Scleropatroides Löbl and Merkl, 2003

Iwan, Dariusz & Matthews, Eric G., 2015, Scleropatroides Löbl and Merkl (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Opatrini) Discovered in Australia, with Description of a New Species and Discussion of Related Genera, The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 14) 69, pp. 115-121 : 115-116

Scleropatroides Löbl and Merkl, 2003

Type Species. Opatrum hirtulum Baudi di Selve, 1876 , by original designation.

Diagnosis. Clypeus deeply emarginate; eyes not completely divided; third antennomere short (less than two times as long as second); pronotal disc evenly convex; elytral striae with large foveate punctures; elytral intervals carinate, with one row of tubercles; wings fully developed; abdominal ventrites flat; aedeagus simple.

The genus belongs to the tribe Opatrini , as shown by the excised clypeus, antennae without complex sensoria, labrum subquadrate with tormal arms mesally bent into long extensions ( Fig. 9 ), laciniae uncinate, protrochanters of opatrinoid type sensu Iwan (2004) , protibiae fossorial (although not strongly so) ( Fig. 6 ), and ovipositor shortened ( Fig. 14 ). It belongs to the subtribe Opatrina as evidenced by a female tract without a bursa copulatrix, with a single tubular spermatheca attached to the anterior end of the vagina ( Fig. 14 ), and simple (not tripartite) aedeagus. The aedeagus ( Figs. 12, 13 ) appears to have a normal apical piece of joined parameres as in most Tenebrionidae , but these are actually pseudoparameres sensu Iwan (2004) , consisting of fused original parameres plus the laciniae (clavae).

Scleropatroides can be separated from the other Australian Opatrini by using the key to the genera of Opatrina in Matthews and Bouchard (2008), where it appears under the erroneous name Mesomorphus darwini (Blackburn) . The latter is in fact a valid species of Mesomorphus Miedel, 1880 , as shown by Ferrer (2008).

Figures

Figs. 9–14. Scleropatroides triplehorni. 9) Labrum-epipharynx; 10) Maxilla; 11) Labium; 12) Aedeagus, dorsal view; 13) Aedeagus, ventral view; 14) Ovipositor and female tract.

Figs. 5–8. Scleropatroides triplehorni. 5) Head and prothorax, lateral view; 6) Head and prothorax, ventral view; 7) Head and pronotum, anterior view; 8) Mouthparts in situ. Scale bars = 1 mm.