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May 15-th, 2001.- The Conference in Ecuador
( 5-9 March 2001, Quito, Ecuador).
A report of Claudia Medina.
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- May 15-th, 2001.
- The V Latin-American-Scarabaeodeology Meeting (5-9 March 2001,
Quito, Ecuador)
Variacion Morfologica Comparativa del Genero Canthon Hoffmansegg
(Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) y Generos Relacionados.
Claudia A.Medina (1), Clarke H. Scholtz (1) &
Bruce D. Gill (2) 1. Department of Zoology & Entomology, University
of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, Republic of South Africa. E-mail: cmedina@zoology.up.ac.za,
chscholtz@zoology.up.ac.za
2. Centre for Plant Quarantine Pests, Rm. 4125 - 960 Carling Avenue,
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0C6. E-mail: gillbd@EM.AGR.CA.
Se examino la variacion morfologica en 59 especies
de Canthon y 18 especies de otros generos de la tribu Canthonini
(Anisocanthon, Canthonella, Cryptocanthon, Deltochilum,
Hansreia, Holocanthon, Malagoniella, Melanocanthon,
Scybalocanthon, Sylvicanthon). Se describe la variacion
morfologica en estructuras de la cabeza tales como: clipeo, ojos,
labio, gula y epifaringe. Del torax se examino la variacion del borde
lateral del pronoto y se examinaron el proesterno, las tibias anteriores
y medias. Se examinaron ademas los elitros, el pigidio y la genitalia
del macho, incluyendo el saco interno del edeago. Los caracteres sexuales
secundarios (forma de la espina de la tibia anterior y forma del ultimo
segmento abdominal) fueron revisados. En la revision de caracteres
se incluyeron los caracteres diagnosticos del genero, mostrando su
variacion dentro y fuera de Canthon. Los caracteres diagnosticos
de Canthon no se presentaron de manera consistente en las especies
examinadas, mientras que especies de Canthon comparten muchas
caracteristicas morfologicas con otros generos de la tribu Canthonini,
principalmente con Anisocanthon, Hansreia, Melanocanthon,
Scybalocanthon, y Sylvicanthon. En general estos generos
forman un grupos muy heterogeneos de especies sin limites precisos,
basados en combinaciones de caracteres, y son posiblemente grupos
artificiales de especies. Los caracteres morfologicos tradicionalmente
usados en la taxonomia de los Canthonini americanos, al parecer no
son utiles para la sistematica de estos grupos, ya que no son consistentes
dentro de los grupos y no son informativos. Estructuras como el saco
interno del edeago y la epifaringe mostraron caracteres que se presentaron
de manera mas consistente dentro de los diferentes generos de Canthonini
estudiados. Se describen de manera detallad a diferentes tipos de
escleritos presentes en el saco interno del edeago de especies de
Canthon y se comparan con especies de otros generos de Canthonini.
Estas estructuras son importantes fuentes de caracteres, posiblemente
utiles en un analisis filogenetico de estos grupos.
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- May 05-th, 2001.
- New book:
Martín-Piera F. and López-Colón J.I. 2000 Coleoptera:
Scarabaeoidea 1. In: Fauna Ib érica, vol. 14. Ramos M.A. et al.
(Eds.). Museo National de Ciencias Naturales. CSOC. Madrid. 526 pp.,
7 plates.
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- May 05-th, 2001.
- The following conference is expected soon:
13-th Congress of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa,
July 2-6, 2001.
University of Natal at Pietermaritzburg, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Here are abstracts of our presentations:
- Shaun A. Forgie and Clarke H. Scholtz: Sceliages Westwood (Coleoptera:
Scarabaeidae): The millipede undertakers. Abstract.
- Shaun A. Forgie, Paulette Bloomer, and Clarke H. Scholtz: Phylogeny
of the Scarabaeini (Scarabaeidae:Scarabaeinae): combining genes and
morphology. Abstract.
- Claudia A. Medina, Clarke H. Scholtz, and Bruce D. Gill. Phylogenetic
relationships of the American Canthonini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).
Abstract.
- Vasily V. Grebennikov. Larvae of Coleoptera: emphasis on chaetotaxy.
Abstract.
- Claudia A.Medina, Clarke H. Scholtz, and Bruce D. Gill: Variacion
Morfologica Comparativa del Genero Canthon Hoffmansegg (Coleoptera:
Scarabaeinae) y Generos Relacionados. Abstract.
- Adrian L.V. Davis. Dung beetle diversity in South Africa. Abstract.
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- January 14-th, 2001.
- Claudia Medina, Shaun Forgie and Vasily Grebennikov came back to
Pretoria after two days in Rustenburg Nature Reserve. This time they
got seven (!) brood balls of Sceliages from three burrows. The
technique to get the balls was the same like before: during previous
trip adults with millipedes were released and their burrows marked;
one couple of adults was put in a container submerged in the soil. At
least two brood balls were partly eaten from outside; might be by the
adults. In about a week the balls would be opened and, likely, more
larvae obtained (they could be heard moving inside the balls). An attempt
to collect more Sceliages adults failed; three last weeks the
Reserve got no rains and all insect life had been reduced to minimum.
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- January 07-th, 2001.
- Peter Holter (Denmark) and Stan Caveney (Canada) came to Pretoria
to do experiments on feeding biology of adult scarabaeid dung beetles.
Together with Clarke Scholtz and Vasily Grebennikov they are leaving
tomorrow for about ten days to Kruger National Park to do field work.
The project Clarke and our guests work on is the study the size of particles
ingested by adult dung beetles in relation to taxon, body size and dung
preference.
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- January 04-th, 2001.
- Claudia Medina, Peter Holter, Clarke Scholtz and Vasily Grebennikov
went for a day to so-called Alexander's farm (about 160 km north from
Pretoria, S 24* 31'; E 28* 45') and dug successfully up 24 Heliocopris
for Peter's feeding experiments with dung beetles. The same day three
Glaresis adults were collected on back light with an optimistic hope
to get larvae from this mysterious genus (forming, as we believe, a
family by its own and making a sister-group to the rest of Scarabaeiodea).
A week ago ten more Glaresis adults were taken from the same place and
now we have 13 beetles in four Petri-dishes full with fine sterile send
(to avoid contamination with other possible larvae, particularly Aphodius).
Seven rhinoceroses were observer during this day.
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