Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Semester of Degree Completion

1998

Thesis Director

Michael Goodrich

Abstract

The Illinois fauna of Brachiacantha (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is treated in this paper. Seven species were found to occur in Illinois through active collecting and study of specimens from 16 museums and private collections. A key to the identification of adults, descriptions of the adults, habitus photographs and national and state distribution maps are provided. The most commonly collected Illinois species are B. ursina, B. felina, B. quadripunctata quadripunctata and B. decempustulata. Uncommonly collected species are B. dentipes and B. rotunda. Brachiacantha indubitabilis is represented in the Illinois fauna only by the lectotype for the species. Malaise traps, sweep netting, yellow sticky traps, visual inspection of plant material, U-V light traps and pit-fall traps were used in attempts to collect Brachiacantha adults. Since 1990, Malaise traps collected four species and 63.3% of the specimens, manual collecting yielded five species and 27.3% of the specimens and yellow sticky traps collected two species and 9.4% of the specimens. U-V light traps and pitfall traps did not collect Brachiacantha. The larvae of only two species are known and both have been identified as myrmecophiles. The evolutionary basis of this Brachiacantha-ant relationship is discussed. Also discussed is the species status of Brachiacantha rotunda Gordon.

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