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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #382636
Research Project: Systematics of Beetles (Coleoptera) in Support of U.S. Agriculture, Arboriculture, and Biological Control of Pests

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: A new genus of the tribe Asidini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from South Africa, with description of two new species

Author
item KAMINSKI, MARCIN JAN - Northern Arizona University
item KANDA, KOJUN - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item SMITH, AARON DENNIS - Purdue University

Submitted to: Annales Zoologici
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/5/2021
Publication Date: 3/30/2021
Citation: Kaminski, M., Kanda, K., Smith, A. 2021. A new genus of the tribe Asidini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from South Africa, with description of two new species. Annales Zoologici. 71(1):195-200. https://doi.org/10.3161/00034541ANZ2021.71.1.009.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3161/00034541ANZ2021.71.1.009

Interpretive Summary: Darkling beetles are common pests in arid-land agricultural systems and in grain stores. Studying the global diversity of pestiferous groups help secure domestic resources from potential introduced species. In this study, we describe a new genus of darkling beetles from South Africa, and two new species. This study will be useful for evolutionary biologists interested in arid-land ecosystems, as well as port inspectors who need to identify native and non-native species.

Technical Abstract: A new genus (Saeculum gen. nov.) of South African endemic Asidini is described to accommodate two newly described species (Saeculum zoologicum sp. nov. – type species, and Saeculum merkli sp. nov.) and Saeculum tuberosum (Wilke, 1925) comb. nov. (previously treated as incertae sedis within Asidini). A key to the species is provided.