Rhaebus (beetle)

Appearance

Rhaebus beetles are small, measuring between 3–5 millimetres in length, and are metallic in colour, which is rare in members of the Bruchinae subfamily. Their bodies are elongated in shape, and the antennae vary.

Diet and life cycle

Rhaebus beetles feed exclusively on plants of the genus Nitraria, where their young also develop.

Taxonomic history

The genus was first described in 1824 by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim in his book Entomographie de la Russie. He described it with only one species, Rh. gebleri, making the genus monotypic.

Species creation & synonymy

• 1845: Rhaebus fischeri mentioned by Jean T. Lacordaire, not described.
• 1845: Rhaebus mannerheimi named and described by Victor Motschulsky.
• 1866: Rhaebus sagroides named and described by Simon Martinovitch Solsky.
• 1867: Rhaebus beckeri named and described by Christian W. L. E. Suffrain. The original description (in German) is available from Wikimedia Commons.
• 1869: Rh. beckeri and Rh. sagroides synonymized with Rh. mannerheimi by Victor Motchulsky.
• 1879: Rhaebus solskyi proposed by Ernst Gustav Kraatz.
• 1939: Rhaebus komarovi named and described by Fyodor Lukyanovich.
• 1973: Rhaebus lukjanovitschi named and described by Margarita Ervandovna Ter-Minassian.
• 2000: Rhaebus amnoni named and described by and , after Dr. Amnon Freidberg.
• 2022: Rh. amnoni, Rh. komarovi, and Rh. mannerheimi synonymized with Rh. gebleri by .

Species

Since a taxonomic review in August 2022, Rhaebus has three species:

• Rhaebus gebleri <small>Fischer von Waldheim, 1824</small> (Rh. mannerheimi, Rh. amnoni, Rh. komarovi) – Found in China, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Turkey.
• <abbr>R</abbr>haebus lukjanovitschi <small>Ter-Minassian, 1973</small> – Found in China and Mongolia.
• <abbr>R</abbr>haebus solskyi <small>Kraatz, 1879</small> – Found in China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia and Turkmenistan.

References