Oxypeltidae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Coleopterida
Ordo: Coleoptera
Subordo: Polyphaga
Infraordo: Cucujiformia
Cladus: Phytophaga
Superfamilia: Chrysomeloidea

Familia: Oxypeltidae
Genera: Cheloderus – Oxypeltus
Name

Oxypeltidae Lacordaire, 1869

Type genus: Oxypeltus Blanchard, 1851.
References
Additional references

Napp D.S. 1994: Phylogenetic relationships among the subfamilies of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera, Chrysomeloidea). Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 28 (2): 265–419.
Saalas U., 1936: Über das Flügelgeäder und die phylogenetische Entwicklung der Cerambyciden. Annales Zoologici Societatis Zoologicae-Botanicae Fennicae Vanamo, 4 (1): 1–193.
Švácha, P. & Lawrence, J. 2014. 2.2. Oxypeltidae Lacordaire, 1868. Pp. 49–60. In: Leschen, R.A.B. & Beutel, R.G. (eds.) Handbook of Zoology, Arthropoda: Insecta; Coleoptera, Beetles, Volume 3: Morphology and Systematics (Phytophaga). Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/Boston. ISBN 978-3-11-027446-2. DOI: 10.1515/9783110274462.49 Paywall. PDF. Reference page.

Links

Worldwide Cerambycoidea Photo Gallery at cerambycoidea.com. Oxypeltidae

The Oxypeltidae are a small family belonging to the superfamily Chrysomeloidea, widespread in the Andean region of Chile and Argentina. They have traditionally been considered a group within the Cerambycidae.

Description

The Oxypeltidae do not have any morphologic resemblance with the other cerambycids. The body is massive and characterised by a nice metallic colour, bluish or green on the head and prothorax, and red on the elytra. Their antennae and legs have a blue metallic colour.

The head, round and small, has two robustly toothed antennae, the pronotum is furnished with longitudinal crests, and the elytra, covered by strong puncture, are bitoothed at the apex.

The posterior wings, membranous, have an unusual violet colour, similar to that of the Cetoniinae, while they are transparent in all other groups of cerambycids.
Biology

The larvae, typically xylophagous, attack trees of the genus Nothofagus, the vicariant of beeches in the Southern Hemisphere. The adults are diurnal and can often be found on leaves.
Systematics

They have always been a mystery for specialists since these insects do not show any strong resemblance with other cerambycids.
At first placed in the Prioninae due to the lateral ridge of the pronotum, the Oxypeltinae have been separated.
Saalas' study[1] on the posterior wings of Cerambycids put into light the fact that the wings of the Oxypeltinae were unusually pigmented.
More recently, the research work[2] done on the larvae showed a far (and doubtful) relationship with the Vesperidae.
Therefore, the group of Oxypeltinae has been recently considered as a different family[3]
The Oxypeltidae consist of only two genera and three species:

Cheloderus Gray, 1832
Cheloderus childreni Gray, 1832
Cheloderus penai Kuschel, 1955
Oxypeltus Blanchard, 1851
Oxypeltus quadrispinosus Blanchard, 1851

References

SAALAS U., 1936 - Über das Flügelgeäder und die phylogenetische Entwicklung der Cerambyciden - Annales Zoologici Societatis Zoologicae-Botanicae Fennicae Vanamo 4 (1): 1-193.
ŠVÁCHA P., WANG J. J. & CHEN S. C., 1997 - Larval morphology and biology of Philus antennatus and Heterophilus punctulatus, and systematic position of the Philinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae and Vesperidae) - Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (N. S.) 33 (3): 323-369.

NAPP D. S. 1994 - Phylogenetic relationships among the subfamilies of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera, Chrysomeloidea) - Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 28 (2): 265-419.

Related pages

Cerambycidae
Disteniidae
Vesperidae