Sphaerius

Sphaerius is a genus of beetles in the family Sphaeriusidae, comprising 18 extant species. It is one of the two extant genera in the family, the other being Bezesporum. They are typically found along the edges of streams and rivers, where they feed on algae; they occur on all continents except Antarctica. Three species occur in the United States. The overall form of the beetle is convex, glossy, dark brown or black with some markings possible. The head is prominent, with relatively large eyes set far apart, and capitate antennae. Total length ranges from . The beetles occur in a variety of damp environments, including mud, under stones, among plant roots and leaf litter, and in mosses in bogs. They store some air underneath their elytra. Females produce a single large egg at a time. The family used to be known as "Sphaeriidae", but the name was preoccupied by a family of freshwater clams. The name was inappropriately replaced with "Microsporidae" (by changing the genus name to Microsporus), but this act has been superseded by a return to the use of Sphaerius and a reformation of the family name as Sphaeriusidae. The position of the family within Coleoptera has also changed a number of times.

Sphaerius is a genus of beetles in the family Sphaeriusidae, comprising 18 extant species. It is one of the two extant genera in the family, the other being Bezesporum. They are typically found along the edges of streams and rivers, where they feed on algae; they occur on all continents except Antarctica. Three species occur in the United States. The overall form of the beetle is convex, glossy, dark brown or black with some markings possible. The head is prominent, with relatively large eyes set far apart, and capitate antennae. Total length ranges from . The beetles occur in a variety of damp environments, including mud, under stones, among plant roots and leaf litter, and in mosses in bogs. They store some air underneath their elytra. Females produce a single large egg at a time. The family used to be known as "Sphaeriidae", but the name was preoccupied by a family of freshwater clams. The name was inappropriately replaced with "Microsporidae" (by changing the genus name to Microsporus), but this act has been superseded by a return to the use of Sphaerius and a reformation of the family name as Sphaeriusidae. The position of the family within Coleoptera has also changed a number of times.

Species

The genus includes the following 18 extant species, as of 2022: Sphaerius acaroides – Europe Sphaerius africanus – South Africa Sphaerius alticola – Nepal Sphaerius coomani – Vietnam Sphaerius gustavlohsei – Nepal, India: Darjeeling Sphaerius hispanicus – France, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia Sphaerius humicola – Nepal Sphaerius laeviventris – India: Uttarakhand Sphaerius madecassus – Madagascar Sphaerius obsoletus – Vietnam Sphaerius ovensensis – Australia Sphaerius perlaevis – Vietnam Sphaerius politus – USA: California Sphaerius silvicola – Nepal Sphaerius spississimus – France: Corsica, Italy: Sardinia, Israel Sphaerius tesselatus – Vietnam Sphaerius texanus – USA: Texas Sphaerius tropicus – Guatemala Species transferred to Bezesporum: Sphaerius minutus – China: Jiangxi Sphaerius papulosus – Myanmar Species of unclear assignment: Sphaerius cribratus – Vietnam Sphaerius favosus – Vietnam Species excluded from Sphaeriusidae (actually representatives of Corylophidae): "Sphaerius" coenensis – Australia "Sphaerius" scutellaris – USA

References

External links

Sphaeriusidae Tree of Life

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1348557428 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.