Tanysphyrus ater
Blatchley, 1928
Tanysphyrus ater is a small described by Blatchley in 1928. It belongs to the Erirhinidae (sometimes placed in Brachyceridae or in different ), a group of . The species epithet 'ater' refers to its black coloration. Very little published information exists on its biology or , with only scattered collection records from North America.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Tanysphyrus ater: //tænɪˈsfɪrəs ˈeɪtər//
These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.
Distribution
Recorded from Belgium (present and absent records noted) and British Columbia, Canada. Additional observations from iNaturalist suggest limited but widespread occurrence in northern regions.
More Details
Taxonomic placement
The placement of Tanysphyrus ater varies across sources: GBIF places it in Brachyceridae, NCBI in Erirhinidae, and iNaturalist in . This reflects ongoing taxonomic uncertainty regarding the circumscription of these families. Erirhinidae is generally treated as a valid family of (superfamily Curculionoidea), sometimes subsumed within Brachyceridae or treated as a of Curculionidae in broader .
Data scarcity
This is exceptionally poorly documented in the literature. No comprehensive biological studies, ecological investigations, or detailed morphological descriptions beyond the original species description are readily available. The iNaturalist observation count of only 2 records underscores its rarity in citizen science databases.
Sources and further reading
- BugGuide
- GBIF taxonomy match
- iNaturalist taxon
- NCBI Taxonomy
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