Zorius Reichardt, 1932

Lackner, Tomáš, 2010, Review of the Palaearctic genera of Saprininae (Coleoptera: Histeridae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 50, pp. 1-254 : 236-237

Zorius Reichardt, 1932

Zorius Reichardt, 1932: 16 , 25. Type species: Saprinus funereus Schmidt, 1890 , original designation.

Zorius: REICHARDT (1941) : 154, 274; DAHLGREN (1969c): 230; KRYZHANOVSKIJ & REICHARDT (1976): 196; MAZUR (1984): 78; MAZUR (1997): 245; MAZUR (2004): 101; LACKNER (2009b): 120.

Diagnosis. Cuticle dark brown to pitch black, in Zorius funereus almost entirely imbricate, without metallic luster; anterior margin of clypeus elevated; frontal stria well impressed, slightly curved outwardly; pronotal foveae absent; pronotal hypomeron setose; both sets of prosternal striae present; pre-apical foveae absent. Protibia on outer margin with up to 10 low teeth topped with short denticle.

This genus has been recently revised by LACKNER (2009b). For the sake of consistency its diagnosis, biology and distribution are repeated here, if slightly altered to fit the style used in this publication. Likewise, since this paper introduces some new terminology, this has also been taken into the account and the relevant parts are altered.

Differential diagnosis. Genus Zorius superficially most resembles the members of the genus Saprinus especially by the absence of pre-apical foveae, general body form and elytral striae. It differs from them by the presence of a complete frontal stria (usually widely interrupted in Saprinus ), flattened eyes (usually convex and well-visible from above in Saprinus ) and the anteriorly elevated clypeus (not elevated in Saprinus ). The sensory structures of the antennal club likewise differ from those of the species of the genus Saprinus : antennal club of Zorius possesses one sensory area on internal distal side with a corresponding single vesicle beneath it, whereas species of Saprinus usually have multiple sensory areas on the ventral as well as dorsal sides of antennal club, sometimes supplemented by slit-like pits, with a single vesicle situated under one of them (for more details see LACKNER (2009b)). Members of Zorius could further be confused with several species of the genus Hypocacculus or Chalcionellus but can be easily separated from them by a larger body size and absent pre-apical foveae (almost universally present in Hypocacculus and Chalcionellus ). Further, Zorius lacks any metallic luster that is often present in the species of Hypocacculus or Chalcionellus .

Biology. Zorius is a very rare taxon, its biology is unknown.

Distribution. Zorius funereus ( Schmidt, 1890) and Z. exilis Reichardt, 1932 are known from Palestine, Israel and Syria. Zorius exilis Reichardt, 1932 is known only from the holotype.

MAZUR (1997) erroneously mentions Zorius exilis Reichardt, 1932 from Syria. The original description mentions Nablus, which is in Palestine. Also, the same author ( MAZUR 1997) mentions Z. funereus from Palestine and Syria, giving Palestine as the type locality. The correct type locality is Haifa, which is not in Palestine, but in Israel (see also LACKNER 2009b).

Species examined. Zorius exilis Reichardt, 1932 , Z. funereus ( Schmidt, 1890) .

Discussion. Taxonomic position of this rare genus is somewhat unclear; in the preliminary cladistic analysis of the Palaearctic Saprininae (LACKNER, in prep.) it came out near the Hypocaccus – Eopachylopus – Exaesiopus complex, but at that time the sensory structures of the antennal club have not been studied. It is probably a monophyletic taxon, supported by several putative synapomorphies: absent pre-apical foveae, complete frontal stria, elevated anterior margin of clypeus; on the other hand the ciliate pronotal hypomeron or protibia with numerous teeth on outer margin are possible homoplasies.