Ampedus

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Ampedus
Ampedus areolatus P1180798a.jpg
Ampedus areolatus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Elateridae
Subfamily: Elaterinae
Tribe: Ampedini
Genus: Ampedus
Dejean, 1833
Diversity
at least 461 species

Ampedus is a genus of click beetles in the family Elateridae. There are currently 461 recognized species of Ampedus beetles. [1] It has a cosmopolitan distribution, but is found mostly in the Holarctic region, primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia. [2] The oldest known fossil from this genus was found in Eocene Baltic amber, estimated to be from 38.0 to 33.9 million years ago. [3]

Contents

Natural history

Life cycle

Ampedus larvae burrow in rotting wood, pupating in mid-summer. The larvae feed on wood, with a preference for wood in more advanced stages of decay, and are also observed to be cannibalistic on other saproxylic larvae. They emerge as adults a few weeks later, but remain in the pupal cell through the following winter. Adult Ampedus beetles are thought to be diurnal. As adults, they are pollen-feeders, found in large numbers on flowers and vegetation. Ampedus females attract males for mating through chemical communication, using specialized pheromone glands, [4] and lay their eggs in fallen wood to develop. Life cycle duration has been estimated to range from less than one year for smaller species, to up to 4–5 years for larger ones. [5]

Habitat

Ampedus beetles are primarily found in temperate forests, with a preference for higher altitudes. They are generalists, with a single species often found in both hardwood and softwood, and on multiple different tree species. In North America, they are most commonly collected from deciduous forests in the East and from coniferous forests in the West. [5]

Description

North American species of Ampedus beetles vary in size from 3-4mm, up to 13-14mm. Their coloration is variable, even within species, but they are often bicolored. They can be identified by their complete, downturned, rounded frontal carina, and excavated prosternal sutures. Like the larvae of other Elaterids (wireworms), Ampedus larvae are elongate, hard, and subcyclindrical. The ninth abdominal segment, which varies in shape between elaterid larvae, is rounded in this genus, ending in a sharp point. Ampedus larvae have pointed nasales, featuring a single tooth. [5]

Taxonomy

The genus was originally named by the French entomologist Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean in 1833, previously Elater. [6] One taxonomic study of the genera within the tribe Ampedini, which used nuclear and mitochondrial data, found monophyly of Ampedus to be highly supported. [2] Another molecular study using DNA barcoding data found Ampedus to be paraphyletic, with the genus Reitterelator nested within it. [7] Megapenthes is the most closely related North American genus to Ampedus. [5]

Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, multiple species of European Ampedus beetles are considered endangered, mostly due to the threats posed by logging and wood harvesting to saproxylic beetles. [8] They are also negatively impacted by salvage logging, the practice of removing wind-thrown trees after storms and other natural disturbances. [9]

Species

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agrypnini</span> Tribe of beetles

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References

  1. ↑ Sarkar, Subhankar Kumar; Saha, Sumana; Raychaudhuri, Dinendra (2016). "A new Ampedus Dejean (Elateridae: Elaterinae) from Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal, India". Species. 17 (54): 1–5.
  2. 1 2 Vuataz, Laurent; Sanchez, Andreas; Wyler, Sofia; Blanc, Mickaël; Chittaro, Yannick (2019). "Diversity and relationships of Ampedini Gistel, 1848 (Coleoptera : Elateridae) in Switzerland and Europe". Invertebrate Systematics. 33 (3): 544–555. doi:10.1071/IS18055. ISSN   1445-5226. S2CID   191149317.
  3. ↑ Kundrata, Robin; Packova, Gabriela; Hoffmannova, Johana (2020-06-26). "Fossil Genera in Elateridae (Insecta, Coleoptera): A Triassic Origin and Jurassic Diversification". Insects. 11 (6): 394. doi: 10.3390/insects11060394 . ISSN   2075-4450. PMC   7348820 . PMID   32604761.
  4. ↑ Orlov, V. N. (2014). "Chemical communication of Ampedus sanguinolentus (Coleoptera, Elateridae): morphological and behavioral observations". IOBC/WPRS Bulletin 2014 Vol.99: 225–229.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ramberg, Frank Baker. 1979. A Revision of the Species of the Genus Ampedus (Coleoptera, Elateridae) of America North of Mexico. Doctoral Thesis. Cornell University
  6. ↑ Bousquet, Yves; Bouchard, Patrice (2013-04-02). "The genera in the second catalogue (1833–1836) of Dejean's Coleoptera collection". ZooKeys (282): 1–219. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.282.4401 . ISSN   1313-2970. PMC   3677338 . PMID   23794836.
  7. ↑ Oba, Yuichi; Ôhira, Hitoo; Murase, Yukio; Moriyama, Akihiko; Kumazawa, Yoshinori (2015-01-30). Mans, Ben J (ed.). "DNA Barcoding of Japanese Click Beetles (Coleoptera, Elateridae)". PLOS ONE. 10 (1): e0116612. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1016612O. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116612 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   4312051 . PMID   25636000.
  8. ↑ Nieto, Ana; Alexander, Keith N.A. (2010). "The status and conservation of saproxylic beetles in Europe". Cuadernos de Biodiversidad (33): 3–10. doi: 10.14198/cdbio.2010.33.01 . ISSN   1575-5495.
  9. ↑ Thorn, Simon; Bässler, Claus; Gottschalk, Thomas; Hothorn, Torsten; Bussler, Heinz; Raffa, Kenneth; Müller, Jörg (2014-07-22). "New Insights into the Consequences of Post-Windthrow Salvage Logging Revealed by Functional Structure of Saproxylic Beetles Assemblages". PLOS ONE. 9 (7): e101757. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...9j1757T. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101757 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   4106782 . PMID   25050914.

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