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Type: Article
Published: 2008-02-13
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Description of the preimaginal stages of three species of the genus Tropisternus Solier, subgenus Strepitornus Hansen (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae), with emphasis on morphometry and chaetotaxy

Laboratorio de Entomología, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Intendente Güiraldes s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Laboratorio de Entomología, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Intendente Güiraldes s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428, Buenos Aires, Argentina
CONICET – LIESA, Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Ecología y Sistemática Animal, Universidad Nacional de La Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Sarmiento 849, 9200, Esquel, Chubut, Argentina
Coleoptera Water scavenger beetles Hydrophilidae Tropisternus larval morphology chaetotaxy morphometry

Abstract

The morphology of immature stages of the genus Tropisternus Solier is investigated on the basis of the description of immatures of the subgenus Strepitornus Hansen. The egg cases, all three larval instars and pupae of T. collaris (Fabricius), T. parananus Sharp and T. scutellaris Castelnau are described with an emphasis on the chaetotaxy and morphometry of selected structures. Comparisons with other species of Tropisternus known as larvae are included. The larval instars can be separated by means of morphometric relationships and chaetotaxy of the cephalic appendages and legs. Most morphometric measures among the species described here have overlapped ranges, suggesting that the larval morphology of the examined taxa is very similar.

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