Anthia

Anthia (common name Saber-toothed ground beetles) is a genus of the ground beetle family (Carabidae). Species of Anthia can spray a jet of formic acid up to 30 centimetres (12 in), which if not treated, can cause blindness in animals which harass the beetles.[1]

Anthia
Anthia sexguttata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Subfamily:
Tribe:
Anthiini
Genus:
Anthia

Weber, 1801

In general the beetles are large, armored, fast-moving, with prominent, powerful, sharp mandibles. Some are diurnal predators in semi-arid habitats, some are nocturnal.

The genus is one of a group of similar taxa of predatory Carabidae that has been the subject of considerable nomenclatural confusion. Several species here and elsewhere included within the genus Anthia are occasionally referred to as belonging to the non-existent genus Thermophilum (e.g. Anthia fornasinii referred to as Thermophilum fornasinii[2]), because the spelling has experienced a range of errors; the spelling that is valid under the ICZN and currently accepted is Termophilum[3][4] but Thermophilum (an unjustified emendation of Termophilum) and Thermophila (a junior homonym of a valid genus name in the order Lepidoptera) have been variously used in the past, as well as the misspelling "Thermophilium".[5][6][7]

Species

Anthia cavernosa
Anthia cinctipennis
Anthia decemguttata
Anthia hexasticta
Anthia omoplata

The genus Anthia includes the following species:[8]

References

  1. C. H. Scholtz & E. Holm (1985). Insects of southern Africa. Butterworths. p. 195.
  2. Picker, Griffiths & Weaving (2004). Field Guide to Insects of South Africa, Struik
  3. Termophilum Basilewsky 1950 Bull. Soc. ent. Fr. 55 80.
  4. "Termophilum - Thermophila - search engine". Ubio.org. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
  5. Schmidt, A.D. & Gruschwitz, M. "Artenspektrum, Systematik, Verbreitung und biographische Zuordnung von Laufkaefern der Gattungen Anthia Weber und Thermophilium Basilewsky (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Anthiini) im suedlichen Afrika. pub:Naturwissenschaftlichen Museums der Stadt Aschaffenburg 2002.
  6. Urich, Klaus. ; Comparative animal biochemistry. Pub: Springer, 1994. ISBN 978-3-540-57420-0
  7. "Nomenclator Zoologicus". Ubio.org. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  8. "Anthia Weber, 1801: 17". Carabidae of the World. 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  9. Kolbe, H. J. (1894). "Die Coleopteren-Fauna Central-Afrikas". Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung. 55 (4–6): 201.
  10. Kolbe, H. J. (1894). "Die Coleopteren-Fauna Central-Afrikas". Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung. 55 (4–6): 200.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.