Misplaced Pages

Parisopalpus nigronotatus

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Species of beetle

Parisopalpus nigronotatus
Introduced Parisopalpus nigronotatus seen in West Auckland, New Zealand
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Oedemeridae
Genus: Parisopalpus
Species: P. nigronotatus
Binomial name
Parisopalpus nigronotatus
Boheman, 1858
Synonyms
  • Parisopalpus nigronotatus Boheman, 1858)
  • Nacerdes nigronotata Boheman, 1858
  • Ananca ni!fronotata Masters. 1859
  • Copidita nigronotata Champion, 1895
  • Sessinia stictica Broun, 1914
  • Sessinia nigronotata Schenkling, 1915

Parisopalpus nigronotatus, known by its common name, the spotted lax beetle, is a species of false blister beetles. It was first identified by Carl Henrik Boheman in 1858, under the name Nacerdes nigronotata. Native to eastern Australia, the species was introduced to New Zealand in 1931.

Description

Parisopalpus nigronotatus is generally coloured brick-red, with dark spots found on the beetle's body and legs. The species is densely covered with pale hair. The beetle is typically between 8.7 and 12.2 mm in length.

Parisopalpus nigronotatus can be told apart from other species of Parisopalpus by the presence of at least two dark spots on the beetle's body.

Distribution

Parisopalpus nigronotatus is found in eastern Australia, south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. It was introduced to New Zealand in 1931, and is found in Nelson and the North Island.

The species has been intercepted by biosecurity in Chile.

Behaviour

The beetles lay their eggs in mangroves. Grubs of the species are typically found in rotting wood, and as adults the beetles feed on nectar and pollen, and are attracted to light.

The beetles secrete a toxic substance as a defense, which causes skin blisters in humans if touched.

References

  1. Boheman, C.H. (1858). Kongliga Svenska Fregatten Eugenies resa omkring Jorden aren 1851-53. Vol. II. Stockholm: Norstedt.
  2. ^ Hudson, Logan P (1975). "A systematic revision of the New Zealand Oedemeridae (Coleoptera, Insecta)". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 5 (3): 227–274. doi:10.1080/03036758.1975.10421850. ISSN 0303-6758.
  3. "Parisopalpus nigronotatus ( Boheman , 1858)". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  4. ^ Baird, Alex (17 January 2017). "The 'blister beetle' parents should watch out for". Newshub. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  5. Švihila, V; Fischer, FR (2012). "Parisopalpus defoei sp. nov. from Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile, the first known species of the genus from the Neotropical Region (Coleoptera: Oedemeridae)". Zootaxa. 3394 (1): 31–34. doi:10.11646/ZOOTAXA.3394.1.3. ISSN 1175-5334.
  6. ^ "Spotted lax beetle". Landcare Research. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
Taxon identifiers
Parisopalpus nigronotatus
Categories: