ANNALES ZOOLOGICI (Warszawa), 1998, 48(3/4): 253-273 REVIEW OF THE THALYCRACOMPLEX (COLEOPTERA: NITIDULINAE) WITH THREE NEW GENERA AND NOTES ON MYCOPHAGY A l e x a n d e r G. K irejtshuk1 and R i c h a r d A. B. L e sc h e n 2 ,3 ’Laboratory of Insect Systematics, Zoological Institute, Academy of Sciences, St. P etersbu rg V-164, R u ssia 2Landcare Research, Private Bag 92 1 70, 120 Mt Albert Road, Auckland, New Zealand, e-mail: [email protected] Abstract.— The 12 genera of the T h a ly c ra complex are reviewed, diagnosed, and keyed. The group is related to the P o c a d iu s complex (based on larval and adult morphology) and is charac­ terized by the following adult characters in combination: body form elongate and convex, pronotal and elytral margins narrowly explanate, vestiture of setae relatively sparse, length of antennomere 11 smaller than 9 and 10 combined, and metacoxae approximate with a moderately narrow inter- coxal process. Three genera are described as new: Pocadiolycra Kirejtshuk and Leschen, gen. nov. (type species: Pocadiolycra peruensis Kirejtshuk and Leschen, sp. nov.; P. guyanaensis Kirejtshuk, sp. nov.), T a g m a ly c r a Kirejtshuk and Leschen, gen. nov. (type species: T a g m a ly c r a a s h e i Kirejtshuk and Leschen, sp. nov.) and Thalycrinella Kirejtshuk, gen. nov. (type species: Neothalycra latitibialis Audisio and Kirejtshuk, 1983), The species Quadrifrons castaneus Blatchley, 1916 (= Cychramus zimmermani Horn 1879, new synonymy), Poeadionta dentipes (Grouvelle, 1898), and Pleuroneces montanus Olliff, 1891 are redescribed. Biological information is summarized for each genus while fungal host relationships are emphasized. Members of T h a ly c ra Erichson, and possibly Quadrifrons Blatchley, are specialists on hypogean fungi while the related genera Pocadiolycra and T a g m a ly c r a are specialists on Agaricaceae. New New Zealand records for the species Thalycrodes australis (Blackburn) are provided. Key words.— Coleoptera, Nitidulidae, mycophagy, hypogean fungi, systematics. Introduction Lawrence (1992) treated a group of Australian genera they called the Thalycrodes complex (consisting of Australycra The classification of mycophagous Nitidulinae with con­ Kirejtshuk and Lawrence, Rixerodes Kirejtshuk and vex body forms is poorly understood and here we attempt Lawrence, and Thalycrodes) that we consider as members to define informally a group of taxa related to the genus of the Thalycra complex. In this paper we review the gen­ Thalycra Erichson. This group has been traditionally era belonging to the Thalycra complex and describe two regarded as closely related to, or placed together with, gen­ neotropical genera containing three species, erect a new era related to Pocadius Erichson (Erichson 1843, Reitter genus for the African species Neothalycra latitibialis 1919, Parsons 1943). Older European classifications includ­ Grouvelle, provide a key to the genera, and summarize fun­ ed Thalycra and Pocadius together in the same groups gal host information for each genus. (e.g., Pocadiini Seidlitz, 1872 and Thalycrina Thomson Specimens are deposited in the following collections: 1859). The modern concept of this group, referred to here Canadian Museum of Nature (Ottawa, CMN); Canadian as the Thalycra complex, was alluded to by Parsons (1943) National Collection (Biosystematic Research Institute, to include Neothalycra Grouvelle, Thalycra, Thalycrodes Ottawa, CNC); Entomology Research Museum, Lincoln Blackburn, and Xenostrongylus Wollaston. Audisio and University (Lincoln, New Zealand, LUNZ); Escuela Kirejtshuk (1983) noted the similarity among these genera Agricola Pamamericana (Tegucigalpa, Honduras, EAP); including Pseudothalycra Howdcn, but excluded Facultad de Biologia, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala Xenostrongylus from consideration. Kirejtshuk and (Guatemala City, GUAT); Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago, FMNH); Forest Research Institute (Rotorua, New 3Authors are listed alphabetically, not according to overall contri­ Zealand, FRNZ); Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad bution dc San Marcos (Lima, Peru, MNHU); Museo de Insecta, http://rcin.org.pl 254 A. G. K i r e j s t h u k a n d R. A. B. Le sc h en Faculdad de Agronomia (Universitaria de Costa Rica, and elytral sides narrowly explanate (the sides are widely MIFA); Natural History Museum (London, NHML); New explanate in Physoronia Reitter and Pocadionta ), vesti- Zealand Collection of Arthropods (Auckland, NZAC); ture of setae relatively sparse, length of antennomere 11 Prague National Museum (Czech Republic, PNMC); R. smaller than 9 and 10 combined, metacoxae approximate Leschen Collection (Auckland, RALC); Snow with a moderately narrow intercoxal process. The anten- Entomological Museum, (Lawrence, Kansas, SEMC); nal club in the Pocadius complex is evenly covered by United States National Museum (Washington, USNM); small sensillae which is also the condition in Pocadiolycra Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Taymalycra of the Thalycra complex. Otherwise, the (St. Petersburg, ZIN); Zoologisehe Staatssammlung sensillae are confined to the apices of antennomeres 9 and (Munich, ZSM). 10 surrounded by a distinct edge. Although the protibia Measurements are given in mm. Acronyms for New vary in the two complexes, the meso- and metatibiae of the Zealand localities follow Crosby et al. (1976). Thalycra complex (with the exception of Thalycra ) do not have stout spines along the outer edge (like some genera of the Pocadius complex) and frequently have subapical S ystem atic position and composition spines or forked projections. The Pocadius complex includes the following genera Because the higher classification of the convex nitidu- (covered, in part, by Kirejtshuk 1997a): Atarphia Reitter, lines is poorly defined many authors refer to some informal 1884 (Palaearctic, Indo-malayan, and Australian; Kirejtshuk generic groupings as complexes, groups, or lineages. The 1984, 1986a, 1992); Hebasculinus Kirejtshuk, 1992 Thalycva complex was reviewed, in part, as the (Palaearctic and Indo-malayan); Hebascus Erichson, 1843 Thalycrodes complex by Kirejtshuk and Lawrence (1992) (Neotropical); Hyleopocadius Jelinek, 1977 (Neotropical); and these were placed in the Pocadius lineage, claimed to Lordyrodes Reitter; 1884 (Palaearctic and Indo-malayan); be previously defined by Audisio and Kirejtshuk (1983) in Niliodes Murray, 1868 (Neotropical); Physoronia Reitter, their paper. However, there is no reference to, nor is there a 1884 (Palaearctic and Indo-malayan); Pocadioides complete list of taxa for, the Pocadius lineage provided by Ganglbauer, 1899 (Palaearctic and Indo-malayan); Audisio and Kirejtshuk (1983). Characters for the Pocadius Pocadius Erichson, 1843 (world wide except for New lineage were listed by Kirejtshuk and Lawrence (1992) and Zealand); Pocadites Reitter, 1884 (Palaearctic and Indo- are, “type of pubescence and elytral punctation, approxi­ malayan); Pseudoplatychora Grouvelle, 1890 (Indo- mate hind coxae, and peculiarities of tibial structure and malayan; Jelinek 1982); Taraphia Audisio and Jelinek, 1993 genitalia of both sexes”. Unfortunately, these characters (Indo-malayan); Teichostethus Sharp, 1891 (Neotropical). are not enough to describe explicitly the Pocadius lineage The genus Taraphia was included in the axvroid complex of and a list of the inclusive taxa for the Pocadius lineage has genera by Audisio and Jelinek (1993), but is treated as a not been published. What constitutes a lineage or a com­ member of the Pocadius complex in this study. plex of genera in these nitiduline groups must be consid­ There are several adult characters that are shared ered in a comprehensive review of the subfamily classifica­ between the Thalycra and Pocadius complexes, all of tion which is beyond the scope of this paper. wiiich could be recognized as plesiomorphies or vary with­ Instead of recognizing a Pocadius lineage (Kirejtshuk in the two groups: body with vestiture of setae, head with and Lawrence 1990, 1992), we recognize two informal vertexal line or abruptly constricted dorsally, mesosternum groups of genera that may be closely related - the visible in ventral view, and ovipositor with gonostyli. Laical Thalycra and Pocadius complexes. These are covered in characters that may support a close relationship among the the following discussion. two complexes were identified from the comprehensive The Thalycra complex includes the following genera, work by Hayashi (1978) and the description for Thalycra including three described in this paper: Thalycra sinuata How den, the only known lan a from the Thalycra (Holarctic; Howden 1961, .Jelinek 1982); Pseudothalycra complex (see descriptions in Howden 1961). Most nitidu- Howden and Quadrifrons Blatchley (Nearctic; Parsons lines have two tarsungular setae, although one of these may 1943); three Australian genera ( Thalycrodes , Rixerodes be strongly reduced (e.g., Physoronia) or absent (e.g., and Australycra): Neothalycra and Thalycrinella gen. Oxycnemus Erichson). One tarsungular seta is present in nov. (Afrotropical; Audisio and Kirejtshuk 1983); members of Pocadites , Pocadius , and Thalycra and out­ Pleuroneces Olliff (Neotropical); Pocadionta Lucas side this group in some species of Pal/odes Erichson. The (Patagonian); Pocadiolycra gen. nov. and Tagmalycra hypopharyngeal sclerome of nitidulines typically has a pair gen. nov. (Neotropical). The name Thalycrina Thomson of well developed anterior horns, but these are absent in (1859) could be applied