Dasytes gonocerus

Dasytes gonocerus is a species of soft wing flower beetles belonging to the family Melyridae.[1]

Dasytes gonocerus
Dasytes gonocerus. Female
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Melyridae
Genus: Dasytes
Species:
D. gonocerus
Binomial name
Dasytes gonocerus
Mulsant & Rey, 1868
Synonyms
  • Dasytes erratus Schilsky, 1895
  • Dasytes staudingeri Schilsky, 1897
  • Dasytes troglavensis Apfelbeck, 1911

Distribution

This species has an extensive and discontinuous presence in part of Europe (Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain).[2]

Habitat

It mainly occurs at high altitude in mountainous meadows of central Spain, of the Cantabrian mountain, on the Pyrenees, on the Massif Central, in the western part of the Alps, in part of the Apennines and on several summits of the Balkans.[3]

Description

Dasytes gonocerus can reach a body length of about 4.5–5.5 mm (0.18–0.22 in).[3] These small black beetles have long erect black pubescence over the entire surface of the elytra and pronotum.

This species is very similar to Dasytes alpigradus and Dasytes lombardus. The three species are morphologically very close and only the males can be differentiated with certainty after examination of their reproductive organs (aedeagus).[4]

Phenology

Adults can be found from July to September. These beetles feed on pollen and can be found especially on yellow Asteraceae.[3]

References
  1. Biolib
  2. Fauna Europaea
  3. Gianfranco Liberti, Robert Constantin Notes synonymiques et taxonomiques sur Dasytes gonocerus Mulsant & Rey, 1868, et D. incertus Schilsky, 1895 (Coleoptera, Cleroidea, Dasytidae) (in French)
  4. Yannick Chittaro, Andreas Sanchez - Annotated checklist of Cleroidea (Coleoptera) of Switzerland - Alpine Entomology 3 2019, 141–167 - DOI 10.3897/alpento.3.35994
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