CHAPTER 3

SECTION 5. Order COLEOPTERA (beetles)

Family SILPHIDAE (carrion beetles)

There is little information on the carrion beetles of the Kuril archipelago; it is contained in Japanese studies (Kano, 1933-1934; Kuwayama, 1967), in which 14 species are cited, of which 2 (Necrophorus pustulatus Hersch. and Silpha s ubrufa Lew.) are doubtful. We have added another 4 species and 2 genera that have not previously been observed for the Kuril Range. The identification of the materials collected has been revised by O. L. Kryzhanovskiy and L. N. Medvedev. Data on th e general distribution of the carrion beetles have been borrowed from the studies of G. G. Yakobson (1905), A. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shanskiy (1933), T. I. Shchegoleva-Barovskaya (1933), L. A. Portevin (Portevin, 1926), T. Kano (Kano, 1933-1934), S. Kuwayama ( Kuwayama, 1967), and T. Nakane (Nakane, 1962).

At the present time, 16 species of carrion beetles belonging to 8 genera have been observed on the Kuril Range: Xylodrepa (1 species), Necrophorus (5), Necrodes (1), Silpha (3), Phosphuga (2), Oiceoptoma ( 1), Thanatophilus (2), Lyrosoma (1). Their distribution among the islands of the archipelago is uneven, and in general is in agreement with the distribution patterns on the Kurils of other groups of insects, although the overwhelming majori ty of carrion beetles, being carrion-eaters or predators, are associated to a lesser degree than other insects with specific plant groupings. Some of them, on the other hand, for example, the burying beetles (Necrophorini), are "fully independent of the vegetation situation" (Semenov-Tyan-Shanskiy, 1933). The greatest number of species are encountered on Kunashir (11), somewhat fewer (8) on Shikotan; their number falls off toward the north, on Iturup (4), on Paramushir (3), and on Shumshu (1). I t is precisely representatives of the genus Necrophorus, which feed exclusively on carrion, that in fact reach the very north of the archipelago, and are not a rarity there. Necrophorus vespilloides Hbst., recorded on four islands in the no rth and south of the Range, is more widely distributed than others; evidently, it should be encountered in its central portion. Two species (Silpha perforata Gebl. and Phosphuga atrata L.) are encountered within the limits of three s outhern islands (Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup), three have been recorded on two islands (Necrophorus latifasciatus Lew., Phosphuga shakotana Kono, Thanatophilus auripilosus Portev.); the rest are observed on only one of the islan ds.

Based on the character of the ranges and its origin, the fauna of the Kuril carrion beetles is heterogeneous. It consists of species that are very widely distributed in the Palaearctic and of species with narrower ranges, restricted to East Asia a lone. There are 4 species among the former, i.e., a fourth of the fauna - Necrophorus vespilloides Hbst., which has a circumboreal distribution, 2 transpalaearctic forest species, N. fumator F. and Phosphuga atrata L., and a M anchurian subspecies of the wide Palaearctic, Xylodrepa quadripunctata sexcarinata Motsch.

The East Asian complex breaks down into several groups: the East Asian, Manchurian, Island, and Beringian. Of these, a representative of the East Asian group, Necrodes asiaticus Portev., known in addition to North India and T ibet, is distinguished by the widest distribution. The Manchurian group includes 4 species - Necrophorus maculifrons Kraatz., N. quadripunctatus Kraatz., Silpha perforata Gebl., and Thanatophilus auripilosus Portev., wh ich are distributed fairly widely on the continent and the islands. The Island group includes species whose ranges, although they differ somewhat, nevertheless are found within the limits of the islands. These are the Sakhalin-Kuril-Japanese S ilpha auripilosa Portev. and Oiceoptoma subrufa Lew., the Sakhalin-Kuril-Hokkaido Thanatophilus sachalinicus Kieser., the Kuril-Japanese Necrophorus latifasciatus Lew., and the Kuril proper Phosphuga shakotana Kono. A Lyrosoma sp., found on Iturup, on the supralittoral under large stones, is assigned to the Beringian group. This fairly small genus is characteristic for Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands, and is unknown at other sites.

It is significant that the carrion beetles of the East Asian complex on the Kuril Islands turn out to be rare; many have been found only once. Only Silpha perforata Gebl. constitutes an exception, which is frequently in the coniferous-broad leaved forests of Kunashir, Shikotan, and Iturup where, as an active predator, it finds abundant prey. There are no mass or even numerous carrion beetles on the Kurils. The widespread species Necrophorus vespilloides Hbst., Xylodrepa quadripun ctata sexcarinata Motsch., and Phosphuga atrata L. are, in addition to S. perforata Gebl., fairly common on the southern islands. The biology of the majority of the eastern carrion beetles, especially of the rare species, remains almost unstudied.

In recent years, Japanese entomologists have introduced some changes in the systematics of the carrion beetles. In particular, in the book, The Insects of Japan in Illustrations (Coleoptera), edited by T. Nakane (Nakane, 1962), the g enera Xylodrepa, Phosphuga, Oiceoptoma, and Thanatophilus are included in the genus Silpha, and particular eastern subspecies of the Palaearctic species were transferred to species rank. We adhere to the taxonomic syste m adopted by O. L. Kryzhanovskiy (1965a).

SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES

1. Necrophorus tenuipes Lew. K - Tyatya Volcano (Kuwayama, 1967). We have not found it, rare. Distributed in Primorskiy Kray (where it has been described under the name N. vicinus Stschh.-Bar.), on Sakhalin, in Japan (Hokka ido, Honshu), and on the Korean Peninsula.

2. Necrophorus vespilloides Hbst. K - the Pacific Ocean coast near Cape Petrov, August 23-27, 1964, 3 spec., mixed forest, on the ground; according to Japanese data, also the Tyatya Volcano, Cape Gemerling, the settlements of Yuzhno -Kuril'sk, Golovnino; Sh - env. of Malokuril'sk set., August 13, 1963, August 27, 1963, 2 spec. in all, in mixed dark coniferous forest; according to Japanese data, also Cape Nepokorennyy, Snezhnikov and Tserkovnaya Bights; P - env. of Sever o-Kuril'sk, July 24-27, 1964, 9 spec., mixed elfin woods, near crushing-mills with flood plain rodents; env. of Shelekhovo set., August 11, 1964, 1 spec., on grass; Shu - according to the data of T. Kano (Kano, 1933-1934). Japanese entomologists have cited two different forms - N. vespilloides borealis Portev. and N. vespilloides sylvaticus Reitt. (Kuwayama, 1967); however, their restriction to a defined territory has not been noted. Quite common on the Kuril Range; should evidentl y also be encountered on the central islands as well. A circumboreal species, whose range encompasses the entire forest zone of Eurasia and North America; in Japan it is known only on Hokkaido and Honshu.

3. Necrophorus maculifrons Kraatz. Cited for the Northern Kurils (Kano, 1933-1934) without indication of a specific island. We have not found it. Assigned to the Manchurian zoogeographical group. Distributed in the Northern Kurils, Sakh alin, in the south of Primorskiy Kray, in North China, and in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu).

*4. Necrophorus latifasciatus Lew. K - the Pacific Ocean coast near Cape Petrov, August 27, 1964, 1 spec., in flight; Sh - Malokuril'sk set., August 24, 1963, trapped in ultraviolet light. Rare on the Kuril Islands; apparent ly leads a concealed life style. A Kuril-Japanese species. Distributed on K, Sh, and Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku).

5. Necrophorus quadripunctatus Kraatz. Sh - according to the data of Kuwayama (Kuwayama, 1967). We have not found it. Very rare on the archipelago. A Manchurian species whose range encompasses Sh, the south of Primorskiy K ray, Sikhote-Alin', the Korean Peninsula, North and Central China, and Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu).

6. Necrodes asiaticus Portev. K - env. of Goryachiy Plyazh set., June 6, 1962, 1 spec., on sandy seashore. Very rare on the Kurils. Widespread within the limits of East Asia; known on K, Moneron, Primorskiy Kray, the Korean Peninsula, North East China, Mongolia, North India, Tibet, and Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku).

7. Silpha perforata Gebl. K - env. of Alekhino set., June 27, 1962, 2 spec., in the fruiting body of an elm-mushroom; June 29, 1962, 2 spec.; July 1-22, 1962, 14 spec.; August 5, 1961, 1 spec., beetles and larvae in coniferous-broadleaved forest on ground, more rarely on flowers of meadowsweet and other plants; env. of Lake Lagunnoye, July 27, 1961, 4 spec., in broadleaved forest, under logs; shore of Lake Goryacheye, July 16, 1962, 1 spec.; I - env. of Ku ril'sk, June 30-July 3, 1963, 2 spec., mixed forest with Kuril bamboo cover; valley of the Kurilka River, July 1-5, 1963, 2 spec., mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest, on the ground; Listvennichnoye Plateau, July 10-11, 1963, 2 spec., on the ground; env. of Lesozavodsk set., July 19-21, 1963, 6 spec., mixed forest, on the ground; Sh - Malokuril'sk set. (Kuwayama, 1967). One of the most common carrion beetles on the Southern Kuril Islands. Lives in coniferous-broadleaved forests. Is evidently an active predator in both the imaginal and the larval phase. The beetles most often appear on the ground, more rarely on branches and trunks of shrubs and flowers, where clusters of insects, feeding on the nectar of flowers or the escaping juice of plants , are formed. The larvae are found only on the ground. Both are very active in the daytime. By contrast with the burying beetles, which have mainly been collected in August, Silpha perforata Gebl. beetles appear at the end of June and live till the beginning of August; they have never been observed later than August 5. A Manchurian species; it has a rather extensive range, extending from the Southern Kurils and Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu) westward to the Transbaikal, southward to Mongolia, North East China, and the Korean Peninsula, and taking in Primorskiy and Khabarovskiy Krays, Amurskaya Oblast, and Sakhalin.

*8. Silpha sp. K - env. of Goryachiy Plyazh set., July 26, 1961, 1 spec., coniferous-broadleaved forest. Close to Silpha perforata Gebl., but is clearly distinguished from it by a number of characters.

9. Silpha auripilosa Portev. Cited by T. Kano (Kano, 1933-1934) for the Southern Kurils without a specific collection site. S. Kuwayama (Kuwayama, 1967) does not mention it. We have not found it. Judging by the general distribu tion, belongs to the Sakhalin-Kuril-Japanese species which invade Korea.

*10. Xylodrepa quadripunctata sexcarinata Motsch. K - env. of Alekhino set., June 29, 1962, 2 spec.; July 1-23, 1962, 12 spec.; Juy 31-August 5, 1961, 3 spec., in coniferous-broadleaved forest on the ground and herbaceous pla nts. N. Nakane (Nakane, 1962) regards the subspecies sexcarinata as an independent species and cites it under the name Silpha sexcarinata Motsch. This carrion beetle is common on the southwest shore of K, but has not been observed a t other sites. Is encountered in smaller numbers than S. perforata Gebl., although it is very similar to it biologically: it keeps to the same eco-areas in coniferous-broadleaved forests; it is evidently the same kind of active predator; the flig ht of the beetles takes place in the same time periods, from the end of June to the beginning of August. A Manchurian subspecies of the wide Palaearctic. Distributed on K, Sakhalin, in Primorskiy and Khabarovskiy Krays, and in Japan (Hokkaido, Ho nshu, Kyushu).

11. Phosphuga shakotana Kono. Described by H. Kono on Sh; has also been cited on P (Kuwayama, 1967). Very rare on the Kuril Range. We have not encountered it. Thus far, the only Kuril endemic among the carrion beetles.

12. Phosphuga atrata L. K - env. of Goryachiy Plyazh set., July 26, 1961, 3 spec., mixed forest, on trees and on the ground; env. of Lake Lagunnoye, July 27, 1961, 1 spec., under logs in coniferous-broadleaved forest; env. of Alekhi no set., June 29, 1962, 1 spec.; July 6-22, 1962, 7 spec., in coniferous-broadleaved forest; I - flood plain of the Kurilka River, July 1, 1963, 1 spec.; env. of Lesozavodsk set., August 28, 1961, 1 spec., mixed forest; Sh - according to the data of Kuwayama (Kuwayama, 1967) and T. Nakane (Nakane, 1962), cited under the name of Silpha atrata L. Quite common on the Southern Kuril Islands, especially on K. Lives in the same eco-areas as S. perforata Gebl., but is encount ered in smaller numbers. The beetles and larvae engage in predation, the former not only on the ground, but on the trunks of trees. A widespread transpalaearctic species. In European USSR it invades to the north; in Siberia and in the Far East, stays within the limits of the forest zone; in Japan, is known only on two islands, Hokkaido and Honshu.

13. Oiceoptoma subrufa Lew. K - Tyatya Volcano (Kuwayama, 1967). We have not found it, extremely rare on the Kuril Range. A Sakhalin-Kuril-Japanese species. Is known on two islands, Hokkaido and Honshu, in Japan.

14. Thanatophilus auripilosus Portev. Sh - Cape Nepokorennyy; I - Kuybyshevo set. (Kuwayama, 1967). We have not encountered it, very rare. T. Nakane (Nakane, 1962) cites it under the name Silpha auripilosa Por tev. A Manchurian species, is known on the Kuril Islands (Sh, I), Sakhalin, Japan (Hokkaido, Kyushu), on the Korean Peninsula, in China (including Taiwan). References for Siberia require refinement. The range of this carrion beetle is ins ufficiently known.

15. Thanatophilus sachalinicus Kieser. K - settlements of Yuzhno-Kuril'sk, Goryachiy Plyazh (Kuwayama, 1967). We have not found it. Exceptionally rare. Has a limited range within the limits of Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and K.

*16. Lyrosoma sp. I - Kuybyshevskiy Bay, Zatsepka Rock, July 22, 1967, 1 spec.; supralittoral, under boulders, O. G. Kusakin. The range of the genus Lyrosoma is still insufficiently studied; individual of its r epresentatives are known only on Kamchatka. This provides grounds for conjecturing that the genus has a Beringian origin. We regard it provisionally as an element of the Beringian fauna. T. Kano (Kano, 1933-1934) cites for the Northern Kurils, without indicating specific sites, yet another burying beetle species, Necrophorus pustulatus Hersch., which raises doubts; it is therefore not included in our list.

June 6, 1962, 1 spec., July 1-22, 1962, 14 spec.