Araeodontia Barr, 1952a

Burke, Alan & Zolnerowich, Gregory, 2017, A taxonomic revision of the subfamily Tillinae Leach sensu lato (Coleoptera, Cleridae) in the New World, ZooKeys 719, pp. 75-157 : 80-81

Araeodontia Barr, 1952a

Type species.

Cymatodera peninsularis (Schaeffer, 1904), original designation.

Distribution.

Shown in Fig. 21B.

Differential diagnosis.

Members of Araeodontia can be separated from the similar Cymatodera by the structure of the protarsal claws. The basal denticles of the protarsal claws in Araeodontia are digitiform (Fig. 6E), while members of Cymatodera have these denticles trigonal (Fig. 7B).

Redescription.

Size: 6-12 mm. Color: light testaceous to dark brown, fasciae on elytral disc ranging from testaceous to dark brown. Body: Winged species, somewhat elongate, robust.

Head: Including eye width wider than pronotum; integument smooth to feebly punctate; eyes large, coarsely faceted, feebly emarginate anteriorly; antennae filiform to somewhat serrate, composed of 11 antennomeres, reaching posterior half of pronotum; frons can be bi-impressed or not; terminal labial palpi securiform; terminal maxillary palpi cylindrical, compressed laterally.

Thorax: Pronotum smooth to feebly punctate, widest at middle, sides more constricted behind middle. Prosternum smooth to slightly punctate. Mesoventrite feebly to strongly punctate. Metaventrite slightly punctate, glabrous to conspicuously vested; metaventral process not compressed anteriorly. Metanepisternum concealed throughout its length in lateral view.

Elytra: Elongate, subparallel, slightly broader behind middle; surface feebly punctate, punctations extending to posterior third but never reach apex; scutellum ovoid, not compressed; vested; epipleural fold complete, narrowing toward apex.

Legs: Moderately to coarsely rugose; feebly vested; profemora slightly swollen; pulvillar formula 4-4-4; two tarsal denticles, tarsal denticles digitiform in shape (Fig. 6E).

Abdomen: Six visible ventrites. Ventrites 1-5 impressed laterally or not. Pygidium of males somewhat differentiated from that of females (Fig. 16 A–D); males with sixth ventrite moderately, narrowly V-shaped emarginate (Fig. 16B); pygidium of females simple, broadly rounded (Fig. 16D). Male and female pygidium shape are not variable for all the species in the genus.

Remarks.

Barr (1952a) conducted a revisionary work of those Cymatodera species possessing digitiform tarsal denticles (Fig. 6E). In this revision, he indicated that, based on the state of the tarsal denticles, these species should be assigned to a different genus. The tarsal denticles of Cymatodera are triangular (Fig. 7B); however, this character was inconsistent in three species originally assigned to Cymatodera occurring in northern Mexico, Lower California, and the southwestern United States. As a result, the genus Araeodontia was erected and two new species, Araeodontia picta and A. marginalis , were also described. Barr indicated that, based on differences in the structure of the protarsal denticles, Araeodontia could be further divided into two separate groups, one solely composed of A. picta Barr, and the second composed of the remaining species. In this revisionary work, we examined a significant number of specimens from all Araeodontia species, except A. picipennis , and while differences in the size of the protarsal denticles exist, they are subtle and there is not a clear division of two separate groups within the genus (Fig. 1 A–D).

Key to species of Araeodontia