''Hypocephalus armatus'', the mole beetle, is a species of

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

in the family Vesperidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Hypocephalus''. Both the genus and species were first described by

Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest (6 March 1784 – 4 June 1838) was a French Zoology, zoologist and author. He was the son of Nicolas Desmarest and the father of Eugène Anselme Sébastien Léon Desmarest. Career Desmarest was a disciple of Georges Cu ...

in 1832. It is found in Brazil and is popular in museums and collections for its curiosity value and adaptations to digging in soil that make them appear outwardly similar to the

mole cricket Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole" * Golden mole, southern African mammals * Marsupial mole, Australian mammals Other common meanings * Nevus, a growth on human skin ** Melanocytic nevus, a specific type of ...

Description

''Hypocephalus armatus'' can reach a body length of about . This rare species has an evident

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

, as the very strong legs of the males are more developed than in females. It is similar in appearance to a

through

convergent evolution Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last comm ...

. In both sexes the flight wings are absent, the prothorax is ovoid and shiny black, the dark brown elytra are fused together and the hind legs are much heavier than the others and adapted for digging. Adult males can be found from November to March, usually after the rains, when they dig into the soil. The exceptional adaptations and taxonomic features have puzzled taxonomists since its description in 1832. It has been placed in the past in a family of its own, Hypocephalidae, followed by placement within the Cerambycidae. It is now placed within the family Vesperidae although molecular studies have not confirmed its placement.

Distribution

This species is found in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, in the north of Minas Gerais and southern Bahia. It has a

fossorial A fossorial animal () is one that is adapted to digging and which lives primarily (but not solely) underground. Examples of fossorial vertebrates are Mole (animal), moles, badgers, naked mole-rats, meerkats, armadillos, wombats, and mole salamand ...

habit and lives in underground galleries.

References

External links

BioLib

Worldwide Cerambycoidea Photo Gallery

Coleoptera-atlas

Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservacao da Biodiversidade
* Charles Leonard Hogue
Latin American Insects and Entomology
Vesperidae {{Chrysomeloidea-stub