DNA barcodes reveal 63 overlooked species of Canadian beetles (Insecta, Coleoptera)
Author
Pentinsaari, Mikko
Author
Anderson, Robert
Author
Borowiec, Lech
Author
Bouchard, Patrice
Author
Brunke, Adam
Author
Douglas, Hume
Author
Smith, Andrew B. T.
Author
Hebert, Paul D. N.
text
ZooKeys
2019
894
53
150
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.894.37862
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.894.37862
1313-2970-894-53
D11503CA5A574067817904E0C8C162C8
BAF8B2CC491254A3AC7E08368A2697B5
Nephus bisignatus (Boheman, 1850)
Figure 34
Distribution
Previously known only from Europe, where the species is more common in the north and rather sporadic in the central and southern parts (
Fuersch
1965
;
Kovar
2007
;
Silfverberg 2010
;
Rassi et al. 2015
). Probably Holarctic and previously overlooked in North America.
Canadian records.
Nunavut: Kugluktuk, 25-Jun-2010 (1 ex, CNC); Kugluktuk, 01-Jul-2010 (1 ex, CNC); Kugluktuk, 11-Jul-2010 (1 ex, CNC); Kugluktuk, 13-Jul-2010 (1 ex, CNC).
Diagnostic information
(based on
Fuersch
1965
,
1967
,
1987
). Body length 1.5-2.0 mm. Habitus elongate-oval (
Fig. 34A
). Black, with the anterior edge of the pronotum and often the apical edge of the elytra narrowly brown. Each elytron with a single small, obscurely delimited red-brown spot close to the apex, sometimes very faintly visible. Antennae with nine antennomeres. Pronotum very finely punctate, with strong, netlike microsculpture. Postcoxal lines on first abdominal ventrite briefly parallel to the hind margin of the ventrite at the middle, with the apices curved forward laterally. Male genitalia as in
Fig. 34B, C
.
Bionomic notes.
Nephus bisignatus
prefers open, usually sandy habitats in Europe (
Koch 1989b
). The Canadian specimens were collected in mesic tundra with yellow pan and pitfall traps.
Comments.
Nephus bisignatus
belongs to
subgenus Bipunctatus
Fuersch
, 1987, which is characterized by having only nine antennomeres (
Fuersch
1987
). All the previously recorded Canadian species have either ten or eleven antennomeres (
Gordon 1976
,
1985
). The remote collecting localities in the arctic tundra indicate that this species is probably Holarctic and previously overlooked in North America rather than adventive from the Palaearctic region. Two subspecies are known from Europe (
Kovar
2007
), but we refrain from assigning the Canadian specimens to any subspecies. Among the Nearctic fauna,
N. bisignatus
resembles
N. georgei
(Weise, 1929), but has a narrower body outline and usually smaller and less conspicuous elytral spots.
Nephus georgei
also has ten antennomeres instead of nine.
Gordon (1976)
notes that specimens of
N. georgei
from the northern parts of the Northwest Territories are smaller and narrower compared to specimens from southern Canada and northern United States, and that the pale color pattern of the elytra is reduced in the northern specimens. Based on these notes, the arctic specimens of
N. georgei
may actually represent
N. bisignatus
and need to be re-examined.