Alexiidae is a family 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 ...
s. It contains a single genus, ''Sphaerosoma,'' formerly included within the family
Cerylonidae
Cerylonidae is a family of beetles in the superfamily Coccinelloidea. They are small to tiny (), smooth, shiny, hairless beetles, only lightly punctured. There are about 450 species worldwide in 50 or so genera, mostly tropical and subtropical. ...
, with around 50 species which are native to the western
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa.
Th ...
. 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.
[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.]
Taxonomy
There has been considerable confusion regarding the
type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
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). Alexiidae has been recovered as part of the superfamily
Coccinelloidea
Coccinelloidea is a superfamily of beetles in the order Coleoptera, formerly included in the superfamily Cucujoidea. There are more than 10,000 species in Coccinelloidea, including more than 6000 in the lady beetle family Coccinellidae.
Morphol ...
as the sister group of
Latridiidae
Latridiidae (sometimes spelled "Lathridiidae") is a family of tiny, little-known beetles commonly called minute brown scavenger beetles or fungus beetles. The number of described species currently stands at around 1050 in 29 genera but the number ...
.
Species
* ''
Sphaerosoma algiricum''
(Reitter, 1889)
* ''
Sphaerosoma alutaceum
''Sphaerosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. It contains three hypogeous (truffle
A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), ...
''
(Reitter, 1883)
* ''
Sphaerosoma antennarium''
Apfelbeck, 1909
* ''
Sphaerosoma apuanum''
Reitter, 1909
* ''
Sphaerosoma bicome''
Peyerimhoff, 1917
* ''
Sphaerosoma bosnicum
''Sphaerosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. It contains three hypogeous (truffle
A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), ...
''
(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
''Sphaerosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. It contains three hypogeous (truffle
A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), ...
''
Ganglbauer, 1899
* ''
Sphaerosoma hispanicum''
Obenberger, 1917
* ''
Sphaerosoma laevicolle
''Sphaerosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. It contains three hypogeous (truffle
A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus) ...
''
(Reitter, 1883)
* ''
Sphaerosoma latitarse''
Apfelbeck, 1915
* ''
Sphaerosoma lederi''
(Reitter, 1888)
* ''
Sphaerosoma leonhardi''
Apfelbeck, 1915
* ''
Sphaerosoma libani''
Sahlberg, 1913
* ''
Sphaerosoma maritimum''
(Reitter, 1904)
* ''
Sphaerosoma merditanum
''Sphaerosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. It contains three hypogeous (truffle
A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), ...
''
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
''Sphaerosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. It contains three hypogeous (truffle
A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), ...
''
(Reitter, 1877)
* ''
Sphaerosoma pilosissimum
''Sphaerosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. It contains three hypogeous (truffle
A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), ...
''
(Frivaldszky, 1881)
* ''
Sphaerosoma pilosum''
(Panzer, 1793)
* ''
Sphaerosoma pubescens
''Sphaerosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. It contains three hypogeous (truffle
A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), ...
''
(Frivaldszky, 1881)
* ''
Sphaerosoma punctatum''
(Reitter, 1878)
* ''
Sphaerosoma puncticolle''
(Reitter, 1883)
* ''
Sphaerosoma purkynei''
Obenberger, 1917
* ''
Sphaerosoma rambouseki
''Sphaerosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. It contains three hypogeous (truffle
A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), ...
''
Apfelbeck, 1916
* ''
Sphaerosoma reitteri''
(Ormay, 1888)
* ''
Sphaerosoma rotundatum''
Obenberger, 1913
* ''
Sphaerosoma scymnoides''
(Reitter, 1885)
* ''
Sphaerosoma seidlitzi
''Sphaerosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. It contains three hypogeous (truffle
A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), ...
''
(Reitter, 1889)
* ''
Sphaerosoma shardaghense''
Apfelbeck, 1915
* ''
Sphaerosoma solarii''
Reitter, 1904
* ''
Sphaerosoma sparsum''
Reitter, 1909
* ''
Sphaerosoma sturanyi
''Sphaerosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. It contains three hypogeous (truffle
A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), ...
''
Apfelbeck, 1909
* ''
Sphaerosoma subglabrum''
Peyerimhoff, 1917
* ''
Sphaerosoma sublaeve''
(Reitter, 1883)
* ''
Sphaerosoma tingitanum
''Sphaerosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. It contains three hypogeous (truffle
A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), ...
''
Peyerimhoff, 1917
* ''
Sphaerosoma vallambrosae''
(Reitter, 1885)
* ''
Sphaerosoma winneguthi''
Apfelbeck, 1915
References
External links
AlexiidaeTree of Life
*
Coccinelloidea
Polyphaga families
Monogeneric insect families
{{Polyphaga-stub