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A TAXONOMIC STUDY OF THE GENUS TEGRODERA (COLEOPTERA: MELOIDAE)1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

John D. Pinto
John D. Pinto
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside
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Abstract

Three allopatric species are recognized in the North American genus Tegrodera LeConte. Speciation was probably a relatively recent event in this genus as all species are closely related, and separable by minor but consistent differences of adult anatomy. The most distinctive species, T. aloga Skinner, ranges throughout much of the Sonoran Desert in western Arizona and northwestern Sonora. T. erosa LeConte, a species occurring in southern California and Baja California, is separated geographically from T. aloga by the arid Colorado Desert. T. erosa consists of two distinct subspecies, the nominate form occurring in southern California, and T. e. inornata Blaisdell distributed throughout much of Baja California. T. latecincta Horn, a species found in the Owens and Antelope valleys of California, is the closest relative of T. erosa. It is separated from the latter by the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains, and from T. aloga by the vast Mojave Desert. The species of Tegrodera are each associated with different plant communities, though the genus Eriastrum seems to be an important food source for all adults. The taxonomic analysis presented herein includes the study of both intra- and interspecific variation. The first instar larva of T. aloga and T. e. erosa are compared, and notes on seasonal distribution, habitat, and non-sexual behavior are included.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 107 , Issue 1 , January 1975 , pp. 45 - 66
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1975

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