| Hoplopyga brasiliensis | |
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| Hoplopyga brasiliensis. Mounted specimen. | |
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| Species: | H. brasiliensis |
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| Hoplopyga brasiliensis | |
Hoplopyga brasiliensis is a species of beetles of the family Scarabaeidae. [1]
Hoplopyga brasiliensis can reach a length of about 20–36 millimetres (0.79–1.42 in). [2]
Larvae of this species are termitophilous, living in the nests of Cornitermes cumulans and Diversitermes diversimiles ( Termitidae ). [3] They construct pupal chambers with the decaying wood as well as a significant layer of their own feces where they develop. [2] The feces contains cuticular hydrocarbons that the specific termite hosts use to identify one another, suggesting that this element of chamber construction plays a role in protecting the h. brasiliensis larvae from termite patrols. [4]
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera, in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described insects and 25% of all known animal species; new species are discovered frequently, with estimates suggesting that there are between 0.9 and 2.1 million total species. Found in almost every habitat except the sea and the polar regions, they interact with their ecosystems in several ways: beetles often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are serious agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, while others such as Coccinellidae eat aphids, scale insects, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects that damage crops.
The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 35,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change in recent years. Several subfamilies have been elevated to family rank, and some reduced to lower ranks. The subfamilies listed in this article are in accordance with those in Catalog of Life (2023).
The Japanese beetle is a species of scarab beetle. The adult measures 15 mm (0.6 in) in length and 10 mm (0.4 in) in width, has iridescent copper-colored elytra, and a green thorax and head. Due to natural predators, the Japanese beetle is not considered a pest in Japan, but in North America and some regions of Europe, it is a noted pest to roughly 300 species of plants. Some of these plants include rose bushes, grapes, hops, canna, crape myrtles, birch trees, linden trees, and others.
Trogidae, sometimes called hide beetles, is a family of beetles with a distinctive warty or bumpy appearance. Found worldwide, the family includes about 300 species contained in four or five genera.
The Hercules beetle is a species of rhinoceros beetle native to the rainforests of southern Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Lesser Antilles. It is the longest extant species of beetle in the world, and is also one of the largest flying insects in the world.
In zoology, an inquiline is an animal that lives commensally in the nest, burrow, or dwelling place of an animal of another species. For example, some organisms, such as insects, may live in the homes of gophers or the garages of humans and feed on debris, fungi, roots, etc. The most widely distributed types of inquiline are those found in association with the nests of social insects, especially ants and termites – a single colony may support dozens of different inquiline species. The distinctions between parasites, social parasites, and inquilines are subtle, and many species may fulfill the criteria for more than one of these, as inquilines do exhibit many of the same characteristics as parasites. However, parasites are specifically not inquilines, because by definition they have a deleterious effect on the host species, while inquilines have not been confirmed to do so.
Euphoria is a genus of scarab beetles in the subfamily Cetoniinae, the flower or fruit chafers. They are native to the Americas, where they are distributed from Canada to Argentina. They are most diverse in Mexico and Central America. As of 2012, there are 59 species in the genus.
Flower chafers are a group of scarab beetles comprising the subfamily Cetoniinae. Many species are diurnal and visit flowers for pollen and nectar, or to browse on the petals. Some species also feed on fruit. The group is also called fruit and flower chafers, flower beetles and flower scarabs. There are around 4,000 species, many of them still undescribed.
Melolonthinae is a subfamily of the scarab beetles. It is a very diverse group; distributed over most of the world, it contains over 11,000 species in over 750 genera. Some authors include the scarab subfamilies Euchirinae and Pachypodinae as tribes in the Melolonthinae.
The minute tree-fungus beetles, family Ciidae, are a sizeable group of beetles which inhabit Polyporales bracket fungi or coarse woody debris. Most numerous in warmer regions, they are nonetheless widespread and a considerable number of species occur as far polewards as Scandinavia for example.
Capillaria hepatica is a parasitic nematode which causes hepatic capillariasis in rodents and numerous other mammal species, including humans. The life cycle of C. hepatica may be completed in a single host species. However, the eggs, which are laid in the liver, must mature outside of the host body prior to infecting a new host. So the death of the host in which the adults reach sexual maturity, either by being eaten or dying and decomposing, is necessary for completion of the life cycle.
Cassida is a large Old World genus of tortoise beetles in the subfamily Cassidinae. The natural history of Cassida sphaerula in South Africa is a typical life cycle. Several species of Cassida are important agricultural pests, in particular C. vittata and C. nebulosa on sugar beet and spinach. The thistle tortoise beetle has been used as a biological control agent against Canada thistle.
Brachypsectra fulva is a species of beetle in the Brachypsectridae family commonly known as the Texas beetle.
Cyclocephala is a genus of scarab beetles from the subfamily Dynastinae. Beetles of this genus occur from southeastern Canada to Argentina, India and the West Indies.
Argyripa lansbergei is a species of flower chafer belonging to the family scarab beetles.
Cyclocephala nodanotherwon is a species of rhinoceros beetle in the scarab family. It has only been found in Amazonas, Brazil. Brett C. Ratcliffe described and named the species in 1992.
Gymnetina is a genus of fruit and flower chafers in the family of beetles known as Scarabaeidae. There are about six described species in Gymnetina.
Sporothrix brasiliensis is a fungus that is commonly found in soil. It is an emerging fungal pathogen that is causing disease in humans and cats mainly in Brazil and other countries in South America.
Odontorrhina is a genus of flower chafer beetles comprising four species and two subspecies. The bodies of all species are heavily covered with small bristles (setae), and they are believed to be most closely related to the genus Trichostetha. Members of the genus have been recorded exclusively from the South African provinces of the Northern and Western Cape, aside from one unconfirmed record from southern Namibia. They are endemic to the Fynbos and Succulent Karoo regions.
Cis occamy is a species of minute tree-fungus beetle in the family Ciidae. It is found in Brazil.
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