Spartecerus is a rather common and in Southern Africa widespread genus of flightless terricolous entimine weevils that live under geophytes and stones.
Original genus description in:
Schoenherr, C.J. 1834. Genera et species Curculionidum, cum synonymia hujus familiae. Species nova ant hactenus minus cognitae, descriptionibus a Dom Leonardo Gyllenhal, C.H. Boheman, et entomologis allis illustratae
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/37662#page/437/mode/1up
The last and only comprehensive treatment was in 1948 (descriptions, key, records):
Marshall, A. K. (2009. On the curculionid genus Sparteceus Schönherr (Col.) Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London. Series B, Taxonomy, 17(11-12), 137–141. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.1948.tb00879.x
https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3113.1948.tb00879.x
A modern diagnosis of the genus is hidden in a paper on Philetaerobius:
Borovec, R., Oberprieler R. G., Meregalli, M. 2018. The Enigmatic Weevil Genus Philetaerobius from Southern Africa: Definition, Affinities and Description of Three New Species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae)
taken from there, the genus can be easily recognized by:
Life history: Larvae feed on the underground bulbs of small geophytic monocotyledons.
iNat observations:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/198409293
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/191185401
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10836502
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11160876
Kommentit
Thank you, Traian
Thes entries are priceless.
Lisää kommentti