''Rhaebus'' (from the Greek: ' curved) is a genus of metallic
bean weevils in the subfamily
Bruchinae
The bean weevils or seed beetles are a subfamily (Bruchinae) of beetles, now placed in the family Chrysomelidae, though they have historically been treated as a separate family. They are granivores, and typically infest various kinds of seeds ...
, and the only member of the tribe Rhaebini.
[Vencl, Fredric & Leschen, Richard. (2014). Vencl FV & Leschen RAB (2014) Chapter 2.7.6. Criocerinae Lattreille 1807. pp. 237- 242 In: Leschen RAB & Beutel RG (eds). Handbook of Zoology, Coleoptera Volume 3: Morphology and Systematics (Phytophaga). Walter de Gruyter, Berlin.. ] It is restricted to the Palearctic region.
Appearance
''Rhaebus'' beetles are small, measuring between 3-5 millimetres in length, and are metallic in colour, which is rare in members if the Bruchinae subfamily. Their bodies are elongated in shape, and the antennae vary.
Diet and life cycle
''Rhaebus'' beetles feed exclusively on plants of the genus ''
Nitraria
''Nitraria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Nitrariaceae, native to Africa, Europe, Asia, Russia and Australia.
There are about 9 species including:
*''Nitraria billardierei'' DC., known as nitre bush or dillon bush
*''Nitraria r ...
'', where their young also develop.
Taxonomic history
The genus was first described in 1824 by
Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim
Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim (russian: Григо́рий Ива́нович Фи́шер фон Ва́льдгейм, translit=Grigórij Ivánovič Fíšer fon Vál'dgejm; 13 October 1771 – 18 October 1853) was a Saxon anatomist, entomo ...
in his book ''Entomographie de la Russie''. He described it with only one species, ''
Rh. gebleri'', making the genus
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
.
[archive.org]
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Species creation & synonymy
* 1845: ''Rhaebus fischeri'' mentioned by Jean T. Lacordaire, not described.
* 1845: ''Rhaebus mannerheimi'' named and described by Victor Motschulsky
Victor Ivanovich Motschulsky (sometimes Victor von Motschulsky, russian: link=no, Виктор Иванович Мочульский, 11 April 1810, in St. Petersburg – 5 June 1871, in Simferopol) was a Russian entomologist mainly interested i ...
.
* 1866: ''Rhaebus sagroides'' named and described b
Simon Martinovitch Solsky
* 1867: ''Rhaebus beckeri'' named and described by Christian W. L. E. Suffrain. The original description (in German) i
available from Wikimedia Commons
* 1869: ''Rh. beckeri'' and ''Rh. sagroides'' synonymized with ''Rh. mannerheimi'' by Victor Motchulsky.
* 1879: ''Rhaebus solskyi'' proposed by Ernst Gustav Kraatz
Ernst Gustav Kraatz (13 March 1831 – 2 November 1909) was a German entomologist. He collected and described numerous beetles including Staphylinidae.
Kraatz was born in Berlin on 13 March 1831. He studied law in the University of Heidelber ...
.
* 1939: ''Rhaebus komarovi'' named and described by Fyodor Lukyanovich Fyodor Konstantinovich Lukyanovich (May 29, 1904 – January 17, 1942) was a Russian and Soviet entomologist who specialized in beetles belonging to the Bruchinae and Curculionoidea.
Lukyanovich was born in Poltava where he was educated before goi ...
.
* 1973: ''Rhaebus lukjanovitschi'' named and described by Margarita Ervandovna Ter-Minassian
Margarita Ervandovna Ter-Minassian (russian: Маргарита Ервандовна Тер-Минасян; 16 May 19109 April 1995) was a Soviet entomologist and specialist for weevils (Curculionoidea) and seed beetles
The bean weevils or s ...
.
* 2000: ''Rhaebus amnoni'' named and described by Igor Lopatin and Vladimir Chikatunov, after Dr. Amnon Freidberg.
* 2022: ''Rh. amnoni, Rh. komarovi,'' and ''Rh. mannerheimi'' synonymized with ''Rh. gebleri'' by Andrei Legalov.
Species
Since a taxonomic review in August 2022, ''Rhaebus'' has three species:Fischer von Waldheim
Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim (russian: Григо́рий Ива́нович Фи́шер фон Ва́льдгейм, translit=Grigórij Ivánovič Fíšer fon Vál'dgejm; 13 October 1771 – 18 October 1853) was a Saxon anatomist, entomol ...
, 1824 (=''Rh. mannerheimi, Rh. amnoni, Rh. komarovi) -'' Found in Turkey, Israel, Southern Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Inner Mongolia (China), and Kyrgyzstan.
* '' Rhaebus lukjanovitschi'' Ter-Minassian, 1973 - Found in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (China)
* '' Rhaebus solskyi'' Kraatz, 1879 - Found in Kazakhstan, Southern Russia, Mongolia, and China.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q11997728, from2=Q21447075
Bruchinae
Chrysomelidae genera
Taxa named by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim