Belinae
Encyclopedia
Belinae are a Gondwana
n subfamily of beetle
s which belong to the belids, primitive weevil
s of the family
Belidae
. Like in other belids, their antenna
e are straight, not elbowed as in the true weevils (Curculionidae
). The Belinae make up the bulk of the diversity of living belid genera
. They are found in the Australia
-New Guinea
-New Zealand
and South America
.
Of the three tribe
s placed here, the Pachyurini appear to hold the most primitive genera
, while the Agnesiotidini might be the most advanced one. The overall delimitation of tribes is not entirely robust though, and particularly the placement of the diverse Belini in respect to the Agnesiotidini is somewhat uncertain. The belids as a whole are of Jurassic
origin, and the Belinae must thus date from the Late Jurassic
or at most Early Cretaceous
, roughly some 150 million years ago.
(including the former Aglycyderinae) by a few characters: The scutellum of the Belinae is tipped upwards, with the base hidden by a flange at the elytra bases and the distal end pointing out between the wing bases. The sternite of the metathorax
is characteristically swollen. Microscopic
ally, it can be seen that their spermatheca
are sickle-shaped, well developed and darkly pigmented. The Agnesiotidini have a groove at the hind margin of the eye, which is missing in the other two tribes.
In the larva
e, the posterior margin of the pronotum is enlarged, with a more (Agnesiotidini and Belini) or less (Pachyurini) strongly thickened hind margin. In the Pachyurini, the larvae has an open and divided occipital foramen with ridges on the dorsal
emargination and the labrum and epipharynx have paired and divergent paramesal sclerotizations. These are also present but curved in the Agnesiotidini; the labrum-epipharynx of the Belini is unsclerotized. The maxillary malae are densely covered with seta
e in the Agnesiotidini, it has only a few setae in the others.
Their larva
e feed on wood
, mostly of Araucariaceae
. Certain Belini larvae also feed on the wood of Fabaceae
, while some Agnesiotidini take the wood of Myrtaceae
. Some Pachyurini larvae eat the developing fruits of Nothofagaceae. Like all Belini, they prefer diseased or dying plants or deadwood to healthy plants.
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
n subfamily of beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s which belong to the belids, primitive weevil
Weevil
A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than , and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae...
s of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Belidae
Belidae
Belidae is a family of weevils, called belids or primitive weevils because they have straight antennae, unlike the "true weevils" or Curculionidae which have elbowed antennae...
. Like in other belids, their antenna
Antenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
e are straight, not elbowed as in the true weevils (Curculionidae
Curculionidae
Curculionidae is the family of the "true" weevils . It was formerly recognized in 1998 as the largest of any animal family, with over 40,000 species described worldwide at that time...
). The Belinae make up the bulk of the diversity of living belid genera
Genera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
. They are found in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
-New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
-New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Of the three tribe
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...
s placed here, the Pachyurini appear to hold the most primitive genera
Genera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
, while the Agnesiotidini might be the most advanced one. The overall delimitation of tribes is not entirely robust though, and particularly the placement of the diverse Belini in respect to the Agnesiotidini is somewhat uncertain. The belids as a whole are of Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
origin, and the Belinae must thus date from the Late Jurassic
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 161.2 ± 4.0 to 145.5 ± 4.0 million years ago , which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata. In European lithostratigraphy, the name "Malm" indicates rocks of Late Jurassic age...
or at most Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
, roughly some 150 million years ago.
Description and ecology
Belinae typically have an elongated and cylindrical shape. They can be distinguished from the OxycoryninaeOxycoryninae
Oxycoryninae are subfamily of primitive weevils of the family Belidae, but sometimes treated as a distinct family Oxycorynidae. Like in other belids, their antennae are straight, not elbowed as in the true weevils , and their larvae feed on the wood of diseased or dying plants or on deadwood or...
(including the former Aglycyderinae) by a few characters: The scutellum of the Belinae is tipped upwards, with the base hidden by a flange at the elytra bases and the distal end pointing out between the wing bases. The sternite of the metathorax
Metathorax
The metathorax is the posterior of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the third pair of legs. Its principal sclerites are the metanotum , the metasternum , and the metapleuron on each side...
is characteristically swollen. Microscopic
Microscopic
The microscopic scale is the scale of size or length used to describe objects smaller than those that can easily be seen by the naked eye and which require a lens or microscope to see them clearly.-History:...
ally, it can be seen that their spermatheca
Spermatheca
The spermatheca , also called receptaculum seminis , is an organ of the female reproductive tract in insects, some molluscs, oligochaeta worms and certain other invertebrates and vertebrates...
are sickle-shaped, well developed and darkly pigmented. The Agnesiotidini have a groove at the hind margin of the eye, which is missing in the other two tribes.
In the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e, the posterior margin of the pronotum is enlarged, with a more (Agnesiotidini and Belini) or less (Pachyurini) strongly thickened hind margin. In the Pachyurini, the larvae has an open and divided occipital foramen with ridges on the dorsal
Dorsum (biology)
In anatomy, the dorsum is the upper side of animals that typically run, fly, or swim in a horizontal position, and the back side of animals that walk upright. In vertebrates the dorsum contains the backbone. The term dorsal refers to anatomical structures that are either situated toward or grow...
emargination and the labrum and epipharynx have paired and divergent paramesal sclerotizations. These are also present but curved in the Agnesiotidini; the labrum-epipharynx of the Belini is unsclerotized. The maxillary malae are densely covered with seta
Seta
Seta is a biological term derived from the Latin word for "bristle". It refers to a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms.-Animal setae:In zoology, most "setae" occur in invertebrates....
e in the Agnesiotidini, it has only a few setae in the others.
Their larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e feed on wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, mostly of Araucariaceae
Araucariaceae
Araucariaceae, commonly referred to as araucarians, is a very ancient family of coniferous trees. It achieved its maximum diversity in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, when it was distributed almost worldwide...
. Certain Belini larvae also feed on the wood of Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
, while some Agnesiotidini take the wood of Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae
The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...
. Some Pachyurini larvae eat the developing fruits of Nothofagaceae. Like all Belini, they prefer diseased or dying plants or deadwood to healthy plants.