''Amara'' is a large
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
carabid 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, commonly called the sun beetles. Many are
holarctic
The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical reg ...
, but a few
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
are
neotropical
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In biogeogra ...
or occur in eastern
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
.
These
ground beetle
Ground beetles are a large, cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family (biology), family of beetles, the Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, around 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe. As of 2015, it ...
s are mostly black or bronze-colored, and many species have a characteristic "bullet-shaped" habitus, as shown in the photos, making them taxonomically difficult for a beginner. They are predominantly
herbivorous
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat n ...
, with some species known to climb ripening grasses to feed on the seeds. Other species are used as
weed control
Weed control is a type of pest control, which attempts to stop or reduce growth of weeds, especially noxious weeds, with the aim of reducing their competition with desired flora and fauna including domesticated plants and livestock, and in natu ...
agents. Numerous species are adventive in non-native habitats, particularly species that thrive in
synanthropic
A synanthrope (from ancient Greek σύν ''sýn'' "together, with" and ἄνθρωπος ''ánthrōpos'' "man") is an organism that evolved to live near humans and benefit from human settlements and their environmental modifications (see also ...
settings.
Gallery
File:Amara.communis.-.calwer.06.12.jpg, ''A. communis''
File:Amara.fulva.-.calwer.06.13.jpg, ''A. fulva''
File:Amara.lunicollis.-.calwer.06.11.jpg, ''A. lunicollis''
File:Amara ovata.ogv, ''A. ovata''
Subgenera
The following are subgenera of ''Amara'':
* ''Acorius''
Zimmermann, 1831
* ''Allobradytus''
Iablokoff-Khnzorian, 1975
* ''Amara''
Bonelli, 1810
* ''Amarocelia''
Motschulsky, 1862
* ''Amathitis''
Zimmermann, 1831
* ''Ammoleirus''
Tschitscherine, 1899
* ''Ammoxena''
Tschitscherine, 1894
* ''Armatoleirides''
Tanaka, 1957
* ''Atlantocnemis''
Antoine, 1953
* ''Bradytodema''
Hieke, 1983
* ''Bradytulus''
Tschitscherine, 1894
* ''Bradytus''
Stephens, 1827
* ''Camptocelia''
Jeannel, 1942
* ''Celia''
Zimmermann, 1832
* ''Cribramara''
Kryzhanovskij, 1964
* ''Cumeres''
Andrewes, 1924
* ''Curtonotus''
Stephens, 1827
* ''Eoleirides''
Tschitscherine, 1898
* ''Harpaloamara''
Baliani, 1934
* ''Harpalodema''
Reitter Reitter is a German language, German occupational surname, which means a "mounted soldier" or "knight", from the Middle High German ''ritære'' ("equestrianism, horseman"). Notable people with the surname include:
* Edmund Reitter (1845–1920), a ...
, 1888
* ''Heterodema''
Tschitscherine, 1894
* ''Hyalamara''
Tschitscherine, 1903
* ''Leiocnemis''
Zimmermann, 1831
* ''Leiramara''
Hieke, 1988
* ''Leirides''
Putzeys, 1866
* ''Leiromorpha''
Ganglbauer, 1891
* ''Leironotus''
Ganglbauer, 1892
* ''Leuris''
Lutshnik, 1927
* ''Microleirus''
Kryzhanovskij, 1974
* ''Neopercosia''
Hieke, 1978
* ''Paracelia''
Bedel, 1899
* ''Paraleirides''
Sainte-Claire Deville, 1906
* ''Parapercosia''
Tschitscherine, 1899
* ''Percosia''
Zimmermann, 1832
* ''Phaenotrichus''
Tschitscherine, 1898
* ''Phanerodonta''
Tschitscherine, 1894
* ''Polysitamara''
Kryzhanovskij, 1968
* ''Pseudoamara''
Baliani, 1934
* ''Pseudocelia''
Lutshnik, 1935
* ''Pseudoleirides''
Kryzhanovskij, 1968
* ''Pseudoleiromorpha''
Hieke, 1981
* ''Reductocelia''
Lafer, 1989
* ''Shunichius''
Habu, 1972
* ''Xanthamara''
Bedel, 1899
* ''Xenocelia''
Hieke, 2001
* ''Zabrocelis''
Putzeys, 1866
* ''Zezea''
Csiki, 1929
See also
*
List of ''Amara'' species
References
* Haghebaert, G. (1989). ''Coleoptera from marine habitats'', in: Wouters, K.; Baert, L. (Ed.) (1989). Proceedings of the Symposium "Invertebrates of Belgium". pp. 301–308
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
''Amara'' Bonelli 1810
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1754819
Pterostichinae
Carabidae genera
Taxa named by Franco Andrea Bonelli
Articles containing video clips