Merinus

LeConte, 1862

Species Guides

Merinus laevis(Smooth Darkling Beetle)

Merinus is a of darkling beetles ( Tenebrionidae) established by John Lawrence LeConte in 1862. The genus contains found in North America. As a member of the large and diverse family Tenebrionidae, these beetles are generally associated with arid and semi-arid environments. The genus is characterized by morphological features typical of certain tenebrionid lineages, though detailed species-level remains incompletely documented.

Merinus laevis by (c) drnancyjackson, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Merinus laevis by (c) Whitney Mattila, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Whitney Mattila. Used under a CC-BY license.

Merinus laevis (10.3897-zookeys.728.20602) Figure 40 by Bousquet Y, Thomas DB, Bouchard P, Smith AD, Aalbu RL, Johnston AM, Steiner WE Jr (2018) Catalogue of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of North America. ZooKeys 728: 1-455. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.728.20602. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Merinus: /ˈme.rɪ.nʊs/

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Images

Distribution

North America

More Details

Taxonomic History

The Merinus was erected by LeConte in 1862 within the Tenebrionidae. The name has been occasionally confused with unrelated , including the pauropod Pauropus merinus (Remy, 1956), a myriapod , and historical references to Saint Merinus (also known as Saint Mirin), a 6th-7th century Irish monk—neither of which are related to this genus.