Cyrebion Fairmaire, 1891

Yang, Y. X. & Yang, X. K., 2010, A redescription of the genus Cyrebion Fairmaire, 1891, with notes on related taxa and distribution (Coleoptera: Cantharidae), Journal of Natural History 44 (9 - 10), pp. 579-588 : 580-581

Cyrebion Fairmaire, 1891

Type species: Cyrebion laticorne Fairmaire, 1891 (by monotypy).

Head rounded and flat; eyes moderately protruding in male, weakly protruding in female; mandibles simple, terminal maxillary palpomere securiform, about twice as long as wide, widest near apex; antennae flattened or thickened in both sexes, antennomere II shorter than III, sometimes middle antennomeres with narrow glabrous grooves near apices in male, absent in female. Pronotum transverse, anterior margin slightly rounded, anterior angles rounded, lateral margins diverging posteriorly, posterior angles rounded, posterior margin strongly bordered and emarginated in middle. Scutellum triangular, posterior margin rounded. Elytra broad, no more than 2.5 times longer than maximal breadth, disc matt, coarsely punctuated, with three slightly distinct longitudinal costate, lateral margins converging posteriorly in both sexes. All tarsal claws simple in both sexes. Abdomen broad and tapered posteriorly, male abdominal sternite IX slender, female abdominal sternite VIII more or less emarginated in middle of apical margin.

Aedeagus plump and slightly flattened dorsoventrally, dorsal plates of parameres fused, with apical margin more or less emarginated in middle, ventral processes thin and straight, near to each other in middle, laterophyses well-developed and fused, about as long as parameres.

Remarks

This genus is related to Themus but is definitely different from the Themus subgenera redescribed by Švihla (2008), or the related taxa Gallerucocantharis Pic, 1913 and Yukikoa Satô, 1976 , which are of uncertain status but beyond the aim of this study. The genus Cyrebion can be distinguished from these related taxa using the following key.

A key to Cyrebion and related genus group taxa

1. Elytra metallic, often shiny...................................... 2 Elytra not metallic, at most slightly shiny........................... 3

2. Lateral margins of pronotum mostly parallel-sided, rarely slightly diverging anteriorly; lateral margins of elytra mostly converging posteriorly, rarely parallel-sided in male, always parallel-sided in female..................................................... Themus s.str. Motschulsky, 1858 Lateral margins of pronotum more or less diverging posteriorly; lateral mar- gins of elytra parallel-sided or distinctly diverging in both sexes........................................ Themus (Telephorops) Fairmaire, 1886

3. Elytra very finely punctuated, nearly smooth...... Gallerucocantharis Pic, 1913 Elytra never smooth............................................ 4

4. Posterior margin of pronotum strongly bordered and emarginated in middle; laterophyses of aedeagus fused, in middle of median lobe........................................................ Cyrebion Fairmaire, 1891 Posterior margin of pronotum weakly bordered and almost straight; laterophyses of aedeagus separated, on both sides of median lobe............ 5

5. Eyes very small, head breadth across eyes distinctly narrower than anterior margin of pronotum; lateral margins of elytra distinctly diverging posteriorly........................................... Yukikoa Satô, 1976 Eyes large, head breadth across eyes almost as wide as anterior margin of pronotum; lateral margins of elytra parallel-sided or slightly diverging posteriorly........................... Themus (Haplothemus) Wittmer, 1973

Species of Cyrebion Fairmaire