Psammodes

The Tok-tok beetles (genus Psammodes) are ground-dwelling, Afrotropical beetles in the family Tenebrionidae.[1] They are stout in shape and typically black or dark rufous in colour. They average about 2.6 cm in body length, but the Spindle toktokkie (P. bertolonii) has an elongate body shape and measures 5.3 cm,[2] while P. sulcicollis reaches 6 to 8 cm, and is the largest Tenebrionid in the world.[3] Like the related genus Dichtha, the adults tap out a rhythm on the ground to attract and locate mates. Habitats are varied, from coastal forest to ridges, koppies, woodland and desert sand.[2]

Psammodes
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Coleoptera
Family:
Tenebrionidae
Tribe:
Sepidiini
Genus:
Psammodes

Kirby, 1819

Species

The genus contains about 270 species,[4] including:

  • Psammodes batesi Haag-Rutenberg JG 1871 (southern Africa)
  • Psammodes beccarii
  • Psammodes bertolonii Guérin-Méneville, 1844 – Spindle toktokkie (South Africa)
  • Psammodes blapsoides Haag-Rutenberg JG 1871 (Namibia)
  • Psammodes brunneus Olivier AG 1795
  • Psammodes diabolicus Koch C2 (Namibia)
  • Psammodes fartus Péringuey LA 1904 (South Africa)
  • Psammodes grandis Solier AJJ 1843
  • Psammodes gurannicus Lesne P 1922 (Kenya)
  • Psammodes hirtipes Laporte de Castelnau FLN 1840
  • Psammodes kuisip Péringuey LA 1908 (Namibia)
  • Psammodes pilosiusculus
  • Psammodes pilosus Thunberg CP 1787 (Namibia)
  • Psammodes ponderosus Fåhreus OI 1870 (South Africa)
  • Psammodes scabratus Solier AJJ 1843 (South Africa)
  • Psammodes sellatus Haag-Rutenberg JG 1875
  • Psammodes solieri Gebien, 1910 (South Africa)
  • Psammodes striatus Fabricius JC 1775 – Striped toktokkie (South Africa)
  • Psammodes sulcicollis Péringuey, 1885
  • Psammodes terrenus Lesne P 1922
  • Psammodes ventricosus Fåhreus OI 1870
  • Psammodes vialis Burchell, 1822 (southern Africa)
  • Psammodes virago Koch, 1953
  • Psammodes karrooensis
  • Psammodes hottentotus
  • Psammodes mülleri
  • Psammodes mashunus
  • Psammodes procursus
  • Psammodes junodi
  • Psammodes caelatus
  • Psammodes incongruens

References
  1. "Psammodes". MBLWHOI Library. uBio. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  2. Picker, Mike; et al. (2004). Field Guide to Insects of South Africa. Cape Town: Struik Publishers. p. 230. ISBN 978-1-77007-061-5.
  3. Owen, Colin R. "Psammodes sulcicollis Péringuey". Beetles of Africa. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  4. "Psammodes". MBLWHOI Library. uBio. Retrieved 22 January 2015.

Media related to Psammodes at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.