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A taxonomic revision of Hypogena(Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and a review of antennal sensory structures in Tenebrionidae

Thomas, Beauchamp Alexander (2018) A taxonomic revision of Hypogena(Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and a review of antennal sensory structures in Tenebrionidae. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Tenebrionidae is a diverse, worldwide family of beetles comprising approximately 20,000 species in 2,300 genera (Bousquet et al., 2018). Hypogena Dejean 1831 is a genus of 13 species of subcortical, horned beetles in the family. This genus is primarily identified using male specific characters like the presence of cephalic horns and aedeagal structures. Hypogena is currently placed within the tribe Triboliini, but recent phylogenetic work indicates that the current generic composition of Triboliini is paraphyletic. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is used to identify cryptic characters in Hypogena that separate it from other Triboliini genera. Additionally, four new species of Hypogena are described here. Within Tenebrionidae, as with most other insects, antennae are important chemoreceptors and are putatively under a significant amount of selection pressure. In the present study, scanning electron microscopy was used to examine stellate sensoria within the family. The presence of stellate sensoria is a highly conserved trait within Tenebrionidae. Sensoria types are mapped onto a recent phylogeny of Tenebrionidae to identify patterns in sensoria evolution and classify the patterns into distinct character states. Results indicate that stellate sensoria, presence and type, are useful for delimiting higher level taxa within Tenebrionidae. Finally, this study outlines a relatively low cost method of antenna specimen preparation for examination with a scanning electron microscope. This will allow future researchers to examine stellate sensoria in other groups of Tenebrionidae to further test hypotheses presented here.

Item Type: Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement: © Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords: Darkling Beetles; Horns; New Species; Subcortical; Taxonomic Key; Tropical Biodiversity
Subjects: Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status: Student
Department/Unit: Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations
College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences > Biological Sciences
Date Deposited: 26 Sep 2018 17:14
URI: http://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5294

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