Paussus

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: Adephaga

Familia: Carabidae
Subfamilia: Paussinae
Tribus: Paussini
Genus: Paussus
Subgenera: P. (Amphipaussus) – P. (Anapaussus) – P. (Apopaussus) – P. (Bathypaussus) – P. (Batillopaussus) – P. (Bicornipaussus) – P. (Cochliopaussus) – P. (Crenatopaussus) – P. (Edaphopaussus) – P. (Enneapaussus) – P. (Flagellopaussus) – P. (Indupaussus) – P. (Katapaussus) – P. (Klugipaussus) – P. (Latipaussus) – P. (Lineatopaussus) – P. (Malgasipaussus) – P. (Manicanopaussus) – P. (Paussus) – P. (Scaphipaussus) – P. (Semipaussus) – P. (Shuckardipaussus) – P. (Spinicoxipaussus) – P. (Squamipaussus) – P. (Trepopaussus)

Overview of species: P. abditus – P. acuminicoxis – P. adamsoni – P. adeptus – P. adinventus – P. adjunctus – P. aenigma – P. aethiops – P. affinis – P. affulgens – P. afraequatorialis – P. africanus – P. afzelii – P. aldrovandii – P. alienus – P. alluaudi – P. ambiguus – P. americanus – P. andreae – P. angustulus – P. antinorii – P. anxius – P. arabicus – P. araneans – P. arduus – P. aristoteli – P. armatus – P. armicollis – P. asperulus – P. assmuthi – P. atheruri – P. audouini – P. aureofimbriatus – P. aureovellus – P. avunculus – P. barkeri – P. basilewskyi – P. bastinae – P. batillarius – P. bayonii – P. bekilyanus – P. benoiti – P. bicolor – P. bicoloricornis – P. bicornis – P. biflagellatus – P. bituberculatus – P. blanchardi – P. bohemani – P. borneensis – P. bowringii – P. boysii – P. brancuccii – P. braunsi – P. brevicornutus – P. brincki – P. brittoni – P. bucephalus – P. buettikeri – P. burchelianus – P. burgeoni – P. burmeisteri – P. camaxilensis – P. canaliculatus – P. canteloubei – P. capillaceus – P. capreolus – P. cardoni – P. caroli – P. catalai – P. catoxanthus – P. celisi – P. centurio – P. cephalotes – P. cerambyx – P. ceratoderinus – P. cervinus – P. chappuisi – P. cilipes – P. cirenaicus – P. citernii – P. clarkei – P. cochlearius – P. cognatus – P. colasi – P. collarti – P. comptus – P. concinnus – P. conradti – P. cornutus – P. coronatus – P. corporaali – P. crenaticornis – P. crepidulae – P. cridae – P. cucullatus – P. cultratus – P. curtisii – P. cuypersi – P. cyathiger – P. cylindricollis – P. cylindricornis – P. dama – P. damarinus – P. darlingtoni – P. decellei – P. decipiens – P. dedyckeri – P. degeeri – P. denticulatus – P. desneuxi – P. dichrous – P. dissidens – P. dissimulator – P. distinguendus – P. dohrni – P. dollmani – P. donisthorpei – P. drescheri – P. drumonti – P. eisentrauti – P. elaphus – P. elizabethae – P. elongatus – P. escherichi – P. excavatus – P. exiguus – P. fairmairei – P. fallax – P. favieri – P. fichtelii – P. fissifrons – P. fletcheri – P. formosus – P. foveifrons – P. fulvus – P. gazella – P. germari – P. ghanensis – P. glabripennis – P. globiceps – P. goetzei – P. gracilis – P. granulatus – P. hardwickii – P. hasinae – P. hearseyanus – P. heinrichi – P. henningsi – P. hirsutus – P. hisamatsui – P. horikawae – P. horni – P. hottentotta – P. howa – P. huamboensis – P. hughscotti – P. humbloti – P. humboldtii – P. hystrix – P. incultus – P. inermis – P. inexspectatus – P. intermedius – P. intuitivus – P. jacobsoni – P. janssensi – P. javanus – P. jeanneli – P. jeannelianus – P. jengi – P. jerdani – P. jousselinii – P. kanaoi – P. kannegieteri – P. kecil – P. kjellanderi – P. klugii – P. kochi – P. kohli – P. kolbei – P. komatsui – P. krelli – P. kristenseni – P. lacrimans – P. laetus – P. laevifrons – P. lamottei – P. lanxangensis – P. laosensis – P. laticollis – P. latidens – P. latreillei – P. leechi – P. leleupi – P. leroyi – P. liber – P. lineatus – P. linnaei – P. linnavuori – P. lucasseni – P. ludekingii – P. lusotropicalis – P. madurensis – P. manicanus – P. manni – P. marshalli – P. masaoi – P. massarti – P. mata – P. medleri – P. mendesi – P. microcephalus – P. milloti – P. milneedwardsi – P. mimus – P. minor – P. minutulus – P. mirei – P. modestus – P. moltonii – P. moreirai – P. mucius – P. multisetosus – P. murrayi – P. nagahatai – P. nageli – P. nakasai – P. natalis – P. nauceras – P. nigrita – P. nobilis – P. nomurai – P. nudus – P. oberthueri – P. obscurus – P. occlusus – P. oertzeni – P. olcesii – P. opacus – P. orientalis – P. overlaeti – P. pacificus – P. pallidefulvus – P. pandamanus – P. passosi – P. pasteuri – P. patrizii – P. paulmuelleri – P. penicillatus – P. permutatus – P. perrieri – P. perroti – P. pierronii – P. pilicornis – P. pilosus – P. piochardi – P. pipitzi – P. planicollis – P. planicornis – P. planifrons – P. ploiophorus – P. politus – P. prestesjoannesi – P. pretoriensis – P. procerus – P. propinquus – P. pseudocucullatus – P. pseudoklugi – P. pseudosetosus – P. quadratidens – P. quadricornis – P. raffrayi – P. rawlinsi – P. recorpus – P. recticornis – P. reductus – P. reichenspergeri – P. ricardojorgei – P. ritsemae – P. roeri – P. roslii – P. rougemonti – P. rougemontianus – P. ruber – P. rufitarsis – P. rugiceps – P. rugosus – P. rusticus – P. sankuruensis – P. saundersii – P. sauteri – P. scaliger – P. schaumii – P. schiodtii – P. schoutedeni – P. scorteccii – P. scyphus – P. sebakuanus – P. semicucullatus – P. semilineatus – P. semirufus – P. seriesetosus – P. serraticornis – P. serratulus – P. sesquisulcatus – P. setosus – P. sewelli – P. seydeli – P. seyriganus – P. seyrigi – P. shuckardi – P. siamensis – P. sicardi – P. signatipennis – P. sikoranus – P. simplicissimus – P. soleatus – P. solidus – P. somaliae – P. spencii – P. sphaerocerus – P. spiniceps – P. spinicola – P. spinicoxis – P. spinolae – P. squamicornis – P. stevensianus – P. stolzi – P. striaticornis – P. suahelinus – P. suavis – P. subarcuatus – P. subglaber – P. sumateranus – P. tagalicus – P. tchadensis – P. telescopifer – P. tenuiculus – P. tenuis – P. testaceus – P. thomsonii – P. thoracicus – P. tibialis – P. tigrinus – P. tristis – P. tununguensis – P. turcicus – P. uelensis – P. upembanus – P. vadoni – P. vanrooni – P. verticalis – P. vexator – P. viator – P. volkerwittei – P. vollenhovii – P. wasmanni – P. watarui – P. waterhousei – P. wellmani – P. wittei – P. woerdeni – P. wroughtoni – P. yasutoshii – P. ypsilopilos – P. yubaki – P. zhouchaoi
Name

Paussus Linnaeus, 1775: 6

Type species: Paussus microcephalus Linnaeus, 1775 (monotypy)
References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1775. De Bigis Insectorum. pp. 1-8, tab. In: Dissertatio Entomologica. Bigas insectorum sistens, quam Divinis auspiciis, Cons. Illustr. Faccult. Med. Upsal. Praeside, Domino Doct. Carolo à LINNÉ, [...] Stipendiarius Rhyzelianus Andreas Dahl. iii + 7 pp., 1 pl. Upsala: Edmann. BHL Reference page.

Additional references

Abdel-Dayem, M.S., Rasool, I., Elgharbawy, A.A., Nagel, P. & al Dhafer, H.M. 2018. Faunistic inventory and zoogeographical analysis of the ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of Garf Raydah Nature Reserve, Southwestern of Saudi Arabia, and description of a new species of Paussinae. Zootaxa 4514(3): 341–371. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4514.3.3 Paywall Reference page.
Abdel-Dayem, M.S., Elgharbawy, A.A., Rasool, I., Nagel, P. & Aldhafer, H.M. 2019. The Carabidae (Coleoptera) of Shada Al-A’Ala Nature Reserve, Southwestern Saudi Arabia, with description of a new species of Paussinae. Zookeys, 812: 93–131. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.812.30937 Reference page.
Carvalho de, E.L. 2001. A new species of paussine ground-beetle from Guinea-Bissau (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Paussinae). Boletin Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa 29: 45–46. PDF.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.09.022 Reference page.
Wang, C-B. 2017. Paussus (Scaphipaussus) zhouchaoi sp. n., a new myrmecophilous species from China (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Paussinae, Paussini). ZooKeys 663: 133—143. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.663.11635. Open access. Reference page.

Links

Paussus – Taxon details on Biological Library (BioLib).
Paussus – Taxon details on Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
I.Löbl & A.Smetana (eds). 2003 Catalogue of Palearctic Coleoptera. Vol. 1: Archostemata-Myxophaga-Adephaga. Apollo Books, Stenstrup, Denmark ISBN 87-88757-73-0, p. p.210 - 211

Paussus is a genus of ground beetles in the family Carabidae. There are more than 360 described species in Paussus, found in Africa, Europe, and Asia.[1]

These beetles, along with others in the subfamily Paussinae, are known as flanged bombardier beetles due to their ability to explosively discharge benzoquinones, chemical irritants, at temperatures between 55° and 100°C. A flange on their elytra assists in directing the chemicals toward the front of their bodies.

All species of this genus are obligate myrmecophiles, living symbiotically in ant nests. The beetles release chemicals the ants find rewarding, and in return receive protection for themselves and their larvae. The beetles also gain a source of food in the relationship -- the ants.

Female Paussus lay their eggs in ant nests. The larvea develop in the nest and are apparently fed by the ants. Adult Paussus feed at will by piercing and holding an ant with their mandibles and feeding by suction. Ants that were observed being preyed upon did not react aggressively, and remained near the beetle after being released (until dying a short time later).

Some species of Paussus are fully integrated into ant colonies, and are treated as valued guests by the ants. Worker ants groom the beetles and actively lick or palpate exposed regions of the beetle’s body, particularly those rich in the chemicals attractive to the ants. Worker ants sometimes grasp adult Paussus by their antennae and legs to transport them to new nests.

Observations of Paussus favieri with its host ants Pheidole pallidula revealed the beetle interacting directly with the queen in her chamber, rubbing against the queen’s body, with no aggressive behaviour from the queen or the workers. Both the beetle and the queen ant stridulate back and forth during this interaction. In fact, it appears that acoustic communication and deception play an important role in the integration of these beetles into the ant society.[2][3][4]

In research published in 2016, the genera Granulopaussus, Hylopaussus, and Hylotorus were determined to be synonyms of Paussus, and their species were transferred to Paussus.[2]
See also

List of Paussus species

References

"Paussus". GBIF. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
Robertson, James A.; Moore, Wendy (2016). "Phylogeny of Paussus L. (Carabidae: Paussinae): unravelling morphological convergence associated with myrmecophilous life histories". Systematic Entomology. 42 (1): 134–170. doi:10.1111/syen.12205. S2CID 89078626.
Maurizi, E.; Fattorini, Simone; Moore, Wendy; Di Giulio, Andrea (2012). "Behavior of Paussus favieri (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Paussini): A Myrmecophilous Beetle Associated with Pheidole pallidula (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 940315: 1–9. doi:10.1155/2012/940315.
Muzzi, Maurizio; Di Giulio, Andrea (2019). "The ant nest "bomber": Explosive defensive system of the flanged bombardier beetle Paussus favieri (Coleoptera, Carabidae)". Arthropod Structure & Development. 50: 24–42. doi:10.1016/j.asd.2019.03.001. PMID 30894327. S2CID 84842476.