Oiceoptoma noveboracense (Forster, 1771)

Ferreira, Raul Nascimento, 2017, Two abnormalities in Coleoptera (Silphidae, Silvanidae) from Connecticut and Ohio (U. S. A.)., Arquivos Entomolóxicos 18, pp. 149-151 : 149-150

Brachelitry in Oiceoptoma noveboracense (Forster, 1771) ( Silphidae ) ( Fig. 1 )

Specimen studied: U.S.A., Connecticut, New London Co. Stonington, PAFFArd Woods Preserve, 41˚ 24.479’N/ 71˚ 54.238’E, 7 July, 2016, leg. R.N. FerreirA (RNFC).

This specimen is 14.00 mm long, dark brownish or blackish with a distinct black pronotal disk and distinct orange-pinkish margins. Head black, small eyes with a short row of long erect hairs behind. Elytra lighter brown with 3 carinae with small punctures spaced evenly and with a toothed elytral shoulder. This species is diurnal and active during spring and early summer. This specimen was collected in a bait trap with rotten chicken, but individuals can be found in fungus in the open forest.

The brachelitry is unilateral on the right elytron which is about 1/6 reduced ( Fig. 1 ) when compared with the normal right elytron. This type of deformity can be associated with other morphological anomalies in the same individuals and in different families, especially in Carabidae ( Balazuc, 1948) and Cerambycidae ( Balazuc, 1948; Ortuño & Hernández, 1993; Ferreira, 2015).

The cause of this deformity occurs during the pupal stage and may be purely mechanical: some pressure in the early stages causes a small wound and the healing time is reflected in the development of the elytron.

Figures

Fig. 1.- Brachelitry in Oiceoptoma noveboracense (Forster, 1771) (Silphidae).