Paratillus GORHAM , 1876

Opitz, Weston, G, Paratillus & B, Tarsostenodes, 2016, Classification, natural history, and evolution of Tarsosteninae (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Cleridae). Part IV. Taxonomy of the Tarsostenodes complex of Australia, New Caledonia, New Guinea, and Tasmania, Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (1), pp. 587-636 : 599

Paratillus GORHAM, 1876 , new status

Paratillus GORHAM, 1876: 62 . Type species: Clerus carus NEWMAN. By original designation. There is ample historical literature cited in CORPORAAL, 1950: 299. More recently, the genus was mentioned by MATTHEWS, 1992: 5, GERSTMEIER 1998: 197, and KOLIBÁČ, 2003: 50. KOLIBÁČ (2003) synonymized Paratillus under Tarsostenus , but during this study it became apparent that the reduction of the eyes, characteristic of the two Paratillus species , represents an outstanding apotypy in the Tarsostenodes complex. GORHAM (1878) also emphasized this eye characteristic by leading his generic description of Paratillus with, "Head with eyes little prominent". I surmised that this eye-form discontinuity between Paratillus and Tarsostenus is sufficiently strong to warrant the generic resurrection of Paratillus .

D i a g n o s i s: Within the Tarsostenodes complex only specimens of Paratillus have the eyes reduced and the mandibles extraordinarily large.

A p o t y p i e s: Eyes reduced.

D e s c r i p t i o n: This genus is described by GORHAM, 1878: 157. To this description I add: Size: Length 3.0-9.0 mm, width 0.6-1.8 mm; mandible large; maxillary terminal palpomeres subsecuriform or strongly securiform; frons much wider than eye width, eyes reduced, narrow; pronotal disc with glabrous elevations; elytral asetiferous punctations restricted to anterior half of elytral disc, with 1° and 2° setae, 2° setae restricted to regions near epipleural margin and elytral apex; tarsus comprised of 5 tarsomeres, 4th tarsomere minute, ungues without denticle; abdomen extended beyond elytral apex or not; aedeagus short, tegmen slightly sclerotized, phallobasic lobed short, fimbriate, phallobasic struts confluent with phallobasic apodeme, phallobasic rod present; spicular apodemes fused at distil limit or not fused.

D i s t r i b u t i o n:Cosmopolitan.

S p e c i e s E x a m i n e d Paratillus atali OPITZ , new species, P. carus (NEWMAN)