Tillicera Spinola, 1841

Gerstmeier, Roland & Bernhard, Nadine, 2010, Revision of the genus Tillicera Spinola, 1841 (Coleoptera: Cleridae, Clerinae), Zootaxa 2359 (1), pp. 1-34 : 3-4

Tillicera Spinola, 1841

Type species: Tillicera javana Spinola, 1844

Spinola 1841: 73; Spinola 1844: 157; Lacordaire 1857: 440; Desmarest, in Chenu 1860: 241; Schenkling 1903: 26, 37.

Body: Stout, compact, length 6–16mm.

Head: Head including eyes not conspicuously broader than pronotum; eyes margined, protruding laterally, finely facetted, separated by more than one eye width, emarginate proximal to antennal base; labrum bilobed; terminal maxillary palpomeres digitiform; terminal labial palpomeres securiform; head from posterior margin of eyes towards lower part with fine longitudinal rugosity; antennae 11-segmented, basal funicular antennomeres filiform, antennomeres from A4 to A7 onwards (though most often from A5) triangularly dilated, A2 shorter than A3, A10 mostly broader than long or nearly as wide as long. Gular sutures apically divergent, gular process narrow (not bilobed).

Thorax: Procoxal cavities open behind; pro-intercoxal process narrow, linear, slightly dilated distally; pronotum almost always longer than broad (except T. callosa n. sp., T. michaeli n. sp.), broadest in middle or just behind middle; anterior surface of mesepisternum transversely wrinkled, postero-laterally punctate or coarsely wrinkled, smooth towards middle; anterior mesosternal process present, forming a triangular bulge; posterior meso-intercoxal process stout, depressed or more or less conspicuously erect; scutellum circular.

Elytra: Elongate, subparallel, almost two times longer than broad; each elytron with ten rows of coarse punctures; elytral base not margined; scutellum more or less circular.

Legs: Short; tibiae with (each on the inner and outer faces) or without longitudinal carina; tarsi pentamerous; tarsal pulvillar formula 4-4-2; tibial spur formula 1-2-2; pretarsal claws unipartite, with basal denticles.

Aedeagus: With the exception of Tillicera tonkinensis , all investigated species show tooth-like or hookshaped structures at parameres.

Important differential character for the separation of Tillicera from similar genera is the tarsal pulvillar formula: Clerus 4-3-2, Thanasimus 4-4-3, Omadius 4-1-1 and Hemitrachys 4-2-2. A revision of the ‘ Tillicera group’ of genera is in preparation.