Agathidium aztec Subgroup

MILLER, KELLY B. & WHEELER, QUENTIN D., 2005, Slime-Mold Beetles Of The Genus Agathidium Panzer In North And Central America, Part Ii. Coleoptera: Leiodidae, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2005 (291), pp. 1-167 : 91

Agathidium aztec Subgroup

DISCUSSION: This group is characterized by the shape of the male genitalia. The median lobe of the aedeagus has a moderately to distinctly prominent lateral sulcus near the base of the apical portion (e.g., figs. 184, 186). This sulcus is subtended by prominent, lobelike carinae that extend laterally and dorsally (e.g., figs. 184, 186). This feature is very strongly developed in some taxa but in others is less prominent. The lateral lobes are apically variously sinuate and typically expanded apically and submedially. The lateral lobes fit into the lateral sulcus and between the carinae. Many of these species are dorsally iridescent. There is considerable variation in body size, relative size of the eyes, development of the metasternal carinae, and the male metasternal fovea and metafemur. Two of these species have unusual thornlike structures on the front legs ( A. tribulosum and A. tribulograndum ), and one species ( A. multidentatum ) has the apex of the median lobe of the aedeagus asymmetrical. Most of the species are described here as new, and it is a very reasonable assumption that the true diversity of the group in Mexico and Central America is only beginning to be discovered. Most of the species have been collected only by sifting litter and Berlese extractions, suggesting that they are relatively cryptic in habitat.