Alexiidae

Alexiidae is a family of beetles. It contains a single genus, Sphaerosoma, formerly included within the family Cerylonidae, with around 50 species which are native to the western Palearctic. 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.^[1]

Alexiidae
Sphaerosoma pilosum (Panzer, 1793) Size: 1.5 mm.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Cucujiformia
Superfamily:	Coccinelloidea
Family:	Alexiidae Imhoff, 1856
Genus:	Sphaerosoma Stephens, 1832
Synonyms
Sphaerosoma Samouelle, 1819 (Nom. Nud.) Alexia Stephens, 1833 Hygrotophila Chevrolat in Dejean, 1836 Lamprosphaerula Apfelbeck, 1910 Neosphaerula Apfelbeck, 1910 Arthrosphaerula Apfelbeck, 1915

Taxonomy

There has been considerable confusion regarding the type species 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).^[2] Alexiidae has been recovered as part of the superfamily Coccinelloidea as the sister group of Latridiidae.^[3]

Species

• Sphaerosoma algiricum (Reitter, 1889)
• Sphaerosoma alutaceum (Reitter, 1883)
• Sphaerosoma antennarium Apfelbeck, 1909
• Sphaerosoma apuanum Reitter, 1909
• Sphaerosoma bicome Peyerimhoff, 1917
• Sphaerosoma bosnicum (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 Ganglbauer, 1899
• Sphaerosoma hispanicum Obenberger, 1917
• Sphaerosoma laevicolle (Reitter, 1883)
• Sphaerosoma latitarse Apfelbeck, 1915
• Sphaerosoma lederi (Reitter, 1888)
• Sphaerosoma leonhardi Apfelbeck, 1915
• Sphaerosoma libani Sahlberg, 1913
• Sphaerosoma maritimum (Reitter, 1904)
• Sphaerosoma merditanum 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 (Reitter, 1877)
• Sphaerosoma pilosissimum (Frivaldszky, 1881)
• Sphaerosoma pilosum (Panzer, 1793)
• Sphaerosoma pubescens (Frivaldszky, 1881)
• Sphaerosoma punctatum (Reitter, 1878)
• Sphaerosoma puncticolle (Reitter, 1883)
• Sphaerosoma purkynei Obenberger, 1917
• Sphaerosoma rambouseki Apfelbeck, 1916
• Sphaerosoma reitteri (Ormay, 1888)
• Sphaerosoma rotundatum Obenberger, 1913
• Sphaerosoma scymnoides (Reitter, 1885)
• Sphaerosoma seidlitzi (Reitter, 1889)
• Sphaerosoma shardaghense Apfelbeck, 1915
• Sphaerosoma solarii Reitter, 1904
• Sphaerosoma sparsum Reitter, 1909
• Sphaerosoma sturanyi Apfelbeck, 1909
• Sphaerosoma subglabrum Peyerimhoff, 1917
• Sphaerosoma sublaeve (Reitter, 1883)
• Sphaerosoma tingitanum Peyerimhoff, 1917
• Sphaerosoma vallambrosae (Reitter, 1885)
• Sphaerosoma winneguthi Apfelbeck, 1915

References

1. 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.
2. Löbl, I.; Smetana, A., eds. (2010). "Errata for Volume 4". Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Volume 6. Chrysomeloidea. Stenstrup, Denmark: Apollo Books. ISBN 978-87-88757-84-2.
3. Cai, Chenyang; Tihelka, Erik; Giacomelli, Mattia; Lawrence, John F.; Ślipiński, Adam; Kundrata, Robin; Yamamoto, Shûhei; Thayer, Margaret K.; Newton, Alfred F.; Leschen, Richard A. B.; Gimmel, Matthew L.; Lü, Liang; Engel, Michael S.; Bouchard, Patrice; Huang, Diying (March 2022). "Integrated phylogenomics and fossil data illuminate the evolution of beetles". Royal Society Open Science. 9 (3): 211771. doi:10.1098/rsos.211771. ISSN 2054-5703. PMC 8941382. PMID 35345430.

External links

• Alexiidae Tree of Life
• Data related to Alexiidae at Wikispecies