator Zetterstedt, 1824, new synonymy. The unintentional but formal changing of a taxonomic classification, which we term “accidental taxonomy,” is discussed.

The Taxonomic Status of Bufo intermedius Günther, 1858: Forensic Entomology Confirms What Was Long Suspected from Morphology

Bufo intermedius Günther, 1858, has a complex taxonomic history, with the type series being reported from Guayaquil and the Andes of Ecuador. However, these specimens are not referable to any known South American bufonid species. We examined the type series and found, based on morphology, that the specimens likely represent a Mesoamerican species, as earlier authors had suggested. We further explored this possibility by analyzing the stomach contents of one of the syntypes. The unique combination of arthropods, particularly the presence of the beetle species Megalostomis dimidiata and Zygogramma signatipennis, confirmed that the Ecuadorian locality data are erroneous and that the type series was collected in Mexico. We here present that the types of Bufo intermedius are conspecific with the Mexican species Incilius occidentalis (Camerano, 1879) and propose a new synonymy between Bufo intermedius Günther, 1858 and Incilius occidentalis (Camerano, 1879). An application has been made to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature to preserve prevailing usage of the junior name Incilius occidentalis for this widespread Mexican species.

Towards an Understanding of Molecule Capture by the Antennae of Male Beetles Belonging to the Genus Rhipicera (Coleoptera, Rhipiceridae).

Working on the hypothesis that an important function of the lamellate antennae of adult male beetles belonging to the genus Rhipicera is to detect scent associated with female conspecifics, and using field observations, anatomical models derived from X‐ray microcomputed tomography, and scanning electron microscopy, we have investigated the behavioral, morphological, and morphometric factors that may influence molecule capture by these antennae. We found that male beetles fly upwind in a zigzag manner, or face upwind when perching, behavior consistent with an animal that is tracking scent. Furthermore, the ultrastructure of the male and female antennae, like their gross morphology, is sexually dimorphic, with male antennae possessing many more of a particular type of receptor—the sensillum placodeum—than their female counterparts (approximately 30,000 vs. 100 per antenna, respectively). Based on this disparity, we assume that the sensilla placodea on the male antennae are responsible for detecting scent associated with female Rhipicera beetles. Molecule capture by male antennae in their alert, fanned states is likely to be favoured by: (a) male beetles adopting prominent, upright positions on high points when searching for scent; (b) the partitioning of antennae into many small segments; (c) antennal morphometry (height, width, outline area, total surface area, leakiness, and narrow channels); (d) the location of the sensilla placodea where they are most likely to encounter odorant molecules; and (e) well dispersed sensilla placodea. The molecule‐capturing ability of male Rhipicera antennae may be similar to that of the pectinate antennae of certain male moths. Anat Rec, 298:1519–1534, 2015.

Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, Volume 2

This is the second volume of Antonius van Harten’s Arthropod Fauna of the United Arab Emirates. In 2009, I wrote a very positive review of Volume I for this Journal (Barclay, 2009), and in the time it has taken me to review Volume II, Volume III has already been completed and Volume IV is in the pipeline. It seems probable that with this impressive rate of production, this series will run to many more volumes. The team’s intention is no less than to review the entire Arthropod fauna of a whole country, and in the few years that it has been running, the project has already convincingly placed the formerly little known fauna of the UAE on the international scientific map. As the project progresses, UAE will certainly become one of the best-known desert faunas anywhere in the world, and one of the few countries worldwide with a comprehensively studied and published arthropod fauna, an example to other countries. This has been achieved through the exceptional networking skills of Tony van Harten, and for Volume II, he has recruited the entomological expertise of 42 specialists (professional and amateur) from 18 countries. I use ‘entomological’ in the broad sense, because two of the 41 papers deal with arachnids (mites and pseudoscorpions) and one covers springtails, the taxonomic position of which is debated. Of the true insects, Psocoptera (one paper), Dermaptera (one paper), Coleoptera (12 papers), Hymenoptera (four papers), Lepidoptera (eight papers) and Diptera (12 papers) are dealt with. Anyone who considers the fauna of dry and arid environments to be depauperate will continue to be surprised by the results produced here; this volume alone adds 390 species to the fauna of the UAE and describes 85 taxa new to science! H. H. Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the patron and initiator of the project, expresses the hope in this volume’s preface that the series will help to reverse the decline in entomology during the last 60 years. Certainly the series has been welcomed by the scientific community worldwide; many specialists have put themselves forward to write chapters, reviews have invariably been positive, and the books were commended by E. O. Wilson, who van Harten calls ‘the dean of the world’s biodiversity workers’. The project seems to strike a note with many invertebrate biologists, possibly because in our hearts we know that, in a world of poorly known faunas and vanishing habitats, this is really what we should be doing. It is a brave, counter-cyclical statement, to produce a major series of taxonomic/faunistic works in an age that values high-impact, short-lived science. It invites comparison with the great taxonomic/faunistic projects of past centuries such as, the Biologia Centrali Americana of Godman & Salvin (1879–1915), and the continued importance and relevance of that work after more than a century testifies to the longevity of good monographic taxonomy. Furthermore, the vision of the Sheikh and his family in inviting international teams to study their country’s fauna is noteworthy. The number of new species being described here shows how much world science has still to learn about this country and its fascinating fauna. Regrettably, some politicians elsewhere seem to view biodiversity solely in terms of its, often hypothetical, cash value, and some countries have even prosecuted entomologists for doing just what the government of the UAE is reaping scientific benefits by sponsoring them to do! In terms of production, Volume II is just as well produced as Volume I, well bound on glossy paper, and extensively illustrated throughout, with line drawings, micrographs and colour photographs of both living insects and museum specimens. As in Volume I, the quality of the photos, which presumably depends on the systems used by the individual contributors, is variable. Several pictures, especially in some of the beetle groups, are rather on the dark side; on the other hand some beetle images (Meloidae, Ptinidae) are excellent, as are most of the Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera