| Tar darkling beetles | |
|---|---|
| |
| S. aeneus, subtribe Trachynotina | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Tenebrionidae |
| Subfamily: | Pimeliinae |
| Tribe: | Sepidiini |
| Genus: | Somaticus Hope, 1840 |
The tar darkling beetles (Somaticus) are an Afrotropical genus of darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae). Adults are omnivorous scavengers, and the larvae, known as false wireworms, feed on plant roots. The larvae of several species are known to damage maize crops. The adults are matte black with longitudinal ridges on the pronotum and elytra, and may be covered in hairs of different colours.
Species include:
- Somaticus aeneus Solier, 1843
- Somaticus angulatus (Fahraeus)
- Somaticus cinctus Haag-Rutenberg, 1873
- Somaticus damarinus (Peringuey, 1904)
- Somaticus distinctus Peringuey, 1892
- Somaticus geniculatus
- Somaticus haagi Peringuey, 1886
- Somaticus metropolis
- Somaticus spinosus Solier, 1843
- Somaticus terricola
- Somaticus vestitus
- Somaticus wahlbergi Haag-Rutenberg, 1873
References
- Hope, F. W. (1840). "Somaticus Hope". The Coleopterist's Manual. Vol. 3. London: J. C. Bridgewater. p. 117.
- ^ Picker, M.; et al. (2004). Field guide to Insects of South Africa. Cape Town: Struik. p. 232. ISBN 978-1-77007-061-5.
- Drinkwater, T.W. (1991). "Morphology of and key to the larvae of six somaticus spp coleoptera tenebrionidae". Journal of African Zoology. 105 (6): 509–536.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Somaticus | |