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Species Merobruchus major - Texas Ebony Bruchid

Merobruchus major (Fall) - Merobruchus major Merobruchus major (Fall) - Merobruchus major Merobruchus major (Fall) - Merobruchus major Merobruchus major (Fall) - Merobruchus major Merobruchus major (Fall) - Merobruchus major beetle - Merobruchus major Texas Ebony Bruchid - Merobruchus major Texas Ebony Bruchid - Merobruchus major
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)
Superfamily Chrysomeloidea (Longhorn and Leaf Beetles)
Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf Beetles)
Subfamily Bruchinae (Pea and Bean Weevils)
Tribe Bruchini
Subtribe Acanthoscelidina
Genus Merobruchus
Species major (Texas Ebony Bruchid)
Other Common Names
Texas Ebony Bean Weevil
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Merobruchus major (Fall)
Orig. Comb: Bruchus major Fall 1912
Explanation of Names
largest sp. in this genus. (1)
Numbers
8 spp. n. of Mex. (2)
Size
length 5.2-8.8 mm (1)
Range
s. TX (Corpus, RGV) / Mex. - Map (3)
Habitat
highly specialized on a Texas Ebony
Season
mostly: May-Oct. (BG data)
Food
Adults visit flowers, probably consuming nectar or pollen
Life Cycle
Larvae develop within the pods of Texas Ebony - Ebenopsis ebano (=Pithecellobium ebano) (Fabaceae)
Remarks
Type Locality: Esperanza Ranch, Brownsville, Cameron Co., Texas
Both Merobruchus major and Stator beali are seed predators of Ebenopsis (=Pithecellobium) ebano; however, S. beali also attacks other species of Ebenopsis whereas M. major is an obligate predator of E. ebano. (1)
See Also
Gibbobruchus mimus (Say)
- Range: e. US, Calif, not known from s. TX
Det. M. A. Quinn, 2013
Print References
Fall, H.C. 1912. A new Tetropium, two new Bruchidae, with brief notes on other Coleoptera. Entomological News 23: 320–323.
Kingsolver, J.M. 1988. Biosystematics of the genus Merobruchus of the continental North America and the West Indies. ARS. United States Department of Agriculture, Tech. Bull. No. 1744. 63 pp.
Johnson, C.D. & D.H. Siemens. 1997. Oviposition behavior, guilds, host relationships and new host and distribution records for the genus Merobruchus Bridwell (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Coleopterists Bulletin. 51(1): 13-21.
Southgate, B.J. 1979. Biology of the Bruchidae. Annual Review of Entomology, 24: 449-473.
White, B. E. 1941. A new species of Bruchus with notes on Bruchus major Fall and julianus Horn (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Pan-Pacific Entomologist 17: 189–190.
Internet References
Type - MCZ, Harvard
Texas Entomology - Mike Quinn, 2006
Works Cited
1.Handbook of the Bruchidae of the United States and Canada
Kingsolver J.M. 2004. USDA Tech. Bull. 1912 (2 vols.).
2.American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea
Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
3.Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)