Palirhoeus
| Palirhoeus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Palirhoeus eatoni | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Curculionidae |
| Genus: | Palirhoeus Kuschel 1971 |
| Species: | P. eatoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Palirhoeus eatoni (Waterhouse, 1876) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Ectemnorrhinus eatoni | |
Palirhoeus is a monospecific genus of beetle found on islands in the Sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean.[1]
Taxonomy
Palirhoeus eatoni is the only species within the genus Palirhoeus. This weevil species[2] was described in 1876 by the British entomologist C. O. Waterhouse who placed it in the genus Ectemnorrhinus.[3] In 1971, Chilean-New Zealand entomologist Guillermo Kuschel created the monospecific genus Palirhoeus.
Description
Palirhoeus eatoni is a weevil in the tribe Ectemnorhinini with seven larval instars.[4] Adult females are on average larger (4.4 mm) than males (3.9mm).[5] Adults are black or dark brown with a slight metalic sheen.[6] Thorax has keel-like ridge.[3]
Biology
Palirhoeus eatoni lives on the shoreline (in the littoral zone),[6] where it feeds on marine algae and lichens.[5] The species is tolerant of cold but cannot survive freezing.[1] This beetle is unusual in that it needs to osmoregulate to survive in both fresh and seawater.[2]
Distribution
This weevil species lives on islands in the Sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean: Heard Island, Crozet, Kerguelen, Prince Edward and McDonald Islands. A genetic signature of isolation by distance in this species suggests that it disperses via rafting.[6]
Conservation status
Palirhoeus eatoni is found on two of the islands in the Prince Edward island group, i.e. Marion Island (with mice) and Prince Edward Island (without mice) but as they are not eaten by mice the individuals from the different populations on the two islands cannot be distinguished on body size.[7] However, weevil samples collected over 50 years show signs of morphological change in this species (reduction in body size) associated with climate change.[8]
References
- ^ a b KLOK, C. JACO; CHOWN, STEVEN L. (2003). "Resistance to temperature extremes in sub-Antarctic weevils: interspecific variation, population differentiation and acclimation". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 78 (3): 401–414. doi:10.1046/j.1095-8312.2003.00154.x. ISSN 0024-4066.
- ^ a b van der Merwe, M.; Chown, S. L.; Smith, V. R. (1997). "Thermal tolerance limits in six weevil species (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from sub-Antarctic Marion Island". Polar Biology. 18 (5): 331–336. Bibcode:1997PoBio..18..331V. doi:10.1007/s003000050196. ISSN 1432-2056.
- ^ a b Waterhouse, C. O. (1876). "Description of a new species of Ectemnorrhinus from Kerguelen Land". Entomologist's Monthly Magazine. 13: 51–52.
- ^ Chown, S. L. (1993-01-01). "Instar number and mass of Palirhoeus eatoni (C. O. Waterhouse) and Bothrometopus randi Jeannel (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from subantarctic Marion Island". Coleopterists Bulletin. 47 (1): 69–73. ISSN 0010-065X.
- ^ a b Chown, S.; Klok, C. (2001). "Habitat use, diet and body size of Heard Island weevils". Polar Biology. 24 (9): 706–712. Bibcode:2001PoBio..24..706S. doi:10.1007/s003000100281. ISSN 1432-2056.
- ^ a b c Baird, Helena P.; Shin, Seunggwan; Oberprieler, Rolf G.; Hullé, Maurice; Vernon, Philippe; Moon, Katherine L.; Adams, Richard H.; McKenna, Duane D.; Chown, Steven L. (2021). "Fifty million years of beetle evolution along the Antarctic Polar Front". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 118 (24). Bibcode:2021PNAS..11817384B. doi:10.1073/pnas.2017384118. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 8214695. PMID 34108239.
- ^ Treasure, Anne M.; Chown, Steven L. (2014). Diez, Jeffrey (ed.). "Antagonistic effects of biological invasion and temperature change on body size of island ectotherms". Diversity and Distributions. 20 (2): 202–213. Bibcode:2014DivDi..20..202T. doi:10.1111/ddi.12153. ISSN 1366-9516.
- ^ Janse van Rensburg, Lindie (2007-08-24). A morphological analysis of weevils from sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands: an assessment of ecological influences (Thesis thesis). University of Pretoria. hdl:2263/27500.