Psammocryptus Kraatz, 1865

Nabozhenko, Maxim V. & Chigray, Ivan A., 2022, A review of the genus Psammocrуptus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Tentyriini), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 62 (1), pp. 165-184 : 166

Psammocryptus Kraatz, 1865

Psammocryptus Kraatz, 1865: 239 . Type species: Tentyria minuta Tauscher, 1812 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Body small, robust. Anterior margin of epistoma with triangular asymmetric tooth in middle. Eyes weakly convex to almost flattened. Frontal keels above eyes poorly developed. Mandibles deeply bifurcated at apex, with additional dorsal tooth and inner molar tooth. Labrum partially visible dorsally. Eyes weakly emarginated at anterior and posterior margins (lateral view), narrowed from upper to lower parts, not divided (partly or completely) into dorsal and ventral portions by genae. Ventral side of head with wide transverse depression (not deep groove with clear edges).Antennae short, weakly widened to apex, antennomeres 8–11 slightly flattened, antennomeres 8 and 9 with outer lateral area of sensillar brush, 9 th one with two lateral areas of sensillar brush. Head and pronotum usually coarsely and densely punctured. Pronotum more or less cordate, with distinct angles; posterior angles always pointed at apex; base completely bordered, weakly bisinuate or rounded. Prothoracic hypomera coarsely and densely punctured. Elytral base wider than pronotal base, completely widely bordered, with vertical edge, in which base of pronotum rests. Humeral angles well developed. Scutellum also with vertical edge. Elytra with distinct 9 striae of round punctures and short scutellar striole. Epipleura reaching sutural angle. Hind wings absent. Mesoventrite with coarse longitudinal or rarely round foveolate punctures in anterior half and finely and sparsely punctured apophysis between mesocoxae. Legs short, robust; male femora with small brush spot on inner side.

Male genitalia are typical for Palaearctic Tentyriini and do not differ from the other genera of the tribe.

Notes. The genus belongs to the Hyperops genus group, created by KඈർH (1943) for the taxa of Tentyriini with the hair brush on the inner side of the male femora. The four genera of this group, Hyperops Eschscholtz, 1831 , Freyitia Koch, 1943 , Psammocryptus and Tamena Reitter, 1900 , can be distinguished using the key below. BඈGൺඍർHൾඏ (1965) proposed to include Tamena ( Fig. 2 ) as a subgenus within Psammocryptus but we do not support this proposal yet, because differences between these two taxa are clear. Characters of Freyitia are taken from the original description and figures (KඈർH 1943).

Figures

Fig. 2. Tamena rugiceps (Reitter, 1897): A – male dorsally; B – male ventrally; C – head laterally.