RESEARCH FINDINGS IN MORPHOLOGY OF MORDELLID BEETLES LARVAE(COLEOPTERA, MORDELLIDAE)

Abstract

The basic works containinig descriptions of larvae of mordellid beetles have been analyzed. At present, larvae are described for 46 species, which accounts for less than 2% of the total number of species known in the world fauna of mordellid beetles. In the case with mordellid beetles larvae have been described for, beetles belonging to 18 genera. The largest number of the larvae described belongs to mordellid beetles of the genus Mordellistena (21 species). Many descriptions of larvae of mordellid beetles are concise and require significant additions. In this regard, there are few keys for identification larvae of mordellid beetles. The existing keys include few taxa. The greatest contribution to the study of of mordellid beetles larvae belongs to V. K. Odnosum, who first made their common
morphological characteristics and analyzed their diagnostic features. It is for the first time that morphological features of larvae have
been used to adjust the existing system of the family Mordellidae on the basis of our research.

The research was supported by the Belarusian Republican Foundation for Fundamental Research (agreement number B16M-050).

Ref.: 37 titles.