Tiferonia Darlington, 1962

Fedorenko, D. N., 2022, Notes on some Abacetina (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini), with descriptions of a new genus and new species, Russian Entomological Journal 31 (1), pp. 15-26 : 20-21

Tiferonia Darlington, 1962

Darlington, 1962: 500, 560; Will, 2020a: 165; 2020b: 133.

Type species: Tiferonia parva Darlington, 1962 (by original designation).

COMMENTS. This genus was originally erected for two species, T. parva from New Guinea and T. brunnea ( Jedlička, 1935) from the Philippines. Will [2020b] revised this genus just recently, with two additional species included, T. leytensis Will, 2020 , described from the Philippines and T. schoutedeni (Straneo, 1943) transferred to the genus from Melanchrous Andrewes, 1940 . He diagnosed Tiferonia from its allies by four substantial characters in the diagnosis and re-description: deep postocular sulcus, smooth elytral margins, the lack of the elytral discal setae, and the basal three protarsomeres dilated narrowly in male.

Additional characters to separate Tiferonia from Holconotus (and from allied genera) are or at least may be as follows: Body convex, dorsum iridescent in most species; legs sparsely and microscopically setulose, pedicel with a few short additional setae. Body setation almost complete (anterior supra-ocular seta wanting in some species). Pronotum without basal bead. Prosternal process not beaded. Elytral stria 7 more shallow or obliterate behind humerus and interrupted before apex so that its apical section with two apical setae at bottom is directly extended basad into stria 5; striae 8 and 9 nearly confluent a fourth from base, with interval 9 indistinct in basal fourth. USS: 6-1-7, i.e., with intermediate seta US 7 between anterior and posterior groups. Abdominal sternites smooth at bases. Legs and their spiniform armature strong, protibia slightly dilated apicad, with 2+1 strong latero-apical spinules; mesotibia with 3–4 spiniform anterolateral setae; inner setal brush divided into two, long and separate, distal setae and proximal group consisting of 4–5 curved lamellate setae. Tarsi without dorsolateral sulci, tarsomeres 1–3 with DAS, tarsomere 5 with one dorsolateral and one ventral seta, both medial in position. Profemur posteriorly trisetose. Protarsomeres 1–3 very slightly dilated in male. Female laterotergite IX wide apically ( Fig. 29 ); gonosubcoxite minutely setulose at apex; gonocoxite slender, with small dorsal and ventral setae.

Elytral striae vary between species of Tiferonia considerably, from reaching basal ridge to obliterate basally and from smooth to distinctly punctate.

Two, more or less distinct species groups, are traceable within the genus, one including T. parva , T. leytensis and an undescribed species from Borneo (K. Will, personal communication) and the other including the rest of the species, among them two undescribed species from Thailand or South Africa. The first group is defined by the head with two supra-ocular setae on each side in couple with a well impressed basal sulcus of the pronotum, and the members of the second group share single supra-ocular seta, combined with a nearly indistinct pronotal basal sulcus. This difference may suggest that the latter group needs erection of a new subgenus or even genus for itself. However, at least one species of the genus, T. schoutedeni , is intermediate in the characters discussed, since it has the head bisetose, pronotal basal sulci shallow, and body appearance characteristic of the second group. Thus more material should be examined to solve the problem.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION. The species of the genus have hitherto been known from New Guinea, Philippines, and tropical Africa only, suggesting widely gaped Paleotropical range of the genus. Records of new, described or undescribed, species in Vietnam, Thailand, on Sumatra and Borneo, fill some of these gaps with themselves, thereby driving the distribution pattern toward a more continuous one.

Figures

Figs 29–37. Urites VIII and IX in female: 29–31 — Tiferonia trapezicollis sp.n.; 32–34 — Holconotus lioderus; 35–37 — Holcoferonia crassimargo; 29 — urite IX and reproductive tract; 30, 33, 36 — sternite VIII; 31, 34, 37 — tergite VIII; 32, 35 — urite IX; bc — bursa copulatrix; ov — common oviduct; sp — spermatheca; vs — ventral sclerite. Scale bar: 1 mm. Рис. 29–37. Уриты VIII и IX самки: 29–31 — Tiferonia trapezicollis sp.n.; 32–34 — Holconotus lioderus; 35–37 — Holcoferonia crassimargo; 29 — урит IX и репродуктивный тракт; 30, 33, 36 — 36 — стернит VIII; 31, 34, 37 — тергит VIII; 32, 35 — урит IX; bc — копулЯтивнаЯ сумка; ov — непарный Яйцевод; sp — сперматека; vs — вентральный склерит. Масштаб: 1 мм.