Glaresidae

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Necrocephalus, 15.07.2008 0:45

It wasn't a very good photo, but I didn't see any photos of this type on the Internet at all...
Glaresis rufa Erichson 1848
Was caught in the light of a non-gold DRL, Belgorod region, Belgorod district, Pulyaevka village. 08.07.2008

Pictures:
picture: Glaresis_rufa.jpg
Glaresis_rufa.jpg — (145.68к)

Comments

28.02.2013 23:46, Dergg

Glaresis beckeri Solsky, 1870

Astrakhan region, 14 km. St. pos. Dosang, Tuvayak barkhana area, on light; 7.05.2012

picture: Glaresis.jpg

In general, glaresides are a very interesting (in the English - language literature - "enigmatic scarab beetles") poorly studied family of primitive lamellidae, previously united with troxae. Apparently, it is the glaresids - the most evolutionarily ancient of the currently existing groups in the Scarabaeoidea superfamily-so much so that it was even called by one of the authors "archaeopteryx of the world of scarabaeoid beetles". According to modern phylogenetic data, glaresids are a sister group to other scarabaeoids. [However, somewhere I came across the point of view that the North American family Pleocomidae is still ancient, but now I can't find a reference].

All representatives of this family (about 50) are united in one genus, distributed on all continents except Australia.

Almost nothing is known about biology, except that they live in arid (often sandy) biotopes, imagos fly to the light. Preimaginal stages and food specialization are not described; it is assumed that they feed on underground fungi.

Information taken from here: http://museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/...laresidaeO.html

This post was edited by Dergg - 01.03.2013 00: 09

Likes: 11

01.03.2013 11:31, scar

rufa and bekkeri.
The group is certainly ancient, like all these small families, but not the most ancient (Geotrupidae s.lato will probably be more ancient), and certainly not sister to the whole family. Clark's article quoted above is mainly based on the structure of the wings. It is related to the Troxae, with which it forms a monophyletic group; the only thing that prevents glaresis from being transferred back to the Troxae is the lack of information on larval stages. Feeding on underground mushrooms is also questionable, since glaresis are typical psammophiles, confined to the sands, and I am not sure about the existence of" podpesochny " mushrooms. Most likely detritus cells.

This post was edited by scar - 01.03.2013 11: 33

Pictures:
picture: 1.jpg

1.jpg — (157.7 k)

picture: glaresis_bekkeri.jpg

glaresis_bekkeri.jpg — (190.2к)

Likes: 7

01.03.2013 14:24, Dergg

rufa and bekkeri.
The group is certainly ancient, like all these small families, but not the most ancient (Geotrupidae s.lato will probably be more ancient), and certainly not sister to the whole family. Clark's article quoted above is mainly based on the structure of the wings. It is related to the Troxae, with which it forms a monophyletic group; the only thing that prevents glaresis from being transferred back to the Troxae is the lack of information on larval stages. Feeding on underground mushrooms is also questionable, since glaresis are typical psammophiles, confined to the sands, and I am not sure about the existence of" podpesochny " mushrooms. Most likely detritus cells.

Well, by the way, about eating mushrooms - in my opinion, this is not improbable. In those sandy semi-deserts in Dosang, where I caught G. beckeri, in May it was not so rare to come across fruit bodies of some fungi, and they certainly have a" podpesochny " mycelium.

And what about the antiquity and phyletic character - is there any new data? Morphological, or by molecular markers?