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ORIGIN AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF THE WEEVILS OF SOUTHERN FLORIDA (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Robert S. Anderson
Affiliation:
Entomology—Canadian Museum of Nature, PO Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 6P4
Stewart B. Peck
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6

Abstract

The naturally occurring weevil (Curculionidae) fauna of Dade and Monroe counties in southern Florida is composed of 100 genera and 222 species. Another 20 species are adventive; their presence is due to the unintentional action of humans. Twenty-eight species occur only on the islands of the Florida Keys, 118 species occur only on mainland south Florida, and 76 species are shared by the mainland and the islands. Greater habitat diversity on the mainland accounts for its higher species diversity. The species distributions and faunal affinities are 60% Nearctic and 40% Neotropical or West Indian. Thirty-five species are known to occur only in southern Florida. This probably reflects poor knowledge of their distribution in the Caribbean rather than southern Florida as an important site for species origin. Most of the weevil species (133; 60%) are habitat specific and few species (22; 10%) are found in three or more habitat types. Wetland-inhabiting species are predominant (76; 34%), followed by hardwood hammock species (47; 21%). Flightlessness in adults is uncommon (35 species; 16%), but more prevalent in the species endemic to southern Florida (12 species; 34%). Extrapolation from data on weevil diversity yields a conservative estimate of over 5000 species of insects in southern Florida.

Résumé

La faune indigène des charançons (Curculionidae) des comtés de Dade et de Monroe, dans le sud de la Floride, compte 100 genres et 222 espèces. Vingt autres espèces viennent s’ajouter à la liste, mais leur présence est attribuable à l’intervention humaine accidentelle. Vingt-huit espèces ne se retrouvent que dans les Keys, 118 sont strictement continentales dans le sud de la Floride et 76 sont à la fois continentales et insulaires. La diversité plus grande des habitats sur le continent explique la diversité plus grande des espèces qu’on y trouve. Chez 60% des espèces, la répartition et les affinités faunistiques sont néarctiques, alors qu’elles sont néotropicales ou antillaises chez les autres (40%). Trente-cinq espèces n’ont jamais été trouvées que dans le sud de la Floride, ce qui reflète probablement davantage une mauvaise connaissance de leur répartition dans les Antilles que l’origine massive d’espèces dans le sud de la Floride. La plupart des espèces de charançons (133; 60%) sont restreintes à un habitat particulier et seulement quelques-unes (22; 10%) occupent trois types d’habitats ou plus. Les espèces qui préfèrent les terres humides prédominent (76; 34%), suivies des espèces de zones surélevées à bois durs (47; 21%). L’absence de vol est rare chez les adultes (35 espèces; 16%), mais prévaut surtout chez les espèces endémiques du sud de la Floride (12 espèces; 34%). Une estimation conservatrice, obtenue par extrapolation à partir des données sur la diversité des charançons, établit à plus de 5000 le nombre d’espèces d’insectes dans le sud de la Floride.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1994

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