Alexiidae Explained
Alexiidae is a family of beetles. It contains a single genus, Sphaerosoma, formerly included within the family Cerylonidae, with around 50 species which are native to the western Palearctic. Species of Sphaerosoma are very small, around 1 to 2 mm in length rounded beetles with clubbed antennae. They are fungivores, having been observed feeding on mushrooms, and have also been found in leaf litter and on decaying bark.[1]
Taxonomy
There has been considerable confusion regarding the type species and authorship of the genus; most older sources consider the author and species to be Sphaerosoma quercus Samouelle, 1819. That name is now considered to be a nomen nudum, and the valid name for Samouelle's species is Sphaerosoma piliferum (Müller, 1821). The type species is now considered to be Sphaerosoma quercus Stephens, 1832, which is itself a junior synonym of Sphaerosoma pilosum (Panzer, 1793).[2] Alexiidae has been recovered as part of the superfamily Coccinelloidea as the sister group of Latridiidae.[3]
Species
- Sphaerosoma algiricum (Reitter, 1889)
- Sphaerosoma alutaceum (Reitter, 1883)
- Sphaerosoma antennarium Apfelbeck, 1909
- Sphaerosoma apuanum Reitter, 1909
- Sphaerosoma bicome Peyerimhoff, 1917
- Sphaerosoma bosnicum (Reitter, 1885)
- Sphaerosoma carniolicum Apfelbeck, 1915
- Sphaerosoma carpathicum (Reitter, 1883)
- Sphaerosoma circassicum (Reitter, 1888)
- Sphaerosoma clamboides (Reitter, 1888)
- Sphaerosoma compressum (Reitter, 1901)
- Sphaerosoma corcyreum (Reitter, 1883)
- Sphaerosoma csikii Apfelbeck, 1915
- Sphaerosoma diversepunctatum Roubal, 1932
- Sphaerosoma fiorii Ganglbauer, 1899
- Sphaerosoma globosum (Sturm, 1807)
- Sphaerosoma hemisphaericum Ganglbauer, 1899
- Sphaerosoma hispanicum Obenberger, 1917
- Sphaerosoma laevicolle (Reitter, 1883)
- Sphaerosoma latitarse Apfelbeck, 1915
- Sphaerosoma lederi (Reitter, 1888)
- Sphaerosoma leonhardi Apfelbeck, 1915
- Sphaerosoma libani Sahlberg, 1913
- Sphaerosoma maritimum (Reitter, 1904)
- Sphaerosoma merditanum Apfelbeck, 1915
- Sphaerosoma meridionale (Reitter, 1883)
- Sphaerosoma nevadense (Reitter, 1883)
- Sphaerosoma normandi Peyerimhoff, 1917
- Sphaerosoma obscuricorne Obenberger, 1917
- Sphaerosoma obsoletum (Reitter, 1883)
- Sphaerosoma paganetti Obenberger, 1913
- Sphaerosoma piliferum (Müller, 1821)
- Sphaerosoma pilosellum (Reitter, 1877)
- Sphaerosoma pilosissimum (Frivaldszky, 1881)
- Sphaerosoma pilosum (Panzer, 1793)
- Sphaerosoma pubescens (Frivaldszky, 1881)
- Sphaerosoma punctatum (Reitter, 1878)
- Sphaerosoma puncticolle (Reitter, 1883)
- Sphaerosoma purkynei Obenberger, 1917
- Sphaerosoma rambouseki Apfelbeck, 1916
- Sphaerosoma reitteri (Ormay, 1888)
- Sphaerosoma rotundatum Obenberger, 1913
- Sphaerosoma scymnoides (Reitter, 1885)
- Sphaerosoma seidlitzi (Reitter, 1889)
- Sphaerosoma shardaghense Apfelbeck, 1915
- Sphaerosoma solarii Reitter, 1904
- Sphaerosoma sparsum Reitter, 1909
- Sphaerosoma sturanyi Apfelbeck, 1909
- Sphaerosoma subglabrum Peyerimhoff, 1917
- Sphaerosoma sublaeve (Reitter, 1883)
- Sphaerosoma tingitanum Peyerimhoff, 1917
- Sphaerosoma vallambrosae (Reitter, 1885)
- Sphaerosoma winneguthi Apfelbeck, 1915
References
- Ślipinśki, Adam and Tomaszewska, Wioletta. "10.30. Alexiidae Imhoff, 1856". Volume 2 Morphology and Systematics (Elateroidea, Bostrichiformia, Cucujiformia partim), edited by Willy Kükenthal, Richard A.B. Leschen, Rolf G. Beutel and John F. Lawrence, Berlin, New York: De Gruyter, 2011, pp. 432-434.
- Book: Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Volume 6. Chrysomeloidea . Apollo Books . 2010 . 978-87-88757-84-2 . Löbl . I. . Stenstrup, Denmark . Errata for Volume 4 . Smetana . A..
- Cai . Chenyang . Tihelka . Erik . Giacomelli . Mattia . Lawrence . John F. . Ślipiński . Adam . Kundrata . Robin . Yamamoto . Shûhei . Thayer . Margaret K. . Newton . Alfred F. . Leschen . Richard A. B. . Gimmel . Matthew L. . Lü . Liang . Engel . Michael S. . Bouchard . Patrice . Huang . Diying . March 2022 . Integrated phylogenomics and fossil data illuminate the evolution of beetles . Royal Society Open Science . en . 9 . 3 . 211771 . 10.1098/rsos.211771 . 2054-5703 . 8941382 . 35345430.
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