| Tetragonoschema | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Superfamily: | Buprestoidea |
| Family: | Buprestidae |
| Genus: | Tetragonoschema Thomson, 1857 |
Tetragonoschema is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, the jewel beetles. There are 17 species in the genus, which is distributed throughout the Americas from Mexico to Patagonia. [1]
Beetles are a group of insects that form the order Coleoptera, in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described insects and 25% of all known animal life-forms; new species are discovered frequently. The largest of all families, the Curculionidae (weevils) with some 70,000 member species, belongs to this order. 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.
Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheaded borers. The family is among the largest of the beetles, with some 15,500 species known in 775 genera. In addition, almost 100 fossil species have been described.
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost 2,000,000 square kilometres (770,000 sq mi), the nation is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the 13th largest independent state in the world. With an estimated population of over 120 million people, the country is the eleventh most populous state and the most populous Spanish-speaking state in the world, while being the second most populous nation in Latin America after Brazil. Mexico is a federation comprising 31 states and Mexico City, a special federal entity that is also the capital city and its most populous city. Other metropolises in the state include Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana and León.
Species include: [2]
- Tetragonoschema aeneum Kerremans, 1899
- Tetragonoschema albopilosum Hoscheck, 1931
- Tetragonoschema alvarengai Cobos, 1972
- Tetragonoschema argentiniense (Obenberger, 1915)
- Tetragonoschema brasiliae Obenberger, 1922
- Tetragonoschema brasiliense (Kerremans, 1897)
- Tetragonoschema caerulans Théry, 1944
- Tetragonoschema crassum Théry, 1944
- Tetragonoschema cupreocingulatum Hoscheck, 1931
- Tetragonoschema darlingtoni Théry, 1944
- Tetragonoschema fallaciosum Théry, 1944
- Tetragonoschema fossicolle Kerremans, 1900
- Tetragonoschema grouvellei Théry, 1944
- Tetragonoschema humerale Waterhouse, 1882
- Tetragonoschema latum Théry, 1944
- Tetragonoschema medium Obenberger, 1922
- Tetragonoschema missionarium Obenberger, 1947
- Tetragonoschema nanum Obenberger, 1922
- Tetragonoschema opacicolle Théry, 1944
- Tetragonoschema patagonicum Obenberger, 1922
- Tetragonoschema pujoli Théry, 1944
- Tetragonoschema purpurascens Kerremans, 1897
- Tetragonoschema pygmaeum Théry, 1944
- Tetragonoschema quadratum (Buquet, 1841)
- Tetragonoschema rubromarginatum Théry, 1944
- Tetragonoschema santafeanum Obenberger, 1947
- Tetragonoschema strandi Obenberger, 1924
- Tetragonoschema sulci Obenberger, 1932
- Tetragonoschema tigrense Obenberger, 1947
- Tetragonoschema torresi Cobos, 1959
- Tetragonoschema trinidadense Bellamy, 1991
- Tetragonoschema tucumanum Cobos, 1949
- Tetragonoschema undatum (Steinheil, 1874)
- Tetragonoschema vianai Obenberger, 1947
- Tetragonoschema vicinum Théry, 1944
