Ectamenogonus Buysson, 1893

Arimoto, Kôichi, 2022, Taxonomic revision of the genus Ectamenognonus Buysson (Coleoptera, Elateridae, Elaterinae) from Japan, Zootaxa 5087 (2), pp. 306-334 : 308

Genus Ectamenogonus Buysson, 1893

Ectamenogonus Buysson, 1893 : cccxiv (original description); Hyslop, 1921: 642 (subsequent designation of type species: Ludius montandoni Buysson, 1888 ).

Penthelater Ôhira, 1970: 9 (original description; type species: Ludius plebejus Candéze, 1873 ; by original designation); Platia and Cate, 1990: 111 (synonymized with Ectamenogonus ).

Rhodopenthes Gurjeva, 1973: 450 (original description; type species: Ludius plebejus Candéze, 1873 ; by original designation); Gurjeva, 1974: 111 (synonymized with Penthelater ).

Diagnostic description. Adults. Head convex in profile, without median depression. Supra-antennal carina complete, in anterior view broadly rounded, in profile not projecting beyond frontoclypeal region. Frontoclypeal region in ventral view narrowed medially. Antennae serrate from antennomere IV, without median longitudinal carina; antennomeres I and III–XI longer than wide; II globular, shortest; III obconical; IV longer than II–III combined but shorter than II–III combined in some females. Mandible bidentate. Prothorax laterally rounded and abruptly narrowed anteriorly. Pronotum posteriorly with or without a median longitudinal depression, without sublateral incisions near hind angles; hind angles bicarinate. Hypomeron: mesial edge with elevated impunctate ridge next to pronotosternal suture; posterior margin with two large emarginations. Procoxal cavity partly closed behind by mesial projection of hypomeron. Prosternal process depressed or not between procoxae, without subapical tooth. Pronotosternal sutures not grooved. Mesepisternum not reaching mesocoxal cavity. Mesosternum separated by suture from metasternum. Metasternum sulcate medially just behind mesosternum. Elytra elevated around each puncture; apex rounded, emarginate or truncate; apical internal and outer edges with or without thorn. Tarsomeres and claws simple. Parameres distinctly notched between apical parts and preapical expansions. Bursa copulatrix with sclerotized spines.

Distribution. Oriental region ( China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Japan): 12 species; Palearctic region (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Czech, France, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Syria, Turkey): four species ( Schimmel, 2005; Cate, 2007; this study).

Ecology. Larvae are carnivorous and develop in dead wood and soil in hollows of deciduous trees ( Coache and Delnatte, 2007). Adults appear from May to October from tropical rainforests, lowland laurel forests, and temperate broad-leaf forests ( Miwa, 1929; Ôhira, 1999; Schimmel, 1999, 2003; Coache and Delnatte, 2007) and in March and April in uplands of the Malay Peninsula and Borneo ( Schimmel, 1998, 2003). In Japan, most adults are attracted to lights at night ( Ôhira, 1999; Arimoto, 2017). Ectamenogonus plebejus was attracted to broad-leaved trees attacked by pests.

Included species from Japan. Four species: E. matobai ( Kishii, 1973) in the Yaeyama Islands; E. miyakoensis Arimoto sp. n. in the Miyako Islands; E. plebejus ( Candèze, 1873) from Hokkaido to the Okinawa Islands; E. robustus ( Kishii, 1966) from Hokkaido to Kyushu.