Lissomus, Dalman, 1824

Johnson, Paul J., 2022, The first report of Lissomus Dalman (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Lissominae) from the Greater Antilles, with two new species from the Dominican Republic, Insecta Mundi 2022 (911), pp. 1-10 : 3

Genus Lissomus

Lissomus Dalman, 1824: 13

Type species: Lissomus punctulatus Dalman 1824: 14 (designation of Fleutiaux 1947: 138)

Lissodes Latreille 1829: 452 (as synonym, not available, ICZN 1999, Art. 11.6, Art. 12.2)

(treated as a synonym of Drapetes “Dejean” by Smetana 2007)

Cymbium Gerstäcker 1860: 136 (not Röding 1798: 151, Gastropoda ) (as synonym, not available,

ICZN 1999, Art. 11.6).

Lissernus Fleutiaux 1911: 263 (misspelling)

An historical nomenclatural bibliography for Lissomus and its synonyms was given by Johnson (2021) and these references are not repeated here.

Diagnoses. Lissominae , Lissomini ( Costa et al. 2010), Lissomus ( Dalman 1824) , with a new full description by Johnson (2021). The body is moderate in length, about 6-16 mm; dorsum shallowly to strongly convex, venter shallowly convex. Integument smooth, shining between fine to moderate-sized punctures; each puncture with either a minute seta on pronotal and elytral discs, appearing glabrous, or setae long, thin, hair-like especially venter and lateral areas of pronotum and elytra. Antennal insertion deep, transverse; antennomere 2 subcylindrical, 3 subserrate; 4-10 moderately to strongly serrate, 11 oval to lachrymiform. Hypomeron excavate posteriorly to receive front legs, posterior margin a thin perpendicular lamelliform wall; pronotosternal margin anterior deeply and obliquely fossate to receive antenna. Mesoventrite with deep median fossa, broadly U- to V-shaped, walls planar, to slightly below or slightly elevated to metaventrite; anterior angles formed as crural impressions to receive mesothoracic legs, usually with an arcuate carina from mesocoxal margin directed laterally, reaching partly or completely to lateral margin. Tarsomeres 1–4 with progressively enlarging ventral membranous lobes, rarely with tarsomere one with densely setose ventral pad.

Lissomus quisqueya and L. woodruffi will not trace to any described species in the keys of Bonvouloir (1859) or Gerstäcker (1860), nor do they closely resemble any other known species of the genus. Their general gestalt in the combination of body form, the pubescence of long hair-like setae evenly distributed, relatively narrow serrations of midlength antennomeres, and the densely punctured elytra with evanescent striae are unique in the American Lissomus , being most similarly found on L. asteriscus , L. carmen , L. discedens , and L. sericeus , here regarded as the L. discedens -group of species within Lissomus .