Mordellistena pallipes

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Mordellistena pallipes
Status TNC blank.svg
Unranked (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Mordellidae
Genus: Mordellistena
Species:
M. pallipes
Binomial name
Mordellistena pallipes
J.B. Smith, 1882

Mordellistena pallipes, the pale-legged tumbling flower beetle, [2] is a species of beetle from the family Mordellidae. It has an extensive distribution across the northern United States and southern Canada, with its native range stretching east-to-west from New Hampshire to Minnesota, and north-to-south from Ontario to Virginia.

Contents

Taxonomy

Mordellistena pallipes was first described by American entomologist John Bernhardt Smith in 1882, [3] based on a specimen collected in Ithaca, New York. [4] The holotype specimen is held in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's entomology collection. [5]

It has been suggested that Mordellistena pallipes and its congener Mordellistena pratensis , which is known from South Carolina and Florida, may represent geographically separated forms of the same species. If they were to be formally merged into one species, Mordellistena pallipes would hold precedence as the valid name. [3]

Description

Mordellistena pallipes is a small, darkly-colored beetle measuring 2.5–3.2 mm (0.10–0.13 in) in length from its head to the tip of its elytra. Its leg ridge formula has been variably listed as either 2-3-1 or 2(3)-3-1, either of which allow it to be distinguished from its close relative Mordellistena pratensis , which has a leg ridge formula of 2-2-2. Its common name, the "pale-legged tumbling flower beetle," is derived from its pale-colored legs, which were declared to be a diagnostic characteristic of the species in Smith's original description. [3] However, later research conducted by Emil Liljeblad in 1945 determined that the middle and posterior legs are often significantly darker or even black in coloration. [6]

J.B. Smith's original description of the species is as follows: "All the legs pale testaceous—an unusual character in the genus—this point and the darker margins of elytra render the species easily recognizable. The rudiment of the third ridge is very short, having but two or three spinules but the pale color of the legs renders it easily noted, as the spinules are black. One specimen, Ithaca, N. Y.; my collection." [4]

Distribution and range

Mordellistena pallipes is native to the northeastern United States [3] and southern Canada. [1] It has been recorded in the U.S. states of Minnesota, [7] Michigan (Grand Ledge), [6] [7] New Hampshire (Tamworth), [6] [7] Massachusetts (Framingham, Natick), [6] [7] New York, Maryland (Edgewater), [8] and Virginia (Dyke Marsh), [3] and the Canadian provinces of Ontario, [1] Manitoba (Aweme), [7] [9] and Saskatchewan. [1]

Conservation status

The conservation status of this species is not well-documented, likely due to its rarity in nature. [6] It has not been evaluated by the IUCN Red List, and is unranked by NatureServe. [1] It is known to occur in several protected areas, including the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve in Virginia [3] and Criddle/Vane Homestead Provincial Park in Manitoba. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beetle</span> Order of insects

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. Some others also have unique characteristics, such as the common eastern firefly, which uses a light-emitting organ for mating and communication purposes

<i>Parcoblatta fulvescens</i> Species of cockroach

Parcoblatta fulvescens, the fulvous wood cockroach, is a species of cockroach endemic to the United States and possibly Canada that measures around 13 mm (0.5 in) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mordellidae</span> Family of beetles

The Mordellidae are a family of beetles commonly known as tumbling flower beetles for the typical irregular movements they make when escaping predators, or as pintail beetles due to their abdominal tip which aids them in performing these tumbling movements. Worldwide, there are about 1500 species.

Mordellina is a genus of tumbling flower beetles in the family Mordellidae.

<i>Mordellistena</i> Genus of beetles

Mordellistena is a genus of beetles in the family Mordellidae, containing the following species:

Pseudotolida is a genus of tumbling flower beetles in the family Mordellidae. There are at least 20 described species in Pseudotolida.

Mordellistena goetzi is a species of beetle belonging to the family Mordellidae, which is commonly known as tumbling flower beetles. These beetles are small in size, typically measuring between 2 and 6 millimeters in length, and are characterized by their narrow and elongated bodies.

<i>Mordellistena subfuscus</i> Species of beetle

Mordellistena subfuscus is a species of beetle in the genus Mordellistena of the family Mordellidae. It was described by Liljeblad in 1945.

Mordellistena syntaenia is a species of beetle in the genus Mordellistena of the family Mordellidae. It was described by Liljeblad in 1921.

Mordellistena tantula is a species of beetle in the genus Mordellistena of the family Mordellidae. It was described by Liljeblad in 1945.

Mordellistena vera is a species of beetle in the genus Mordellistena of the family Mordellidae. It was described by Liljeblad in 1917.

Mordellistena viridescens is a species of beetle in the genus Mordellistena of the family Mordellidae. It was described by Liljeblad in 1945.

Mordellistena wenzeli is a species of beetle in the genus Mordellistena of the family Mordellidae. It was described by Liljeblad in 1945.

Mordellistena wickhami is a species of beetle in the genus Mordellistena of the family Mordellidae. It was described by Liljeblad in 1945.

Mordellistena wolcotti is a species of beetle in the genus Mordellistena of the family Mordellidae. It was described by Liljeblad in 1917.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mordellinae</span> Subfamily of beetles

Mordellinae is a subfamily of beetles commonly known as tumbling flower beetles for the typical irregular movements they make when escaping predators, or as pintail beetles due to their abdominal tip which aids them in performing these tumbling movements.

<i>Cassida viridis</i> Species of beetle

Cassida viridis, common name green tortoise beetle, is a species of beetle in the leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae).

Psylliodes luridipennis, commonly known as the Lundy cabbage flea beetle or the bronze Lundy cabbage flea beetle, is a species of flea beetle endemic to the island of Lundy, where it lives and feeds upon the endemic Lundy cabbage. Along with the true weevil Ceutorhynchus contractus var. pallipes and an undescribed race of flea beetle Psylliodes napi, it is known only from the Lundy cabbage. The species was first recorded by Thomas Vernon Wollaston in the 1840s, and was named by the Austrian entomologist Franz Kutschera in 1864.

<i>Horelophus walkeri</i> Species of beetle

Horelophus walkeri is a small water scavenger beetle that is endemic to New Zealand. It is found in the South Island in the West Coast, Nelson, Buller and Marlborough regions. The preferred habitat of this species are the moss and crevices within the splash zone of waterfalls sourced from fast flowing, clear, cool waterways. The larvae of this species are carnivorous while the adults are herbivores or scavengers. In 2012 the Department of Conservation classified this beetle as Nationally Endangered.

<i>Liothorax kraatzi</i> Species of beetle

Liothorax kraatzi is a species of dung beetle with a widespread distribution from Southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, to Caucasus, and Central Asia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mordellistena pallipes". NatureServe Explorer. 3 May 2024. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Canada General Status Common Names Working Group (April 2022) [2021]. "Standardized Common Names for Wild Species in Canada". Wild Species. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Steury, Brent W. & Steiner, Jr., Warren E. (September 2021). "The Tumbling Flower Beetles (Coleoptera: Mordellidae) of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, Virginia, USA" (PDF). The Maryland Entomologist. 8 (1): 77–78. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 Smith, John Bernhardt (1882). "A synopsis of the Mordellidae of the United States". Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 10 (1): 92. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  5. ↑ "Mordellistena pallipes Smith, 1882: Mordellidae : Coleoptera : Insecta : Arthropoda". Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution. September 2012 [3 October 1948]. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Liljeblad, Emil (24 December 1945). "Monograph of the Family Mordellidae (Coleoptera) of North America, North of Mexico". Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (62): 99–101. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mordellidae Species List at Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog". Texas A&M University. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  8. ↑ Staines, Charles L. & Staines, Susan L. (17 November 2023) [20 October 2023]. Frederickson, Todd (ed.). "The Coleoptera of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. 2023 Supplement" (PDF). Banisteria. 56. Virginia Natural History Society: 116. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024. Mordellistena pallipes Smith has an unknown biology. The single SERC specimen was taken in a flight intercept trap at Fox Point from 10-22 July 2023. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  9. 1 2 Criddle, Norman (1922). "The Entomological Record, 1920". Annual Report - Entomological Society of Ontario. Toronto: Ontario Department of Agriculture and Food.
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