Nemognatha soror

MacSwain, 1951

Nemognatha soror is a of blister beetle in the Meloidae, first described by MacSwain in 1951. It belongs to the Nemognathinae, a group distinguished by greatly elongated mouthparts adapted for feeding on flowers. The species is found in North America, with records from British Columbia.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Nemognatha soror: //ˌnɛmoʊˈɡneɪθə ˈsɔːrɔr//

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Identification

As a member of the Nemognatha, N. soror possesses the characteristic elongated (modified mouthparts) that distinguish Nemognathinae from other meloid . These mouthparts are adapted for accessing nectar in flowers with deep corollas. Specific diagnostic features for distinguishing N. soror from such as N. cribraria, N. lurida, N. lutea, and N. nigripennis are not documented in available sources.

Distribution

North America; specifically recorded from British Columbia, Canada.

Similar Taxa

Nemognatha cribrariaSimilar elongated mouthpart and flower-feeding habits; distinguished by specific maxillary proportions and coloration patterns per Enns (1956)
Nemognatha luridaCongeneric with similar floral association; N. lurida is among the most commonly collected in the with distinct coloration
Nemognatha luteaCongeneric with elongated ; N. lutea is particularly abundant in western North American collections
Nemognatha nigripennisCongeneric with similar flower-visiting ; N. nigripennis is among the most frequently collected western in museum holdings

More Details

Maxillary morphology

of Nemognatha exhibit variation in maxillary length correlated with flower corolla depth preferences. The length of in N. soror relative to body size has not been specifically documented, but show ratios from half body length to exceeding body length.

Nectar feeding mechanism

Contrary to earlier literature describing 'sucking' mouthparts, Wilhelm & Krenn (2012) demonstrated that Nemognatha transport nectar via capillary action along bristles on the , not through a food canal. Musculature around the mouth aids this process but does not create suction.