Rediscovery of the enigmatic Madagascan endemic Belohina inexpectata Paulian, 1958, with notes on its morphology and phylogenetic position (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Belohinidae)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13133/2284-4880/1539Keywords:
Madagascar, systematics, mouthparts , flightlessness , stridulation , spiny forestAbstract
Belohina inexpectata Paulian, 1958, the only known representative of Belohinidae (Coleoptera Scarabaeoidea) and a Madagascan endemic, is re-described based on recently collected material. Some remarks are provided on its unusual morphology and in particular its mouthparts, with recessed mandibles and membranous epipharynx, its antennae with a V-shaped sensory area and its capsule-like aedeagus, with a regular, unrotated position at rest and the presence of “parameroids”. Data on its life history are also provided, including evidence of stridulation. Finally, its phylogenetic position is briefly discussed based on a molecular analysis, which points towards a sister-group relationship with the genus Orubesa (Dynamopodidae) and with both taxa together being sister to Hybosoridae.
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Copyright (c) 2023 Alberto Ballerio, Frank-Thorsten Krell , Jasmin E. Randrianirina, David C. Hawks, Elizabeth A. Murray, M.J. Paulsen, Jérôme Sueur , Olivier Montreuil, Andrey V. Frolov
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