Iberodorcadion. Invertebrate having an articulated exoskeleton of chitin . The habitat of this wingless beetle is all those places where grasses grow (mountains, plains and riverbanks).
Summary
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- 1 Features
- 2 He lives
- 3 Evolution
- 1 Types of species
- 4 Conservation issues
- 5 Characteristics of some species
- 6 Fountains
Features
In spring, during the warmest hours of the day, with a little attention and patience, it is not difficult to observe these beetles , which look similar to the shell of a pipe, moving on the sand of a path, blending into the grass or hide under a stone.
For the Iberian fauna they represent one of the most original and emblematic groups, since the vast majority of the species described are exclusive to the Iberian Peninsula (endemic).
Habitat
The habitat of these wingless beetles are all those places where grasses grow (mountains, plains and riverbanks). Their life cycle is associated with these plants around which they live as adults (1 or 2 months) and in whose roots their larvae (1 or 2 years) develop.
Evolution
Its stable adaptation to the great variety of the peninsular lands has favored different evolutionary tendencies, which has generated a great polymorphism of populations, races and species. This fact has complicated the classifying work of entomologists for whom it is often very difficult to determine the morphological and phylogenetic limits between the different taxa.
However, and taking into account the different reviews and latest taxonomic proposals on the group, we can point out the following species within the genus Iberodorcadion (Breuning, 1943 ):
Species types
- abulense (Lauffer, 1902)
- aguadoi (Aguado & Tomé, 2000)
- albicans (Chevrolat, 1862)
- almarzense (Ladder, 1902)
- amori (Marseuil, 1856)
- aries (Tomé & Berger, 1999)
- becerrae (Lauffer, 1901)
- bolivari (Lauffer, 1898)
- brannani (Schaufuss, 1870)
- castilianum (Chevrolat, 1862)
- Circumcinctum (Chevrolat, 1862)
- coelloi (Verdugo, 1995)
- ferdinandi (Escalera, 1900)
- fuentei (Pic, 1899)
- soot (Linnaeus, 1758)
- ghilianii (Chevrolat, 1862)
- graellsii (Graëlls, 1858)
- grustani (González, 1992)
- heydenii (Kraatz, 1870)
- Spanish (Mulsant, 1851)
- isernii (Pérez-Arcas, 1864)
- corbi (Ganglbauer, 1884) .
- loarrense (Berger, 1997)
- lorquinii (Fairmaire, 1855)
- lusitanicum (Chevrolat, 1840)
- marinee (Tomé & Bahillo, 1996)
- marmottani (Ladder, 1900)
- martinezii (Pérez-Arcas, 1874)
- mimomucidum (Breuning, 1976)
- molitor (Fabricius, 1775)
- mosqueruelense (Staircase, 1902)
- mucidum (Dalman, 1817)
I.mus (Rosenhauer, 1856 )
- neilense (Escalera, 1902)
- nigrosparsum (Verdugo, 1993)
- ortunoi (Hernández, 1991)
- perezi (Graells, 1849)
- pseudomolitor (Ladder, 1902)
- segovianum (Chevrolat, 1862)
- seguntianum (K. & J. Daniel, 1898)
- seoanei (Graells, 1858)
- spinolae (Dalman, 1817)
- suturale (Chevrolat, 1862)
- terolense (Ladder, 1902)
- uhagonii (Pérez-Arcas, 1868)
- vanhoegaerdeni (Breuning, 1956)
- zarcoi (Schramm, 1910)
conservation problems
Although its predators are numerous ( reptiles , birds , small mammals and other arthropods ) it is the civilizing action of man (crops and constructions) that endangers and can make several of its populations disappear.
Characteristics of some species
Iberodorcadion seguntianum colonizes the mountains and steppes of the provinces of Soria , Guadalajara , Burgos and Segovia , being characterized by its notable polymorphism, especially its variable coloration and combination of pubescent bands and bare spaces. It is not uncommon to see him walking on paths or cleared land.
The striking morphology of Iberodorcadion aguadoi combines bare spaces, pubescent bands, and abundant shaggy setae. It inhabits hills in the provinces of Palencia and Valladolid , making it very difficult to observe as its movements are discreet and it is rarely found under stones. It is the last of the species described for the genus Iberodorcadion.
Characterized by its abundant pubescence and marked sexual dysmorphism, Iberodorcadion aries lives in the hills and moors of the province of León. In the first days of spring, it begins its activity moving among small grasses and hiding under stones.
Combining white bands on a black background, Iberodorcadion hispanicum inhabits the grasslands of the Sierra del Guadarrama ( Segovia and Madrid ). It is easy to see on sunny days in April and May , moving along the slopes and mountain roads.
