Halocoryza maindroni Alluaud, 1919:101

Four

Stable. Adelphotaxon: Schizogenius Putzeys, 1846

Equatorial to Tropic of Cancer; sea coasts and islands of east Africa – Comoros – Mayotte; Djibouti; Madagascar; Mauritius; Saudi Arabia; Somalia; and natural invasive from the Caribbean into west Africa – Cameroon; Ecuador – Galapagos Islands; Barbados; Brazil – Pernambuco; Dominican Republic; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Jamaica; México – BJ, GO, QR, YC; Panamá; Puerto Rico; USA – FL; Virgin Islands – St. John, St. Thomas

Sea beaches and mangrove intertidal zone

Bruneau de Miré (1979), Lorenz (2005), Peck (2006), Vinson (1956), Whitehead (1966)

The common name, Saline Catarrh Beetles, proposed here follows my principle of translating the scientific name as strictly as possible. In this case, “coryza” comes from the Greek, koryza, meaning cold, catarrh, as in disease. Why Alluaud named the genus so is not known.

Differing in adult attributes from those of its adelphotaxon, Schizogenius Putzeys, 1846, by the following: Pygidium not striate or with very subtly crenulate striae; antennomere 2 pluristose. In addition, mandibles prominent, nearly straight laterally, abruptly angulate near apices; lacinia asetose on outer margin; frontal carinae nearly perfectly regular, parallel, equidistant, and equally raised; frons evenly convex; neck not pitted or punctate dorsally; eyes reduced, bordered laterally by a distinct carina; gula broad; mentum not deeply emarginate at middle, with median tooth obsolete and epilobes short; tarsi short; paramedian carinae of sternum II short, widely spaced and poorly developed; median lobe of male genitalia neither arcuate nor abruptly deflexed in apical third; fused stylus and coxite of the ovipositor with one robust seta (Whitehead, 1966, 1972).

Sea beaches, intertidal lagoons on the edges of mangroves, and island shores of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, the Caribbean Sea, Sea of Cortés, and the Gulf of México.

The species list below, as well as arrangement of descriptions that follow is ordered alphabetically.

Native, New World. Ecuador – Galapagos Islands: Rábida (Jervis); México – OA.

Macrohabitat: Lowlands, sea level, in the intertidal zone of beaches. Microhabitat: Adults are ground-dwelling on saline soils. Dispersal abilities: Macropterous, capable of flight; slow runners. Seasonal occurrence: Adults have been found in March and August. Behavior: Nocturnal predators, adults are attracted to lights.

Peck (2006), Whitehead (1966). New data from CASC and NMNH collections.

Native, New World. Barbados; Brazil; Dominican Republic; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Jamaica; México – QR, YC; Panamá; Puerto Rico; USA – FL; Virgin Islands – St. John, St. Thomas; natural invasive, Africa – Cameroon.

Macrohabitat: Lowlands, sea level – 1 meter altitude, on sea beaches and in the intertidal area, at or near the high tide line, and in mangrove swamps. Microhabitat: Adults are ground-dwelling on exposed wet substrate consisting of coquina-coral cemented by very fine silt or sand and covered with seaweed mats. Dispersal abilities: Wing-polymorphic: macropterous form probably capable of flight; brachypterous form, consequently flightless thus vagility limited to walking or running; both forms slow runners. Seasonal occurrence: Adults have been found in March – April, July, and October. Behavior: Adults are nocturnal predaceous halobionts and take cover in the sand or under drift and piles of seaweed on the beach. Populations of this species are associated with the centipede Pectiniunguis halirrhytus Crabill. In the northern part of their range, adults overwinter in the substrate; in the southern part, they likely aestivate during the dry season in the substrate.

Bruneau de Miré (1979), Nichols (1988, Ph.D. dissertation), Peck and Thomas (1998), (Whitehead (1966, 1969).

Native, Old World. Comoros – Mayotte; Djibouti; Madagascar; Mauritius; Saudi Arabia; Somalia.

Macrohabitat: Lowlands, sea level, in the intertidal zone of sea beaches. Microhabitat: Adults are ground-dwelling on coralline sands in the vicinity of coral reefs. Dispersal abilities: Wing-polymorphic: macropterous form probably capable of flight; brachypterous form, consequently flightless thus vagility limited to walking or running; both forms slow runners. Seasonal occurrence: Adults have been found in January and October. Behavior: Nocturnal predators, adults take cover during the day under dry seaweed just above the high water mark.

Alluaud (1919), Jeannel (1946), Vinson (1956).

Vinson (1956) provided a partial description of the 3rd instar larva.

Baja California Sur, Isla Carmen, north end, sea level, approximately “26.05°N, 111.1°W, ” 18-19 July 1984 (S.E. Miller) (NMNH: ADP127139, female).

The epithet “whiteheadiana” is an eponym, based on the family name of Donald R. Whitehead†, who had a profound interest in the species of this genus and its adelphotaxon, Schizogenius Putzeys, during his relatively short career.

Whitehead’s Saline Catarrh Beetle.

With the attributes of the genus described by Whitehead (1966) and large sized for the genus. Adults rufotestaceous and shiny throughout; shallow microsculpture only in sulci. Occiput five-carinate each side with one medial and two lateral carinae on frons. Clypeus with 3 prominent tubercles; lateral margins prominently lobate. Elytron with 10 setae in interval 3, close to interneur 2.

(Fig. 3). Size: Very small, ABL = 2.8 mm, SBL = 2.52 mm, EW = 0.69 mm, LP = 0.647mm, WP = 0.622mm, LE = 1.476mm. Color: Rufotestaceous throughout. Luster:Shiny throughout. Head: Labrum slightly emarginate apically, six-setose. Frons markedly tri-tuberculate apically, laterally markedly lobate, lobes nearly vertical, bicarinate basally, carinae set on an angle, widest basally. Eyes slightly convex; gena short and flat. Occiput five-carinate each side; rim above eye also carinate. Prothorax: Markedly convex, moderately longer than broad (W/L: 0.96), narrowed basally anteriad of posterior lateral pore; surface smooth, five-sulcate; lateral sulci 2/3 length of pronotum, extended to posterior lateral pore, paramedian sulci sigmoid shaped, not reaching base, median sulcus deep, extended from near apex to base of pronotum, slightly crossing anterior transverse sulcus; anterior and posterior lateral setae present. Pterothorax: Elytra markedly convex (W/L: 0.46), intervals markedly convex, intervals 3, 5, and 7 each with a serial row of setiferous punctures, 10 such in interval 3. Legs: Normal in female. Abdomen: Abdominal sterna III to VI of female with normal ambulatory setae, VII with a pair of setae each side. Male genitalia: Unknown. Female genitalia: Not studied.

These beetles, as represented by the holotype, are macropterous and are capable of flight; they are slow runners, strong burrowers. However, both the Caribbean and Indian Ocean species are wing-polymorphic and perhaps with additional specimens, Halocoryza whiteheadiana may prove to be the same.

Adults of other Halocoryza species are found on coralline sands in the intertidal zone of open beaches and among mangroves; a larva of the Indian Ocean species of this genus was found under dry seaweed just above the high-water mark on coralline sands. The single known specimen of Halocoryza whiteheadiana was collected at UV light on a sandy beach on the north shore of Isla Carmen, Baja California Sur. Adults of Halocoryza whiteheadiana are likely nocturnal halobiont predators, as are members of the other known species of this genus.

None.