Cremastocheilus

The beetle genus Cremastocheilus is a myrmecophiloous cetoniine scarab endemic to North America. The adults are known to feed on ant brood while the beetle larvae are found feeding on organic detritus found within the ant host nest. Adult beetles disperse from the ant nest to mate and re-enter host ant nests to feed and lay eggs. Adult Cremastocheilus have trichomes and associated glands at the anterior and posterior corners of the pronotum and on the head. In the subgenus Macropodina, trichomes and associated glands are found on the fore-tarsi. The role of the glandular secretions and trichome hairs have not been clearly defined. There are about thirty-five species in the genus and each beetle species has a preferred host ant genus and species.

• 

  Cremastocheilus angularis

• 

  Cremastocheilus canaliculatus

• 

  Cremastocheilus constricticollis

• 

  Cremastocheilus hirsutus

• 

  Cremastocheilus nitens

• 

  Cremastocheilus opaculus

• 

  Cremastocheilus wheeleri

• 

  Cremastocheilus planatus

• 

  Cremastocheilus mentalis

• 

  Cremastocheilus mexicanus

Synonyms

• Myrmeceicon Mann 1911 Syn.
• Myrmecotonus Mann 1914 Syn.
• Trinodia Casey 1915 Syn.
• Anatrinodia Casey 1915 Syn.
• Macropodina Casey 1915 Syn

List of Cremastocheilus and their Host Ants

List of Cremastocheilus and their Host Ants

Genus and species	Author and Year	Ant Host	State Records	Notes
Cremastocheilus academicus	Krikken, 1982	no host record	Mexico	rare
Cremastocheilus angularis	LeConte, 1857	Formica	California	uncommon
Cremastocheilus armatus	Walker, 1866	Formica obscuripes	California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington; Canada (Vancouver)	Common in Formica mound building nests
Cremastocheilus beameri	Cazier, 1940	Camponotus ocreatus	Arizona, New Mexico	beetles mate at the entrance to kangaroo rodent burrows
Cremastocheilus canaliculatus	Kirby, 1827	Formica pallidefulva	Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, West Virginia	Common in Formica nests (Formica schaufussi is a synonym of Fomica pallidifulva)
Cremastocheilus castaneae brevisetosus	Casey, 1915	Formica integra	Iowa	Possible synonym
Cremastocheilus castaneae	Knoch, 1801	Formica integra	Georgia, Maine, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Wisconsin	?
Cremastocheilus chapini	Cazier, 1940	ant host unknown	Arizona, New Mexico	?
Cremastocheilus congener	Casey, 1915	?	Washington State	?
Cremastocheilus constricticollis	Cazier, 1940	Myrmecocystus sp.	Arizona	?
Cremastocheilus crinitus bifoveatus	Van Dyke, 1918	unknown	Arizona	Possible synonym?
Cremastocheilus crinitus	LeConte, 1874	Formica gnava	Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Washington : Canada (British Columbia)	species complex?
Cremastocheilus crinitus pugetanus	Casey, 1915	?	Idaho, Utah, Washington	Possible synonym?
Cremastocheilus excavatus	Cazier, 1940	no ant host record	Mexico	Pogonomyrmex host ?
Cremastocheilus harrisii	Kirby, 1827	Formica sp.	Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Wisconsin	Mates on sand bars in the spring
Cremastocheilus hirsutus	Van Dyke, 1918	Pogonomyrmex barbatus, Pogonomyrmex maricopa	Arizona, New Mexico	Beetle larvae develop in the upper chambers of the nest
Cremastocheilus knochii	LeConte, 1853	Formica	Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin ; Canada (Manitoba)	?
Cremastocheilus lengi	Cazier, 1938	Pheidole desertorum	Arizona	4-segmented hind tarsi, all other Cremastocheilus have 5-segmented hind tarsi
Cremastocheilus mentalis	Cazier, 1940	Novomessor albisetosus	Arizona	?
Cremastocheilus mexicanus	Schaum, 1841	Formica gnava	Arizona	with Formica subcyanea and other Formica' ?
Cremastocheilus nitens	LeConte, 1853	?	Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota	?
Cremastocheilus opaculus	Horn, 1885	Myrmecocystus ?	Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah
Cremastocheilus planatus	LeConte, 1866	Camponotus	Arizona, New Mexico	?
Cremastocheilus planipes	Horn, 1894	Novomessor cockerelli	Arizona, New Mexico, Texas	?
Cremastocheilus pulverulentus	Cazier, 1940	Myrmecocystus ?	Arizona, New Mexico	?
Cremastocheilus puncticollis	Cazier, 1940	?	Arizona, California	?
Cremastocheilus quadratus	Fall, 1912	Veromessor pergandei?	Arizona, California	known only from three specimens.
Cremastocheilus quadricollis	(Casey, 1915)	?	Oklahoma, Texas	?
Cremastocheilus retractus incisus	Casey, 1915	?	Colorado, Kansas	?
Cremastocheilus retractus	LeConte, 1874	Formica gnava	Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois (Mason Co.), Iowa (Des Moines Co., Lee Co.), Nebraska, Texas (Travis Co.), Wyoming; Canada (Manitoba); Mexico (Durango)	Formica ciliata?
Cremastocheilus robinsoni	Cazier, 1940	?	Arizona; Mexico (Durango)	?
Cremastocheilus saucius	LeConte, 1858	Pogonomyrmex occidentalis	Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming	?
Cremastocheilus schaumii	LeConte, 1853	Veromessor ?	California	?
Cremastocheilus schaumii tibialis	Casey, 1915	Veromessor ?	?	?
Cremastocheilus setosifrons	(Casey, 1915)	?	Kansas	?
Cremastocheilus spinifer	Horn, 1885	Pheidole?	Texas	taken from a nest of Pheidole desertorum under a stone near Fort Davis, Texas
Cremastocheilus squamulosus	LeConte, 1858	?	Florida, Maryland, North Carolina	?
Cremastocheilus stathamae	Cazier, 1961	Myrmecocystus depilis, Myrmecocystus mexicanus	Arizona	?
Cremastocheilus tomentosus	Warner, 1985	?	Arizona	no ant host records
Cremastocheilus variolosus	Kirby, 1826	?	New Jersey, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania	?
Cremastocheilus westwoodi tridens	Casey, 1915	Veromessor ?	California	?
Cremastocheilus westwoodi	Horn, 1879	Veromessor ?	California	?
Cremastocheilus wheeleri	LeConte, 1876	Formica obscuripes	Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Wisconsin : Canada	Transferred from subgenus Anatrinodia to Cremastocheilus

REFERENCES

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