Afroprinus, Lackner, Tomas, 2013

Lackner, Tomas, 2013, Afroprinus cavicola gen. et sp. n. from the Afrotropical region with notes on cave-dwelling Saprininae (Coleoptera, Histeridae), ZooKeys 294, pp. 57-73 : 58-59

Afroprinus gen. n.

Type species:

Afroprinus cavicola sp. n.

Diagnosis.

Body length 2.125-2.375 mm, dorsal surface entirely punctate; cuticle dark brown to black, without metallic luster, frontal and supraorbital striae present, well developed; sensory structures of antennal club in form of small sensory area and corresponding vesicle situated on internal distal margin; pronotal hypomeron asetose; elytral disc with four long carinate dorsal elytral striae, fifth stria occasionally present on fourth elytral interval; apex of prosternal process convex, prosternal pre-apical foveae large and deep, connected apically by marginal prosternal stria; carinal prosternal striae shortened apically, not united anteriorly; lateral prosternal striae terminating in large deep prosternal pre-apical foveae; meso-metaventral sutural stria present, undulate. Venter asetose.

Differential diagnosis.

The general appearance of Afroprinus somewhat resembles that of Hypocacculus , differing chiefly in the large prosternal pre-apical foveae connected by the deep marginal prosternal stria and in the marginal pronotal stria that in dorsal view is visible along its entire length. By the convex apical third of the prosternal process and by the prosternal pre-apical foveae connected by the marginal prosternal stria Afroprinus can also be confused with several Afrotropical species of the genera Chalcionellus or Pholioxenus . It differs from those species of Chalcionellus that have the prosternal pre-apical foveae connected by the marginal prosternal stria by the sculpture of dorsal surface, which is metallic and much coarser in Afroprinus and by lacking the pronotal depressions of Chalcionellus . From those species of Afrotropical Pholioxenus (mainly from South Africa and Namibia) that likewise have their prosternal pre-apical foveae connected by marginal prosternal stria, Afroprinus differs by the asetose pronotal hypomeron and much coarser and denser elytral punctuation.

Biology.

The type series of Afroprinus cavicola has been found on bat droppings in a Kenyan cave.

Distribution.

Kenya.

Etymology.

The generic name is a combination of the genus name ' Saprinus ' with a prefix derived from the continent of Africa. Gender masculine.