Forum Entomologi Italiani

date: 13.06.2010
Place: Romania - Bacau county - Moldavia

This specimen has the left anterior leg incomplete developed. Can someone explain me what's happened with this beetle ?

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alexandrupintilioaie(AT)gmail.com

It's aberrant, maybe a problem in the pupa.

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Riccardo Poloni
La dignità degli elementi
la libertà della poesia,
al di là dei tradimenti degli uomini
è magia, è magia, è magia...
Negrita, Rotolando verso sud

OK, many thanks Riccardo

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alexandrupintilioaie(AT)gmail.com

hi alexandru

it's very likely of traumatic origin; the leg was lost during one of the larval instars (probably not the last one) and only partially regenerated

i don't think it results from an injury suffered by the pupa, in such cases the insect almost never does survive

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maurizio

Many thanks for this info Maurizio

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alexandrupintilioaie(AT)gmail.com

I think the same. When there are problems with the pupa, usually there are two possible results:
1 - it dies
2 - it survives but the damaged leg is truncated or missing in the adult

It happened several times when I found pupae during my entomological travels and put them in vials to get adults. Usually some of them die or have these problems caused by wounds sustained from shaking during transport by car.

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Maurizio Gigli
http://utenti.romascuola.net/bups
http://bup.xoom.it/

Thanks Maurizio

This isn't the first abberant scarab beetle from my collection, I have a female of Potosia cuprea which has the apical part of mesosternum bilobate

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alexandrupintilioaie(AT)gmail.com

Post the image, Please!

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Ciao.
Alberto
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Non è la più forte delle specie che sopravvive, né la più intelligente, ma quella più reattiva ai cambiamenti. (Charles Robert Darwin)

Hi Alberto, I will post the image today in a new topic

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alexandrupintilioaie(AT)gmail.com