Pararticerus Jeannel, 1955

Hlavác, Peter, 2007, Revision of the subtribe Clavigerodina and an annotated catalogue of South African Clavigeritae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), African Invertebrates 48 (2), pp. 65-92 : 81-82

Genus Pararticerus Jeannel, 1955

Pararticerus Jeannel, 1955: 179 ; 1964:206; Coulon 1982:51; Besuchet 1986: 263 (synonymy of Pararticerus with Articerodes ).

Diagnosis: Head about as long as wide or slightly longer, shorter than pronotum, frontal rostrum prominent, clypeus broadly arcuate, clearly visible in dorsal view; antennae with 4 antennomeres, first two minuscule, third weakly thickened distally, much longer than antennomere II, terminal antennomere conical, thickened distally; pronotum wider than long, median antebasal fovea present; elytra with 8 or 9 elongate lines formed from suberect setae, posterior part with trichomes opposite trichomes on edge of basal impression of composite tergum, first visible paratergites with large trichomes; mesofemora and tibiae with spines or spurs in males.

Sexual dimorphism: Females are larger, and with mesofemora and tibiae simple, lacking spines or spurs.

Notes: The genus Articerodes was erected by Raffray for A. syriacus de Saulcy , described from Saida in Lebanon (de Saulcy 1865). Eight species have been placed in the genus: two species from Japan, one each from India and Sumatra, four species from Africa,

and the type species A. syriacus , which is widely distributed in the Palaearctic region, having been recorded from Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan, Greece (Crete) and Ethiopia ( Jeannel 1955). Such a wide distribution is unusual for Clavigeritae , which are normally restricted to relatively small areas, and show a high degree of endemism. In South Africa only one species, A. latus Raffray , is known. Jeannel erected the new genus Pararticerus Jeannel (1955) for this species, seeing differences between this species and A. syriacus . The genus was later synonymised under Articerodes by Besuchet (1986). I think that A. latus is not congeneric with A. syriacus and cannot be placed in the same genus. It differs from Articerodes by the generally wider body, by having antennomere III much longer than II and by the presence of trichomes on the edge of the basal impression of the composite tergum, just behind the elytral trichomes.