Immature stages of Pleurostict Scarab Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Pleurosticti): morphology, biology, and phylogenetic r implications.
Abstract
The thesis focuses on the immature stages of the popular and widely known Scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), more precisely on the “pleurostict” or phytophagous scarab beetle clade. The work consists of three papers already published in international journals, one manuscript prepared for submission and a general introductory chapter.
In the first two papers we focused on the phylogenetic relationships within the group Cetoniinae based on morphological characters of larvae and adults. Also the fourth paper is focused on the phylogenetic relationships of pleurostict scarabs as it discuss the position of the Euchirinae, an enigmatic group classified either as a member of Melolonthinae or as a separate.subfamily.
Beside the phylogenetical studies, the papers attached to the thesis contain original and detailed descriptions or re-descriptions of the immature stages of several pleurostict scarabaeidae taxa.