British Insects: the Families of Coleoptera
British Insects: the Families of Coleoptera |
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~Scarabeidae-Aphodiinae.
General appearance. 2.6–20 mm long. Elytral length/pronotal length 1.79–2.55. Base of prothorax not or scarcely narrower than the combined elytral bases. Greatest prothoracic width not narrower or only slightly narrower than the greatest elytral width. Beetles oval to elongate-oval; dorsally more or less convex to dorsally strongly convex; not necked; somewhat waisted to conspicuously waisted. Upper surfaces of body glabrous or subglabrous, or non-glabrous; not bristly; exhibiting scales or scale-like setae, or with neither scales nor scale-like setae.
Detailed morphology. Inclination of the head slight to strong. Eyes not strongly protuberant; without bristles; finely facetted. Antennae very short to short; strongly asymmetric; conspicuously elbowed, or not elbowed; 9 segmented. Antennal scape not swollen. Antennae clubbed. Antennal clubs lamellate; 3–7 segmented. Antennal insertions hidden from above. Mandibular prosthecae well developed.
Pronotal length/maximum pronotal width 0.55–0.85. Prothorax without notopleural sutures. Metaventrite without a transverse groove. The tarsi without bilobed segments; without ‘hidden’ segments. Mid-leg tarsi 5-segmented; pentamerous. Claws of the mid-leg tarsi not appendaged. Front tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 5-segmented. Hind tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 5-segmented. Tarsal claws simple; with an empodium between them (but this with no more than two setae). Elytral length/maximum width across the elytra 1.13–1.64. Elytra exposing no more than part of the terminal tergite; glossy. Scutellary striole absent. Wings well developed.
Visible abdominal sternites 6; immovably joined 5–6. Abdominal segment 8 apparently without functional spiracles.
Habitat, ecology. In living vegetation, or in decaying plant material, or associated with dung.
Larvae. Larvae on living vegetation, or in decaying plant material, or in dung.
Classification. Suborder Polyphaga; Superfamily Scarabaeoidea.
British representation. Genera 8; 50 species. E.g., Aphodius distinctus; Psammobius asper (Channel-necked Psammodius).
Illustrations. • Psammobius asper (Channel-necked Psammobius: B. Ent. 258). • Psammobius asper (details, B. Ent. 258). • Psammobius asper: B. Ent. 258, legend+text. • Aphodius distinctus (Rye & Fowler VIII3).
To view the illustrations with detailed captions, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Coleoptera. Version: 9th June 2008. http://delta-intkey.com’.
