Protomeloe crowsoni
a new epeciee of a new tribe (Protomeloini) of the blieter beetlee (Coleoptera, Meloidae), with remarke on a
poetulated new pheromone (cantharidin)t
By MoEAMMAD ABDULLAH 2
Depa.lment of Zoology, Universitt of neading, Englatld
Abstract
A nel Brazilian spe(ies (P.olomeloe crolDsonit of lhe geDus Protomeloe -{bdullAh, bc- loDgiDg lo a primitile and D€\. trihe (ProlonreloiDi) of the blister beetle famil]- Ileloidae is described from tllo nrale specimens in the British }Iuseum (Nalural Hisiory) London.
\(€loidac appears to ha\.e eyolved from anlhicid sncestors and Ptototueloe senes lo con- nect \leloidae silh lnthicidae in a ph]'logenetic sense. .{ lres' pheronrone, 3: 6-epo\]'- l: 2- dim€thtl- l :2-dicarbor! lic anhldride (Cantharidin) is discorered *'hich appears lo be re-
sponsible for the gregarious behariour of .{nlhicidae and \teloidae and is a ser-allractant for Anlhicidae (including Pedilidac oxcrt.) and possiblJ Protomeloini.
Dr. Roy A. Crowson kindly brought to my notice the trvo male specimens
of a rrew species of Protomeloe Abdullah in the British Museum collection which I have the pleasure of naming in his honour and describing belo\y.
.{fter considedng the new classification of the family Nleloidae proposed by Selander (1964), I am norv convinced that my earlier suggestion of placing;
Protoneloe in a nerv tribe (Protomeloini) should be follorved for the reusons
gilen earlier lAbdullah. 196-l b).
The following additional characters of the genus Ptotomeloe were dis- covered in the presenl study: pronotum slighlly longer than wide to slightl-v
wider than long; nredian tobe of the male with one or two hooks. latter recun'ed or not. .{ ke1' to the known species follows.
Key to the Epeciee of Protomeloe Abdullah
Ell-tron bro$n, pit at ape! nearly as *'ide as long; eleyenth antennal segment shorter than tenth segmeut (Fig. lO); lateral lobes of tegmen narrorr' (.{bdullah, 196{ b, Fi8. lll; median lobe rrith t$'o short, recurled apical hooks (Abdullah, 196{b, Figs, l0-f 2); Ar8entina , . . -.. - - P. argcnlinensis Alrdullah El-r-tron black r-ith a large central yellow aree, pit at apex more than ts'ice lvider than long (Fig. 2); elelenth antennal seSment longer than tenth segment (Fi8. 1);
I Paper number 3l on Coleoptera.
t No\r Postdoctoml Fello\., l)epartrnenl of Entomotogy, llccill University, llacdonald College P.O.. Quebec, Canada.
Entonol. Tt. *o- 86. H. I-2.1 5
l{31
1+ ]\IOHATIMAD ABDULI,AII
8 lo
lateral lobes of tegmen s-ide and laterally comprcssed (Figs. 7, 8); median lobe
\r'ith a single, long, nearly straight, hook-like structure at apex (Figs. 7, 9);
Brazil ... ,....-. P- crousoni, ne$ species
Protnmelne croutonio nerv species iFigs. l-9)
Holotgpe. I\{ale (author's No. 6f7), BRAZIL, Espirito Santo (Schmidt, e.r. coIL Fry, 1905), in the British Museum (Natural History) London.
Colour. Head rufous but eyes, antennae and palpi fuscous to black; pro- thorax rufousi legs fulvous, \\ith distal tarsal segments dark brown; ell.tron black with a large, central area yellor , apical pitted area griseous; ventral abdominal sternites f uscous.
Irestilure. Pubescence consisting of short. decumbelrt, luteous to fulvous
hairsl longer, subercct hairs of similar and darker colours present along lateral margins of head, pronotum and elytral a pitted aDd roughly rectan-
En onol. Ts. -iro. 86. E. l -2. 19Ai 3
4
5
9
7
2 6 I
Figs. l-10. Protomeloe crorrroni. ne\A species, holotJ'pe, male. l--9: l, ,{pical tso anlennal segments; 2, righl elytron, dorsal vie\li 3, seventh slernite; {, seventh lergite;5, eiShlh sternite;6, eightb tergite; 7, aedeagus, Iateral view; E. tegmen. ventnl de$'i 9. media[ lobe, renlro-laleral \iew. P.otomeloe drgentinen$is Abdullah. holot!'pe, male. l0: -{pical two
anlennal se8menls.
PROTO}TELOE CROWSONI {5 gular area on apex of each elvtron with fine, small hairs. Compared with P. argenlinensis, denser.
Puncturcs- !-ine; sparse, separated by a distance usually greater thaD dia- meter of a punclure, coarsest on head.
Ilead. \rerter rvithout a prominent, anteriorly forked median line. Fronto-
cllpeal and clypeolabral sulci distinct. Labrum truncate at apex. Apex of mandible nearly blurrt: prostheca narrorr', fringed. -{pical segment of maxil- lary palp nearly twice as long as third segment. Antenna with first two seg-
ments glabrous, rest scabrous; apical segment longesl.
Thornc. Pronotum sli6htly wider than long, \yithout a median sulcus.
Shape of elytron as in Fig. 2.
-lbdonvn. Seventh (:fifth visible) sternite entire, very slightly, medially produced at apex (Fig.3). Seventh tergite roughly four-sided, not appreciably produced at apex (F'ig. +). Eighth sternite deeply emarginate at apex, com- pared with preceding sternites lii;hter in colour ald less sclerotized (Fig. 5).
Eighth tergite entire trt apex. rvith a characteristic crescentic, membranous area just above base (Fig. 6). .{edeagus tleguren+median lobe) as in Figs.
7-9: lateral lobes I : parameres) of tegmen (parameres +basal-piece) wide and laterally compressedr medinn lobe with a single. long, nearly straight hook-like structure at apex.
)Ieusurements in lrm. Total length 5.5. Antennal length: total 2.51; seg-
ments I-XI: 0.25, 0.14. 0.21, 0.19, 0.20, 0.20, 0.20, 0.23, O.24, O.25. and 0.40 respectil'ely. Ifaxillarl' palp: total length 0.{7: segments I-lY: 0.0{. 0.14.
0.10 and 0.19 respectively. Head: width across eyes 1.02: minimum dorsal inlerocrrlar distance 0.72. \linimum width of neck 0.23. Pronolum: length 0.87: s'idth at apex 0.{l: maximum rvidth:rvidth at middle 1.02i width at base 0.8{. Elytron: length 3.51: maximum rvidth 0.96. Front tarcus: total length 0.82: segments I-Y: 0.25,0.15, 0.11. 0.08 and 0.23 respectivelv. \Iiddle tarsus: total length 0.98; segments I-V:0.35, 0.16,0.14,0.08 and 0.25 respec- tively. Hind tarsus: total length 1.13: segments I-I\':0.50.0.22. 0.11 and 0.27 respectivelv. Hind tibial spur 0.15.
Paratgpe. I male, \yith the same data as holotype. in the B. lI. l\. H.).
Differs from the holotype as follows: e)'es light brown with blackish tinge.
The abdomen is missing from the specinren. The melendosternite or furca is clearly visible in a poslerio-ventral vier*-. Total lenglh 5.5 mm.
Remarks. 'fhe onll' locality data accompanving the specimens is 'Espirito Salto' which could be one of several places in Brazil. Since the locality
(20.20 s., .10.10 w.) on the Atlantic coast, north of Rio de .Ianeiro, is a better known one, I tentatively regard this as the type locality. The other localities are more in the interior, less knorvn and less likel-y to have been visited.
The fenrale and the immature stages of this species remain to be dis- covered.
In nry earlier paper on P. arglentinensis,I expressed the view that '. . . this is the most primitive known species of Meloidae' (,{bdullah. 1964b). I hold to this opinion even after the discovery of this second species of the primitive
€lenus. I think that Selander is right in regarding the presence of t\vo hooks on the median lobe of the aedeagus as a primitive ch.rracter of Meloinae (Selander, 1961: 107-l). Hon'ever. I disagree with Selander in not reglarding
Enk ol. Ts. lto.86. . 1-2,1045
{6 ]\IOIIA]\{}IAD ABDL-L]-A}I
Fi8. ll, Protomcloe oryentincnsis Abdullah. holotype.
male, in the collection of the California -{cademy of Scieoces, San f-raDcisco. ll division on the scale:
I mml.
Elelico as the most primitive genus of \Ieloidae. \Yhether or not his action in placing oI Eletictt in a new subfamily is justified, I consider there is good reason for placing Prolomeloe in a distinct subfamily, occupyiug a nrore or less intermediate position betr een Anthicids lincluding Pedilids) and olher Meloids. If it is considered useful to reduce the number of families rvithin the section Heteromera of the superfamily Cucujoidea. one should think of merging the families "{,nthicidae and Meloidae.
Cantlaridin, a new pheromone
.{ccording to the definition of Karlson and Butenandt (1959). pheromones are'substances which are secreted to the or.rtside of an individual and re- ceived by a second individual of the same species, in which they release a
specific action. for example a definite behaviour or developmental process'.
As noted by Butler (1964), these ectoharmones exclude optical and nrech- anical releasers as rvell as token stimuli of host plants. It is highly probable that males of lhe family .{nthicidae which have elytral glands and, by infer- ence, males of Protomeloini secrete a chemical attractant or pheromone
which promotes aggregation in the field and brings the two sexes together.
The chenical seems to be Cantharidin which is known to occur in lleloidae and which is also known to attract ntales and to a Iesser extent females of anthicid beetles with elytral glands in lhe species (Abdullah, 1964 b, Tabte I).
Entonol. Ts. 1r0.86- U. 1-2, 1965
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l1PROTO]\{ELOE CROWSONI 41
Cantharidin (C10HpO1) is 3:6-epoxy-1:2-dimethyl-1:2-dicarboxylic an-
hYdride: cH -cHr
H,c '/L\ c/- {o
u,c1?)c.-?oo
CH CHT
The formula is by Gadamer and has been confirmed by a svnthesis due to Ziegler (Raphael, 1953:243). Cantharidin has also been synthesized by Stock, Tamelen, Friedman and Burgstahler (1953).
Olfactory sex-attractants of known chemical structure are few. Those which have been isolated from insects other lhan beetles are: 'Gyptol' lAcree, 1953), an alcohol, l0-acetoxy- 1-hydroxy-cis-7-hexadecene, produced by the fenrale gypsy moth, Portftetrio dispar L. (Jacobson, Beroza and Jones, 1960) ;
'Bombykol', produced by the female silk moth, Bombgr mori L. (Butenandt.
Beckmann and Hecker, 1961) which is a lwo fold unsaturated alcohol, the double bonds of which are conjugated as follows: [CHs-CH:-CHg-CH:
:CH - CH:CH (CHe)s-CHeOHl (Butenandt, Beckmann and Stamm, 1961);
in the honey bee (.Apis mellileral, a pheromone 9-oxodec-lr.rns-2-enoic acid
- [CHr-CO- (CHg)e-CH:CH-COOH] -, controlling queen-rearing which has been isolated, identified and synthesized (Butler, Callow and Johnston, 1961: Butler, 1964) ; the pheromone from females of the.{.merican cockroach, Periploneta americana L. which is 2,2-dimethyl-3-isopropylidene-cycloprop-vl propionate (Jacobson, Beroza and Yamamoto, 1963).
.A.n unidentified pheromone produced by males of an aposematic distaste-
ful lycid beetle, lycus lorfpes (Chevrolat) has been found by Eisner and Kafatos (1962) in field experimenls to attract both sexes of the species.
Cantharidin appears to be responsible for the gregarious behaviour of both meloid and anthicid beetles in the field. Selarder (1964: 1041) believes that there is a visual element involved in lhe gregarious behaviour of beetles of the genus Pyrota (Meloidae) although he considers it not improbable that one or both sexes produce an attractant chemical. My experiments on the
attraclion of Nolocus monocetos (Anthicidae) to Cantharidin at Frilford Heath (England) and Aberlady Bay (Scotland) (Abdullah, 1964 a), and those
of Eisner and Kafatos (1962) on L. Ioipes (Lycidae) in Arizona are good evidence that a chemical olfactory attractant is responsible for the gregarious behaviour. ln Pgrota (Meloidae), as in the case of mayflies (Speith, 19-10),
it is possible that aphrodisiacs come into play after the pair have been brought together by sex-attractants which could be visual in nature. Aphrodisiacs are employed by one or other sex to stimulate the opposite sex to copulate and may or may not be identical with the sex-attraclant pheromones (Butler, 196-l:6E).
Acknowledgmente
I x'ish to record my thanks to the folloviag: Dr. Ro1'A. Crowson and Dr. I\I. Ian Crichton for crilically reading the manuscript; the authorities of the British r\Iuseum
(Natural History) for the loan of the specimens; and the Research Board of the University of Reading for the award of a Postgraduale Sludentship.
Eltotnol. Ts. -1ro- 86- Il. I -2, 1 5
{8 TIOH.{V\TAD ,\BDULLAH Re{erences
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Entof,ol- T$. ,1,t . 86. H. l-2, 1 5
