Family SCIRTIDAE

Museums

Regional Maps

Introduction

The Scirtidae has a worldwide distribution with the greatest diversity in the temperate regions although genera such as Scirtes Illiger and Ora Clark are mostly found in Tropical regions (Lawrence 1982). Many endemic genera occur in the Southern Hemisphere and New Zealand possesses a very rich fauna (Klimaszewski & Watt 1997). The family contains about 30 genera and 616 species worlwide (Lawrence 1982; recent literature). The Australian fauna contains 16 genera and 104 described species, following recent extyensive revision by Watts (2009, 2010a,b, 2011). Pope (1976) has pointed out that the family name Scirtidae has priority over those of the often used but incorrect names Cyphonidae, Elodidae and its incorrect emendation by Agassiz (1846) to Helodidae.

The first Australian scirtid to be described was Cyphon australis from Tasmania (Erichson 1842). Waterhouse (1877) described another two species both from Tasmania and Scirtes exoletus from Western Australia (Waterhouse 1880). Blackburn was the next author to make a major contribution to the Australia fauna when he described 16 species (Blackburn 1892a,1892b) as well as Helodes angulatus Blackburn (1894) from the Blue Mountains and Macrohelodes tasmanicus Blackburn (1897) from Tasmania. Lea (1895, 1908, 1910, 1919) made a minor contribution when he described four species including one that appears to be a cave-dwelling inhabitant and Carter (1935, 1937) described another seven species. Some 15 years later Armstrong (1953) began his revision of the Australian fauna erecting three new genera and 15 new species but it was never completed. Klausnitzer (1981) examined all of Blackburn's Helodes types and illustrated the genital segments of most. Recently Kitching & Allsopp (1987) described a new species of Prionocyphon Redtenbacher, an Holarctic genus not previously recorded from Australia, from specimens that had been collected from water-filled tree holes in Lamington National Park. Watts (2009, 2010a,b, 2011) has now revised the family.

Scirtids are common in cool temperate regions of Australia and adults are common on vegetation near water bodies and come readily to light at night. The larvae usually occur in lentic habitats such as ponds, marshes, bogs or even water-filled tree holes (Kitching & Allsopp 1987) but can occur in fairly damp rotten wood (Lawrence & Britton 1994). Other larval habitats include small slow-flowing streams, temporary puddles, water droplets on plant leaves, water held by the leaf bases of bromeliads and wet soil (Champion 1913; Knab 1913; Beier 1952; Striganova 1961). Beier (1952) considered scirtid larvae to be mainly filter feeding detritivores.

 

Excluded Taxa

SCIRTIDAE: Macrocyphon Pic, 1918, see Watts, C.H.S. 2011. Revision of Australian Scirtidae of the genera Chameloscyphon gen. nov., Daploeuros gen. nov., Dasyscyphon gen. nov., Eurycyphon gen. nov., Macrodascillus Carter, Petrocyphon gen. nov. and Spaniosdascillus gen. nov. (Coleoptera). Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 135(1): 66-110 [66 [Abstract]].

 

Diagnosis

Adult scirtids are oblong to ovoid, more or less flattened beetles ranging from 1.5 to 11 mm in length. The head is large and strongly deflexed and possesses a pair of sharp genal ridges that rest against the procoxae when the head is fully deflexed. The eyes are small and prominent, the antennae 11-segmented and filiform. The prothorax is short and transverse with large, projecting, transverse procoxae with exposed trochantins and reduced prosternal region. The procoxal cavities are open behind both internally and externally. The mesocoxae are contiguous and partly closed by the mesepisternum. The elytra have broad and complete epipleura. There are five visible abdominal sternites with the basal two usually connate and segment 8 lacks functional spiracles. Species of Scirtes Illiger have enlarged hind femora and are able to jump. The tarsi are 5-segmented with the fourth segment lobed ventrally. Hind coxal plates are present (Lawrence 1982; Lawrence & Britton 1994). Nyholm (1972) has shown how complex and variable the male genitalia are in this family.

Scirtid larvae are elongate, somewhat flattened and tapered posteriorly. The head is large and prognathous with 1 to 3 stemmata each side. The antennae are multi-segmented with the basal two segments enlarged. The mouthparts are complex with maxillary comb-hairs and comb-like hypopharyngeal armature. The mandibles have a ventral tubercle, transversely ridged mola, a spinose prostheca and incisor lobe with long setae. The abdominal apex has a single pair of large spiracles and five retractile anal papillae. Urogomphi are absent and the spiracles are reduced and non-functional (Bertrand 1972; LeSage 1991; Lawrence & Britton 1994). Treherne (1954) has shown that the anal papillae of Elodes minuta (Linnaeus) and E. marginata (Fabricius) are used in the active absorption of chloride ions from the environment to help maintain the salt content of haemolymph and have little significance as respiratory structures.

 

General References

Agassiz, L. 1846. Nomenclatoris Zoologici Index Universalis, continens nomina systematica classium, ordinum, familiarum et generum animalium omnium, tam viventium quam fossilium, secundum ordinem alphabeticum unicum disposita, adjectis homonymiis plantarum, nec non variis adnotationibus et emendationibus. Soloduri [= Solothurn, Switzerland] : Jent & Gassmann viii 393 pp. [published between 1846–1848]

Armstrong, J.W.T. 1953. On Australian Helodidae (Coleoptera). I. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 78: 19-32

Beier, M. 1952. Bau und Funktion der Mundwerkzeuge bei den Helodiden-Larven (Col.). Transactions of the Ninth International Congress of Entomology, Amsterdam 1: 135-138

Bertrand, H. 1972. Larves et Nymphes des Coléoptères Aquatiques du Globe. Paris : Paillart 804 pp. [Date published 12/31/1972]

Blackburn, T. 1892a. Notes on Australian Coleoptera, with descriptions of new species. Part X. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 6(3): 479-550 [Date published May 23, 1892]

Blackburn, T. 1892b. Notes on Australian Coleoptera, with descriptions of new species. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 7(2): 283-300 [Date published 22 Nov. 1892]

Blackburn, T. 1894. Notes on Australian Coleoptera with descriptions of new species. Part XIII. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 8: 185-208

Blackburn, T. 1897. Further notes on Australian Coleoptera, with descriptions of new genera and species. Part XXI. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 21: 28-39 [Date published Jul. 31, 1897]

Carter, H.J. 1935. Australian Coleoptera. Notes and new species. No. IX. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 60: 179-193

Carter, H.J. 1937. Some new Tenebrionidae in the South Australian Museum; together with notes and descriptions of other Australian Coleoptera. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 61: 121-144, pls V, VIII

Champion, G.C. 1913. Coleoptera, etc. in bromeliads. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 2 24: 2-7

Erichson, W.F. 1842. Beitrag zur Insecten-Fauna von Vandiemensland, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der geographischen Verbreitung der Insecten. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 8: 83-287

Kitching, R.L. & Allsopp, P.G. 1987. Prionocyphon niger sp. n. (Coleoptera: Scirtidae) from water-filled tree holes in Australia. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 26: 73-79

Klausnitzer, B. 1981. Bemerkungen zu einigen Helodes-Typen von Thomas Blackburn (1844-1912) und Jules Bourgeois (1846-1911) (Col., Helodidae). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift N.F. 28(1-3): 117-122

Klimaszewski, J. & Watt, J.C. 1997. Coleoptera: family-group review and keys to identification. (Fauna of New Zealand; no. 37). Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand : Manaaki Whenua Press 199 pp.

Knab, F. 1913. Larvae of Cyphonidae (Coleopt.) in Bromeliaceae. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 2 24: 54-55

Lawrence, J.F. 1982. Coleoptera. pp. 482-553 in Parker, S.P. (ed.). Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms. New York : McGraw Hill Vol. 2 vii 1232 pp.

Lawrence, J.F. & Britton, E.B. 1994. Australian Beetles. Melbourne : Melbourne University Press x 192 pp.

LeSage, L. 1991. Helodidae (Eucinetoidea) (=Cyphonidae, Scirtidae). pp. 366-369 in Stehr, F.W. (ed.). Immature Insects. Dubuque, Iowa : Kendall/Hunt Vol. 2 xvi 975 pp.

Lea, A.M. 1895. Descriptions of new species of Australian Coleoptera. Part II. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2 10: 224-319

Lea, A.M. 1908. The Coleoptera of King Island, Bass Strait. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria n.s. 20: 143-207

Lea, A.M. 1910. On some Tasmanian cave-inhabiting beetles. Tasmanian Naturalist 2: 53-58

Lea, A.M. 1919. Notes on some miscellaneous Coleoptera with descriptions of new species. Part V. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 43: 166-261

Nyholm, T. 1972. Zur Morphologie und Funktion des Helodiden-Aedoeagus (Col.). Entomologica Scandinavica 3: 81-119

Pope, R.D. 1976. Nomenclatorial notes on the British Scirtidae (=Helodidae) (Col.). Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 111: 186-187 [1975]

Striganova, B.R. 1961. Morpho-functional characters of Prionocyphon serricornis Mull. (Coleoptera, Helodidae) larvae in relation to their inhabitation of water. Entomological Review. Washington 40: 314-317

Treherne, J.E. 1954. Osmotic regulation in the larvae of Helodes (Coleoptera: Helodidae). Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 105(7): 117-130

Waterhouse, C.O. 1877. Descriptions of new Coleoptera from various localities. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 14: 23-28

Waterhouse, C.O. 1880. Descriptions of new Coleoptera belonging to the families Psephenidae and Cyphonidae. Cistula Entomologica 2: 563-573

Watts, C.H.S. 2009. Revision of Heterocyphon Armstrong, Peneveronatus Armstrong and Accolabass gen. nov. (Scirtidae: Coleoptera). Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 133(1): 108-149

Watts, C.H.S. 2011. Revision of Australian Scirtidae of the genera Chameloscyphon gen. nov., Daploeuros gen. nov., Dasyscyphon gen. nov., Eurycyphon gen. nov., Macrodascillus Carter, Petrocyphon gen. nov. and Spaniosdascillus gen. nov. (Coleoptera). Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 135(1): 66-110