The beetle family Eucinetidae, locally represented by Nycteus meridionalis (Laporte), is recorded for the first time from the Maltese Islands. Brief notes on the systematics, biology and distribution of Eucinetidae are included.peer-reviewe

Mifsud, David

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The Central Mediterranean Naturalist 3(3): 101 -102 Malta, December, 2001 FIRST RECORD OF EUCINETIDAE (COLEOPTERA) FROM THE MALTESE ISLANDS David Mifsud! ABSTRACT The beetle family Eucinetidae, locally represented by Nycteus meridionalis (Laporte), is recorded for the first time from the Maltese Islands. Briefnotes on the systematics, biology and distribution ofEucinetidae are included. INTRODUCTION A good deal of systematic work on the Coleoptera of the Maltese Islands has been carried out. Despite this, however, our present knowledge is still not sufficient to provide a clear picture of most species inhabiting this archipelago. Caruana Gatto (1894) published a list of common beetles and later co-authored (Cameron & Caruana Gatto, 1907) a list of Coleoptera occurring in the Maltese Islands. The latter still remains the only work dealing with all Coleoptera families. Since then, several families have been reviewed by a number of authors, mostly based on recent collections (cf Mifsud, 2000). THE EUCINETIDAE The family Eucinetidae, was never previously recorded from the Maltese Islands. It is included in the superfamily Scirtoidea (=Eucinetoidea), which comprises three other families: Clambidae, Decliniidae and Scirtidae (Lawrence & Newton, 1995). The entire group is characterized by adults having a relatively small pronotum, highly reduced pro sternum, and a compaction mechanism involving the opisthognathous head resting against the pro coxae or in some cases the meso- or metathorax. Distinguishing features of adult Eucinetidae include a streamlined elliptical body and the ability to jump using their modified hind legs. Sucking mouthparts appear to have evolved on several occasions in this family. The Eucinetidae are represented worldwide by about thirty described species, currently accommodated in eight genera: Bisaya (Central Asia), Eucilodes (Eurasia), Eucinetus (widespread), Euscaphunls (western North America), Jentozkus (New World), Nycteus (widespread), Subulistomella (Japan) and Tohlezkus (Turkey and Finland). The Palaearctic species of Eucinetus Germar were revised by Vit (1985) who recognised two species groups on the basis of adult morphology: the haemorrhoidalis group represented by the single species haemorrhoidalis (Germar) and the meridionalis group represented by bicolor Reitter, hop.f!gm1eni Reitter, meridionalis (Laporte) and nlgosus Portevin. Until recently, Nycteus Latreille was in synonymy with Eucinetus. This synonymy was removed and the taxa in the meridionalis species group (Vit, 1985) were transferred from Eucinetus to Nyctells (Vit, 1999). Six other taxa (with distribution outside the Palaearctic) were also transferred from Eucinetus to Nycteus, and two new species were described, N falsus Vit, distributed from Arizona to Mexico, and N wollaston; Vit from the Canary Islands. Little is known about the biology of these beetles, but most records result from collections made in leaf litter. In some cases it has been asserted that these insects feed on spores of slime moulds [Myxomycetes (= Mycetozoa)] or on the fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi (Boletaceae, Coniophoraceae) (Wheeler & Hoebeke, 1984). Nycteus meridional; ... (Laporte de Castelnan, 1836) (Fig. 1) Material examined. MALTA, Tal-Munxar (St. Thomas Bay), 1 ex., under stone on rubble wall, 18.iii.1996, leg. D. Mifsud; Zejtun, 1 ex., 30.xi.1997, leg. D. Mifsud (material is deposited in the author's private collection). Distribution. Madeira, Spain, France, Corsica and Italy (Vit, 1985). Notes. N meridionalis is a new record for the Maltese Islands. In other European parts, N meridionalis was recorded from under bark of Pinus, in leaf litter of Eucalyptlls and in dried debris of Opuntia (Vit, 1985). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Mr. Roland Miihlethaler (NLU-Institut, Universitat Basel, Switzerland) for kindly taking the photo of Nycteus meridionalis (Laporte). (Accepted Jgth October 2001) 1 Ministry for Agriculture & Fisheries, Research & Development Centre, Ghammieri, Marsa, Malta. 101 Fig. 1 Nycteus meridionalis (Laporte de Castelnau, 1836) (x 32) REFERENCES Caruana Gatto, A. (1894). Common beetles of the Maltese Islands. The Mediterranean Naturalist, 14 pp. Cameron, M. & Caruana Gatto, A. (1907). A list of the Coleoptera of the Maltese Islands. The Transactions of the A/ltomological Society of London, 59 (3): 383-403. Lawrence, J. F. & Newton, Jr. A. F., (1995). Families and subfamilies of Coleoptera (with selected genera, notes, references and data on family-group names) pp. 779-1006. In Pakaluk, 1. & Slipinski, S. A. (eds.) Biology, Phylogeny, and Classification of Coleoptera: Papers Celebrating the 80th Birthday of Roy A. Crowson. Museum i Instytut Zoologii PAN, Warszawa. Mifsud, D. (2000). Present knowledge of the Entomofauna ofthe Maltese Islands. Entomologica Basiliensia, 22: 75-86. Vit, S. (J985). Etude de la morphologie des especes palearctiques du genre Eucinetus Germar et quelques remarques sur son utilisation taxonomique (Coleoptera Eucinetidae). Revue suisse de Zoologie, 92: 421-460. Wheeler, Q. D. & Hoebeke, R. E. (1984). A review of mycophagy in the Eucinetoidea (Coleoptera), with notes on an association of the eucinetid beetle, Eucinetus oviformis, with a Coniophoraceae fungus (Basidiomycetes: Aphyllophorales). Proceedings of the £ll1omological Society of Washington, 86: 274-277. 102 

First record of Eucinetidae (Coleoptera) from the Maltese Islands

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First record of Eucinetidae (Coleoptera) from the Maltese Islands

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