Spercheus

Genus of beetles

For the Greek river, see Spercheios.

Spercheus

Dorsal view of S. senegalensis
Profile view of S. senegalensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Arthropoda
Class:  | Insecta
Order:  | Coleoptera
Suborder:  | Polyphaga
Infraorder:  | Staphyliniformia
Superfamily:  | Hydrophiloidea
Family:  | Spercheidae
Erichson, 1837
Genus:  | Spercheus
Kugelann, 1798

Spercheus is a genus of aquatic beetles which are placed in a family of their own, Spercheidae within the Hydrophiloidea. About 20 species are known from around the world except the Nearctic[1] with the majority being from the Oriental and Afrotropical Realms.

Larva of Spercheus emarginatus

All life stages are found in shallow still water with rich vegetation, which in some species includes temporary saline pools.[2] Adults and larvae live attached to pieces of vegetation or debris, and also walk on the underside of the water surface. Air is held in a bubble on the underside of the body. The larvae feed on grazed detritus as well as drifting algae, dead organisms, and other organic refuse. The adults live as filter feeders on floating debris like decaying plant material and other decomposing organic remains.[1] The adult females build a silken-egg case which they attach to their mid-tibiae and held by the hind legs, carried below the abdomen.[3] These beetles were formerly placed in the family Hydrophilidae but are distinctive.[4]

The front of the head is notched and the 7–9 segmented antenna has the terminal 3–4 segments club like and an enlarged fourth segment. The elytra are very convex and one or two abdominal segments may extend beyond the apex. They have 5 tarsal segments on all legs.[5][1]

Possible fossils of Spercheus have been described from the Eocene aged Bembridge Marls of the Isle of Wight, England.[1] The extinct genus Prospercheus from the Late Jurassic of Shar-Teg, Mongolia, has also been considered a close relative of Spercheus, and also placed in Spercheidae.[6][7]

## Species

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* Spercheus belli Champion, 1919
* Spercheus burgeoni Orchymont, 1929
* Spercheus cerisyi Guérin Méneville, 1842
* Spercheus crenulatus Fairmaire, 1893
* Spercheus emarginatus (Schaller, 1783)
* Spercheus fimbriicollis Bruch, 1915
* Spercheus gerardi Orchymont, 1929
* Spercheus halophilus Archangelsky, 2001
* Spercheus hanseni Hebauer, 1990
* Spercheus hovanus Fairmaire, 1903
* Spercheus humeralis Régimbart, 1906
* Spercheus platycephalus MacLeay, 1825
* Spercheus senegalensis Castelnau, 1832
* Spercheus siamensis Hebauer, 1990
* Spercheus spangleri Hebauer, 1990
* Spercheus stangli Schwarz & Barber, 1918
* Spercheus stasimus Orchymont, 1937
* Spercheus wattsi Hebauer, 1999

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Slipinski, Adam; Lawrence, John, eds. (2019). "19. Spercheidae Erichson, 1837". Australian Beetles Volume 2: Archostemata, Myxophaga, Adephaga, Polyphaga (part). CSIRO.
2. ^ "12. Hydrophiloidea Latreille, 1802". Volume 1 Coleoptera, Beetles. Morphology and Systematics, edited by Rolf G. Beutel and Richard A.B. Leschen, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2016, pp. 231–272.
3. ^ Archangelsky, Miguel (2001). "A new Neotropical species of Spercheus Kugelann, and its larval stages (Coleoptera, Hydrophiloidea: Spercheidae)". Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment. 36 (3): 199–204\. doi:10.1076/snfe.36.3.199.2128. hdl:11336/97451. S2CID 84693791.
4. ^ Archangelsky, Miguel (1998). "Phylogeny of Hydrophiloidea (Coleoptera: Staphyliniformia) using characters from adult and preimaginal stages". Systematic Entomology. 23: 9–24\. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3113.1998.00039.x. S2CID 83521707.
5. ^ Short, A. E. Z.; Fikáček (2013). "Molecular phylogeny, evolution and classification of the Hydrophilidae (Coleoptera)". Systematic Entomology. 38 (4): 723–752\. doi:10.1111/syen.12024. S2CID 83050858.
6. ^ Toussaint, Emmanuel F. A.; Seidel, Matthias; Arriaga-Varela, Emmanuel; Hájek, Jiří; Král, David; Sekerka, Lukaš; Short, Andrew E. Z.; Fikáček, Martin (January 2017). "The peril of dating beetles". Systematic Entomology. 42 (1): 1–10\. doi:10.1111/syen.12198. ISSN 0307-6970.
7. ^ Prokin, A. A. (October 2009). "New water scavenger beetles (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) from the mesozoic of Mongolia". Paleontological Journal. 43 (6): 660–663\. doi:10.1134/S0031030109060094. ISSN 0031-0301. S2CID 129299140.

## External links

[edit]

* Australian Freshwater Invertebrates
* Tree of Life

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Extant Coleoptera families

* Kingdom: Animalia
* Phylum: Arthropoda
* Class: Insecta
* Subclass: Pterygota
* Infraclass: Neoptera
* Superorder: Holometabola

Suborder Archostemata

* Crowsoniellidae (Crowsoniella relicta)
* Cupedidae (reticulated beetles)
* Jurodidae (Sikhotealinia zhiltzovae)
* Micromalthidae
* Ommatidae

Suborder Adephaga

| Extant families|

* Amphizoidae (trout-stream beetles)
* Aspidytidae
* Carabidae (ground beetles)
* Cicindelidae (tiger beetles)
* Dytiscidae (predaceous diving beetles)
* Gyrinidae (whirligig beetles)
* Haliplidae (crawling water beetles)
* Hygrobiidae
* Meruidae (Meru phyllisae)
* Noteridae (burrowing water beetles)
* Trachypachidae (false ground beetles)

|

Suborder Myxophaga

* Hydroscaphidae (skiff beetles)
* Lepiceridae
* Sphaeriusidae
* Torridincolidae

Suborder Polyphaga

| Bostrichiformia|

| Bostrichoidea|

* Bostrichidae (auger beetles)
* Dermestidae (skin beetles)
* Endecatomidae
* Jacobsoniidae (Jacobson's beetles)
* Nosodendridae (wounded-tree beetles)
* Ptiniidae (furniture beetles, death watch beetles, spider beetles)

|

Derodontoidea|

* Derodontidae (tooth-necked fungus beetles)

Cucujiformia|

| Chrysomeloidea|

* Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles)
* Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles)
* Disteniidae
* Megalopodidae
* Orsodacnidae
* Oxypeltidae
* Vesperidae

|

Cleroidea|

* Acanthocnemidae (Acanthocnemus nigricans)
* Biphyllidae (false skin beetles)
* Byturidae (fruitworm beetles)
* Chaetosomatidae
* Cleridae (checkered beetles)
* Lophocateridae
* Mauroniscidae
* Melyridae (soft-wing flower beetles)
* Metaxinidae (Metaxina ornata)
* Peltidae
* Phloiophilidae (Phloiophilus edwardsi)
* Phycosecidae
* Prionoceridae
* Protopeltidae
* Rentoniidae
* Rhadalidae
* Thanerocleridae
* Thymalidae
* Trogossitidae (bark-gnawing beetles)

Coccinelloidea|

* Akalyptoischiidae
* Alexiidae
* Anamorphidae
* Bothrideridae (dry bark beetles)
* Cerylonidae (minute bark beetles)
* Coccinellidae (lady beetles, or God's cows)
* Corylophidae (minute fungus beetles)
* Discolomatidae
* Endomychidae (handsome fungus beetles)
* Eupsilobiidae
* Euxestidae (well polished beetles)
* Latridiidae (minute brown scavenger beetles)
* Murmidiidae
* Mycetaeidae
* Teredidae

Cucujoidea|

* Agapythidae (Agapytho foveicollis)
* Boganiidae
* Cavognathidae
* Cryptophagidae (silken fungus beetles)
* Cucujidae (flat bark beetles)
* Cybocephalidae
* Cyclaxyridae
* Erotylidae (pleasing fungus beetles)
* Helotidae
* Hobartiidae
* Kateretidae (short-winged flower beetles)
* Laemophloeidae (lined flat bark beetles)
* Lamingtoniidae (Lamingtonium binnaberrense)
* Monotomidae (root-eating beetles)
* Myraboliidae
* Nitidulidae (sap beetles)
* Passandridae (parasitic flat bark beetles)
* Phalacridae (shining flower beetles)
* Phloeostichidae
* Priasilphidae
* Propalticidae
* Protocucujidae
* Silvanidae (silvanid flat bark beetles)
* Smicripidae (palmetto beetles)
* Sphindidae (dry-fungus beetles)
* Tasmosalpingidae

Curculionoidea
(weevils)|

* Anthribidae (fungus weevils)
* Attelabidae (leaf-rolling weevils)
* Belidae (primitive weevils)
* Brentidae (straight snout weevils, New York weevil)
* Caridae
* Curculionidae (true weevils, bark beetles, ambrosia beetles)
* Nemonychidae (pine flower weevils)

Lymexyloidea|

* Lymexylidae (ship-timber beetles)

Tenebrionoidea|

* Aderidae (ant-like leaf beetles)
* Anthicidae (ant-like flower beetles)
* Archeocrypticidae (cryptic fungus beetles)
* Boridae (conifer bark beetles)
* Chalcodryidae
* Ciidae (minute tree-fungus beetles)
* Melandryidae (false darkling beetles)
* Meloidae (blister beetles)
* Mordellidae (tumbling flower beetles)
* Mycetophagidae (hairy fungus beetles)
* Mycteridae (palm and flower beetles)
* Oedemeridae (false blister beetle)
* Perimylopidae, or Promecheilidae
* Prostomidae (jugular-horned beetles)
* Pterogeniidae
* Pyrochroidae (fire-coloured beetles)
* Pythidae (dead log bark beetles)
* Ripiphoridae (wedge-shaped beetles)
* Salpingidae (narrow-waisted bark beetles)
* Scraptiidae (false flower beetles)
* Stenotrachelidae (false longhorn beetles)
* Synchroidae (synchroa bark beetles)
* Tenebrionidae (darkling beetles)
* Tetratomidae (polypore fungus beetles)
* Trictenotomidae
* Ulodidae
* Zopheridae (ironclad beetles, cylindrical bark beetles)

Elateriformia|

| Buprestoidea|

* Buprestidae (jewel beetles, or metallic wood-boring beetles)
* Schizopodidae

|

Byrrhoidea|

* Byrrhidae (pill beetles)
* Callirhipidae (cedar beetles)
* Chelonariidae (turtle beetles)
* Cneoglossidae
* Dryopidae (long-toed water beetles)
* Elmidae (riffle beetles)
* Eulichadidae (forest stream beetles)
* Heteroceridae (variegated mud-loving beetles)
* Limnichidae (minute mud beetles)
* Lutrochidae (travertine beetles)
* Psephenidae (water-penny beetles)
* Ptilodactylidae

Dascilloidea|

* Dascillidae (soft bodied plant beetles)
* Rhipiceridae (cicada beetle, cicada parasite beetles)

Elateroidea|

* Artematopodidae (soft-bodied plant beetles)
* Brachypsectridae (Texas beetles)
* Cantharidae (soldier beetles)
* Cerophytidae (rare click beetles)
* Elateridae (click beetles)
* Eucnemidae (false click beetles)
* Jurasaidae
* Lampyridae (fireflies)
* Lycidae (net-winged beetles)
* Omethidae (false fireflies, long-lipped beetles)
* Phengodidae (glowworm beetles)
* Rhagophthalmidae
* Sinopyrophoridae
* Throscidae (false metallic wood-boring beetles)

Rhinorhipoidea|

* Rhinorhipidae (Rhinorhipus tamborinensis)

Scirtoidea|

* Clambidae
* Decliniidae (Declinia relicta)
* Eucinetidae (plate-thigh beetles)
* Scirtidae

Scarabaeiformia|

| Scarabaeoidea|

* Belohinidae (Belohina inexpectata)
* Bolboceratidae
* Diphyllostomatidae (false stag beetles)
* Geotrupidae (dor beetles)
* Glaphyridae (bumble bee scarab beetles)
* Glaresidae (enigmatic scarab beetles)
* Hybosoridae (scavenger scarab beetles)
* Lucanidae (stag beetles)
* Ochodaeidae (sand-loving scarab beetles)
* Passalidae (betsy beetles)
* Pleocomidae (rain beetles)
* Scarabaeidae (scarabs)
* Trogidae (hide beetles)

|

Staphyliniformia|

| Histeroidea|

* Histeridae (clown beetles)
* Sphaeritidae (false clown beetles)
* Synteliidae

|

Hydrophiloidea|

* Epimetopidae
* Georissidae (minute mud-loving beetles)
* Helophoridae
* Hydrochidae
* Hydrophilidae (water scavenger beetles)
* Spercheidae

Staphylinoidea|

* Agyrtidae (primitive carrion beetles)
* Hydraenidae
* Leiodidae (round fungus beetles)
* Ptiliidae (feather-winged beetles)
* Silphidae (carrion beetles)
* Staphylinidae (rove beetles)

List of subgroups of the order Coleoptera

Taxon identifiers

Spercheus|

* Wikidata: Q18113956
* Wikispecies: Spercheus
* AFD: Spercheus
* BioLib: 4875
* BOLD: 81243
* CoL: 8W3PL
* EPPO: 1SPCHG
* Fauna Europaea (new): 198d8351-0d5d-48cc-83ab-a8e09e1e6835
* GBIF: 1033964
* iNaturalist: 370621
* IRMNG: 1040365
* ITIS: 722242
* NBN: NHMSYS0001720114
* NCBI: 290640
* Open Tree of Life: 474930

Spercheidae|

* Wikidata: Q755568
* Wikispecies: Spercheidae
* BOLD: 942899
* CoL: 8VSZS
* GBIF: 7853
* iNaturalist: 370620
* IRMNG: 115682
* ITIS: 722227
* NBN: NHMSYS0001720113
* NCBI: 290639
* Open Tree of Life: 106970
* Paleobiology Database: 69203
* Plazi: 233B9975-FF9D-F952-FE5F-FF3EFC49FE6A

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