Alexiidae

Alexiidae
	Sphaerosoma pilosum (Panzer, 1793) Size: 1.5 mm.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Infraorder:	Cucujiformia
Superfamily:	Coccinelloidea
Family:	Alexiidae; Imhoff, 1856
Genus:	Sphaerosoma; Stephens, 1832
Synonyms
	Sphaerosoma Samouelle, 1819 (Nom. Nud.); Alexia Stephens, 1833; Hygrotophila Chevrolat in Dejean, 1836; Lamprosphaerula Apfelbeck, 1910; Neosphaerula Apfelbeck, 1910; Arthrosphaerula Apfelbeck, 1915;

Alexiidae is a family of beetles. It contains a single genus, Sphaerosoma, formerly included within the family Cerylonidae, with around 50 species which are native to the western Palearctic. Species of Sphaerosoma are very small, around 1 to 2 mm in length rounded beetles with clubbed antennae. They are fungivores, having been observed feeding on mushrooms, and have also been found in leaf litter and on decaying bark.^[1]

Taxonomy

There has been considerable confusion regarding the type species and authorship of the genus; most older sources consider the author and species to be Sphaerosoma quercus Samouelle, 1819. That name is now considered to be a nomen nudum, and the valid name for Samouelle's species is Sphaerosoma piliferum (Müller, 1821). The type species is now considered to be Sphaerosoma quercus Stephens, 1832, which is itself a junior synonym of Sphaerosoma pilosum (Panzer, 1793).^[2] Alexiidae has been recovered as part of the superfamily Coccinelloidea as the sister group of Latridiidae.^[3]

Species

Sphaerosoma algiricum (Reitter, 1889)
Sphaerosoma alutaceum (Reitter, 1883)
Sphaerosoma antennarium Apfelbeck, 1909
Sphaerosoma apuanum Reitter, 1909
Sphaerosoma bicome Peyerimhoff, 1917
Sphaerosoma bosnicum (Reitter, 1885)
Sphaerosoma carniolicum Apfelbeck, 1915
Sphaerosoma carpathicum (Reitter, 1883)
Sphaerosoma circassicum (Reitter, 1888)
Sphaerosoma clamboides (Reitter, 1888)
Sphaerosoma compressum (Reitter, 1901)
Sphaerosoma corcyreum (Reitter, 1883)
Sphaerosoma csikii Apfelbeck, 1915
Sphaerosoma diversepunctatum Roubal, 1932
Sphaerosoma fiorii Ganglbauer, 1899
Sphaerosoma globosum (Sturm, 1807)
Sphaerosoma hemisphaericum Ganglbauer, 1899
Sphaerosoma hispanicum Obenberger, 1917
Sphaerosoma laevicolle (Reitter, 1883)
Sphaerosoma latitarse Apfelbeck, 1915
Sphaerosoma lederi (Reitter, 1888)
Sphaerosoma leonhardi Apfelbeck, 1915
Sphaerosoma libani Sahlberg, 1913
Sphaerosoma maritimum (Reitter, 1904)
Sphaerosoma merditanum Apfelbeck, 1915
Sphaerosoma meridionale (Reitter, 1883)
Sphaerosoma nevadense (Reitter, 1883)
Sphaerosoma normandi Peyerimhoff, 1917
Sphaerosoma obscuricorne Obenberger, 1917
Sphaerosoma obsoletum (Reitter, 1883)
Sphaerosoma paganetti Obenberger, 1913
Sphaerosoma piliferum (Müller, 1821)
Sphaerosoma pilosellum (Reitter, 1877)
Sphaerosoma pilosissimum (Frivaldszky, 1881)
Sphaerosoma pilosum (Panzer, 1793)
Sphaerosoma pubescens (Frivaldszky, 1881)
Sphaerosoma punctatum (Reitter, 1878)
Sphaerosoma puncticolle (Reitter, 1883)
Sphaerosoma purkynei Obenberger, 1917
Sphaerosoma rambouseki Apfelbeck, 1916
Sphaerosoma reitteri (Ormay, 1888)
Sphaerosoma rotundatum Obenberger, 1913
Sphaerosoma scymnoides (Reitter, 1885)
Sphaerosoma seidlitzi (Reitter, 1889)
Sphaerosoma shardaghense Apfelbeck, 1915
Sphaerosoma solarii Reitter, 1904
Sphaerosoma sparsum Reitter, 1909
Sphaerosoma sturanyi Apfelbeck, 1909
Sphaerosoma subglabrum Peyerimhoff, 1917
Sphaerosoma sublaeve (Reitter, 1883)
Sphaerosoma tingitanum Peyerimhoff, 1917
Sphaerosoma vallambrosae (Reitter, 1885)
Sphaerosoma winneguthi Apfelbeck, 1915

References

^ Ślipinśki, Adam and Tomaszewska, Wioletta. "10.30. Alexiidae Imhoff, 1856". Volume 2 Morphology and Systematics (Elateroidea, Bostrichiformia, Cucujiformia partim), edited by Willy Kükenthal, Richard A.B. Leschen, Rolf G. Beutel and John F. Lawrence, Berlin, New York: De Gruyter, 2011, pp. 432-434.
^ Löbl, I.; Smetana, A., eds. (2010). "Errata for Volume 4". Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Volume 6. Chrysomeloidea. Stenstrup, Denmark: Apollo Books. ISBN 978-87-88757-84-2.
^ Cai, Chenyang; Tihelka, Erik; Giacomelli, Mattia; Lawrence, John F.; Ślipiński, Adam; Kundrata, Robin; Yamamoto, Shûhei; Thayer, Margaret K.; Newton, Alfred F.; Leschen, Richard A. B.; Gimmel, Matthew L.; Lü, Liang; Engel, Michael S.; Bouchard, Patrice; Huang, Diying (March 2022). "Integrated phylogenomics and fossil data illuminate the evolution of beetles". Royal Society Open Science. 9 (3): 211771. doi:10.1098/rsos.211771. ISSN 2054-5703. PMC 8941382. PMID 35345430.

External links

Alexiidae Tree of Life
Data related to Alexiidae at Wikispecies

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[:0-1] Ślipinśki, Adam and Tomaszewska, Wioletta. "10.30. Alexiidae Imhoff, 1856". Volume 2 Morphology and Systematics (Elateroidea, Bostrichiformia, Cucujiformia partim), edited by Willy Kükenthal, Richard A.B. Leschen, Rolf G. Beutel and John F. Lawrence, Berlin, New York: De Gruyter, 2011, pp. 432-434.

[2] Löbl, I.; Smetana, A., eds. (2010). "Errata for Volume 4". Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Volume 6. Chrysomeloidea. Stenstrup, Denmark: Apollo Books. ISBN 978-87-88757-84-2.

[3] Cai, Chenyang; Tihelka, Erik; Giacomelli, Mattia; Lawrence, John F.; Ślipiński, Adam; Kundrata, Robin; Yamamoto, Shûhei; Thayer, Margaret K.; Newton, Alfred F.; Leschen, Richard A. B.; Gimmel, Matthew L.; Lü, Liang; Engel, Michael S.; Bouchard, Patrice; Huang, Diying (March 2022). "Integrated phylogenomics and fossil data illuminate the evolution of beetles". Royal Society Open Science. 9 (3): 211771. doi:10.1098/rsos.211771. ISSN 2054-5703. PMC 8941382. PMID 35345430.

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