Phylogenetic studies of Meloidae (Coleoptera), with emphasis on the evolution of phoresy

Bologna, Marco Alberto; Pinto, John D.

doi:10.1046/j.1365-3113.2001.00132.x

Cited by 117 publications

(240 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Thus, other meloid species may have evolved host location mechanisms similar to the one reported here. Phoresy, which was first reported in Meloe by Siebold in 1841 (1), is believed to have evolved independently at least seven times within the family (26), occurring in 42 species in 21 genera. Furthermore, triungulin aggregation behavior has been reported for two other meloid species, in the genera Meloe and Hornia, both of which are nest parasites of bees (2,4,(27)(28)(29), suggesting that analogous aggressive chemical mimicry also may be found within these systems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phoretic nest parasites use sexual deception to obtain transport to their host's nest

Saul-Gershenz¹,

Millar

2006

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Cooperative behaviors are common among social insects such as bees, wasps, ants, and termites, but they have not been reported from insect species that use aggressive mimicry to manipulate and exploit prey or hosts. Here we show that larval aggregations of the blister beetle Meloe franciscanus, which parasitize nests of the solitary bee Habropoda pallida, cooperate to exploit the sexual communication system of their hosts by producing a chemical cue that mimics the sex pheromone of the female bee. Male bees are lured to larval aggregations, and upon contact (pseudocopulation) the beetle larvae attach to the male bees. The larvae transfer to female bees during mating and subsequently are transported to the nests of their hosts. To mimic the chemical and visual signals of female bees effectively, the parasite larvae must cooperate, emphasizing the adaptive value of cooperation between larvae. The aggressive chemical mimicry by the beetle larvae and their subsequent transport to their hosts' nests by the hosts themselves provide an efficient solution to the problem of locating a critical but scarce resource in a harsh environment.aggressive chemical mimicry ͉ cooperative behavior ͉ Habropoda pallida ͉ Meloe franciscanus ͉ phoresy T he phenomenon of phoresy (1-3), in which one organism is transported by another, is common among arthropods. Phoresy provides an effective means of dispersal for organisms with limited mobility, particularly in extreme environments where harsh conditions and the scarcity and patchiness of critical resources present formidable obstacles to survival. The relationship between passenger and host may become obligate, with the passenger being entirely dependent on the host for transport to suitable habitats or resources. Under such circumstances, it is to be expected that the passenger will develop behavioral, morphological, semiochemical, and life history characters that promote effective exploitation of the host. Here we report a well developed, multistep phoretic system in which the passenger species not only rides on the host but actively lures the host to it by mimicking the host's sex pheromone and subsequently parasitizes the host's nest.Our study system was comprised of the blister beetle Meloe franciscanus Van Dyke and its host, the solitary bee Habropoda pallida Timberlake, which inhabit sand dunes in the deserts of the southwestern United States. In this extremely variable habitat, widely distributed patches of plants function as islands in a sea of sand for first-instar larvae of the beetle. The dunes support populations of the psammophytic plant Astragalus lentiginosus var. borreganus M. E. Jones, which provides nectar for the host bee. The flightless adult blister beetles also feed on Astragalus foliage, and female beetles frequently oviposit at the base of the plant.The phoretic first-instar larvae of M. franciscanus, known as triungulins, have evolved a complex four-step mechanism for ensuring their survival, which results in the host species transporting the triungulins back t...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phoretic nest parasites use sexual deception to obtain transport to their host's nest

Saul-Gershenz¹,

Millar

2006

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Segment V expanded forming a well developed and highly sclerotised platform at the apex. Segment VI and VII form cup shaped plates or 'kinks' curved outwards; length ratio of antennal segments (in relation to apical segment) 1 …”

Section: Malementioning

confidence: 99%

Redescription of the Blister Beetle Meloe semicoriaceus Fairmaire, 1891 (Coleoptera: Meloidae: Meloinae) with Notes on Courtship Behavior

SA¹

2017

BIJ

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“…Así, Selander (1985) lo elevó a la categoría genérica, independiente de Meloe, y consideró sinónimos a los subgéneros Coelomeloe Reitter, 1911 (especie-tipo: Meloe tuccius Rossi, 1792, por monotipia) y Meloegonius Reitter, 1911 [especie-tipo: Meloe cicatricosus Leach, 1815, por designación posterior (Aksentjev, 1988)], criterio que mantiene posteriormente para el primero de estos subgéneros (Selander, 1991) pero no para el segundo (Selander, 1989(Selander, , 1991. Sin embargo, Bologna et al (1989), Bologna & Pinto (1992, 1995, 1998) y Di Giulio et al (2002, a partir del estudio comparado de las larvas de estadio I, concluyen que Eurymeloe ha de considerarse un mero subgénero de Meloe; hipótesis que apoyan Bologna & Pinto (2001) mediante aná-lisis filogenéticos basados en caracteres tanto larvarios como imaginales y comportamentales. Recientemente, , Lückmann & Scharf (2004) y Bologna (2008a) mantienen esta categoría subgenérica.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Descripción de una especie nueva de <i>Meloe</i> Linnaeus, 1758 del subgénero <i>Eurymeloe</i> Reitter, 1911 (Coleoptera, Meloidae) del norte de Marruecos

Ruiz¹,

Garcı́a-Parı́s²

2009

GRAELLSIA

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RESUMENSe describe una especie nueva de Meloe (Coleoptera: Meloidae) del subgénero Eurymeloe, del grupo de M. rugosus, relacionada con especies del subgrupo de M. murinus. Los ejemplares estudiados de la especie nueva proceden del Rif occidental (Parque Nacional de Talassemtane, dorsal caliza rifeña), en el noroeste de Marruecos y se localizaron en hábitat forestal hiperhúmedo de montaña. La nueva especie se caracteriza por presentar: coloración negro mate con tonalidad grisácea; pilosidad blanquecino-amarillenta, muy corta, curvada y poco densa que no forma mechones; pronoto transverso, subrectangular, con surco medio longitudinal y depresiones longitudinales a ambos lados; punteado de cabeza y pronoto impreso y subconfluente; élitros apenas rugosos; artejos tarsales con cepillos pilosos poco desarrollados; edeago con lóbulos paramerales curvados con depresiones laterales y terminados en punta aguda, y lóbulo medio con el diente distal de la zona ventral cercano al ápice. El nuevo taxon es fenéticamente afín a M. nanus, M. baudueri y M. flavicomus, pero diferenciado de ellos tanto por los caracteres morfológicos externos como del edeago indicados. Esta especie, conocida únicamente de la localidad tipo, comparte área geográfica general con M. murinus, M. nanus y posiblemente M. baudueri, si bien hasta el momento no se ha detectado simpatría estricta con ninguna de ellas. El tipo de hábitat en el que se localiza la especie nueva, áreas de montaña con formaciones forestales mixtas de Pinus pinaster hamiltonii var. maghrebiana, P. nigra mauritanica y Abies maroccana (exclusivas del Rif calizo noroccidental), contrasta con los señalados para esas otras especies de Eurymeloe del subgrupo de M. (E.) murinus. Palabras-clave: Taxonomía, Morfología, Coleoptera, Meloidae, Meloe, África, Marruecos, Faunística. ABSTRACT Description of a new species of Meloe Linnaeus, 1758, subgenus EurymeloeReitter, 1911 (Coleoptera, Meloidae), from northern MoroccoWe describe a new species of Meloe (Coleoptera: Meloidae), subgenus Eurymeloe, included in the M. rugosus species group, related to species of the M. murinus subgroup. The specimens of the new species studied were found along the western Rif mountain chain (Talassemtane National Park) in northwestern Morocco, and were located in hiperhumid montane forest habitats. (Pinto & Selander, 1970)] agrupa en torno a 49 especies, aunque el estatus taxonómico de algunas es en la actualidad incierto (e.g. Bologna, , 1990Bologna, , 1991Bologna, , 2008a, y junto al subgénero nominotípico constituyen los de mayor representación específica en el ámbito del género Meloe Linnaeus, 1758. Este hecho, unido a la homogeneidad morfológica del mismo (Bologna, , 1991Bologna et al., 1989) y a la escasez de material disponible para estudio, hacen que su taxonomía interna sea realmente compleja. La distribución geográfica del subgénero es fundamentalmente paleártica (incluidas las Islas Canarias y Madeira), si bien presenta una especie en las Islas Aleutianas, Meloe aleuticus Borchmann, 1942, en la zona de...

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Phylogenetic studies of Meloidae (Coleoptera), with emphasis on the evolution of phoresy

Cited by 117 publications

References 34 publications

Phoretic nest parasites use sexual deception to obtain transport to their host's nest

Phoretic nest parasites use sexual deception to obtain transport to their host's nest

Redescription of the Blister Beetle Meloe semicoriaceus Fairmaire, 1891 (Coleoptera: Meloidae: Meloinae) with Notes on Courtship Behavior

Descripción de una especie nueva de <i>Meloe</i> Linnaeus, 1758 del subgénero <i>Eurymeloe</i> Reitter, 1911 (Coleoptera, Meloidae) del norte de Marruecos

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