Mycetochara axillaris (Paykull, 1799)

Gosik, Rafał, 2007, Description of the pupa of Mycetochara axillaris (Paykull 1799) (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae), Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 7 (2), pp. 179-184 : 181-183

The pupa of Mycetochara axillaris

possesses all the essential generic characters described by Burakowski (1976) for the pupae of Alleculinae namely: 1. body with features characteristic for imago; 2. abdomen with 9 segments; 3. abdomen segments: I-VI similar to each other; 4. tergits of abdomen segments I-VII with lobes; 5. segment VII almost semicircular, very long; 6. posterior margina of segment IX with pseudocerci; 6. segment VIII and IX with sexual dimorphism in structure; 7. different localization and shape of gonothecs of male and female.

The following features of pupa of Mycetochara axillaris are different than in other species belong to subfamily Alleculinae : 1. tooth-like cuticular processes on margin of tergits lobes (a specially on lateral margin); 2. strong reduced chaetotaxy; 3. hook-like shape of apex of lobes; 4. gonothecs long and conical; 5. reduced chetotaxy on VIII and IX abdomen segments.

According to Burakowski (1976) the crucial features used in determination of pupae belonging to subfamily Alleculinae are: shape of lobes of tergits on abdominal segments I – VII and the shape of gonothecs. Those features are the basis of simple differentiation the pupae of M. axillaris from other pupae given by Burakowski (1976) ( Figs 6-8a ). However, a number of known, described pupae is very small. It is therefore possible that after description of next species new features should be found. Our knowledge is still insufficient to create the key to determination of pupae of Alleculinae . Further studies on morphology of developmental stages of Tenebrionidae are needed.

The Catalogue of Polish Fauna (Burakowski et al. 1987) give relatively large number of records of localities of M. axillaris . However, according to the remarks of Gutowski et al. (2005), most of them are inaccurate (or/and) coming from over hundred of years. Therefore veritable distribution of this species in Poland is still unknown. In opposite to other rare mould-eating beetles, the specimens of M. axillaris were not found in another opportune localities in Eastern Poland. It may indicate that mentioned species is in fact rare and endangered. Therefore study about distribution, biology and morphology of M. axillaris is necessary.

Figures

Figs 6 - 9. The comparison of some pupa˙s parts of some Alleculinae species. 6 – Mycetochara linearis (Illig.), 7 – Prionychus ater (Fabr.), 8 – Hymenalia rufipes (Fabr.), 9 - Mycetochara axillaris (Payk.), a - chaetotaxy and structure of cuticula on lobes of tergits of I-VII abdomen segments (em - external margin; lm – lateral margina; al – apex of lobes), b - terminal segment of male, c- terminal segment of female.