Microhoriini, Bondona, 1974

Kejval, Zbyněk & Chandler, Donald S., 2020, Generic revision of the Microhoriini with new species and synonymies from the Palaearctic Region (Coleoptera: Anthicidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 60 (1), pp. 95-154 : 104-105

II. Microhoriini , history of classification

The tribe Microhoriini was proposed by BONADONA (1974) to hold Clavicomus , Tenuicomus, Microhoria , and Aulacoderus , with Microhoria containing five subgenera: Liparoderus , Microhoria s. str., Immicrohoria Pic, 1894 , Submicrohoria Bonadona, 1952, and Platyhoria Bonadona, 1952 . Species of the genera recognized by Bonadona were perspicaciously placed by LAFERTÉ- SÉNECTÈRE (1849b) as the sole members of his Quatrième Division of Anthicus , which held the 16 e Groupe (= Clavicomus ), 17 e Groupe (= Microhoria and Tenuicomus), and 18 e Groupe (= subgenus Aulacoderus ). His subgenus Liparoderus was placed as the preceding 15 e Groupe of the Troisième Division of Anthicus (LAFERTÉ- SÉNECTÈRE 1849a). The Divisions of LaFerté-Sénectère were based on differences of form as viewed dorsally, and the presence/absence of lateral ‘fossettes laterales’ (lateral setose impressions/foveae) on the pronotum. The Quatrième Division was characterized by the presence of these lateral setose impressions, while all other groups were judged to lack these impressions, including the group containing Liparoderus .

LaFerté-Sénectère’s informal groups continued to be recognized as distinct groups by subsequent authors and in catalogues, with the groups usually placed together or nearby, but in slightly different arrangements that increasingly emphasized differences of pronotal form as a critical factor in placement near other genera. MARSEUL (1879) proposed a series of informal names for these groups (while apparently unaware of the description of Microhoria ) ending with ‘-colles’ (for pronotum). These were later formalized as available scientific names by PIC (1894) as subgenera within the genus Anthicus : ‘Clavicolles’ [= Clavicomus ], ‘Tenuicolles’ [= Tenuicomus], and ‘Bifossicolles’ [= Microhoria ]. PIC (1894) also added the new subgenus Immicrohoria to the generic cluster formed around the subgenus Microhoria . Preceding and following catalogues treating the Coleoptera of Europe ( HEYDEN 1883; REITTER 1891, 1906; WINKLER 1927) clustered Liparoderus , Microhoria , and Aulacoderus together, with Clavicomus and Tenuicomus placed closely anterior to this cluster, with all being treated as subgenera of Anthicus .

Separation of species within these subgenera was dependent solely on differences in color patterns, setal patterns, body form, and microsculpture. Hans von Krekich-Strassoldo produced the first key to the subgenera of Anthicus (KREKICH- STRASSOLDO 1911) following the original key by PIC (1894), but used the informal group names of MARSEUL (1879). KREKICH- STRASSOLDO (1914) was also the first anthicid worker to use figures of the male genitalia to support his species descriptions, when he began producing figures of the male genitalia of Anthelephila (tribe Formicomini ). Genitalic figures became increasing common in his papers, and were critical components of major treatments of the Anthicus humilis group (= Cyclodinus Mulsant & Rey, 1866, Anthicini ) (KREKICH- STRASSOLDO 1919), and relevant to this paper, the ‘Bifossicolles’ Group of Marseul (= Microhoria, Microhoriini ) (KREKICH- STRASSOLDO 1929). This last paper was a landmark in providing modern species characterizations that incorporated figures and descriptions of the male genitalia for most of the species, while presenting other useful information such as description of the modifications of the male abdominal sternites and elytral apices.

Scattered species descriptions by Maurice Pic and other authors accumulated through the following years, with no synthetic treatments until Paul Bonadona and Johann Christoph van Hille began to publish on the Anthicidae , with the latter author contributing immensely to the knowledge of Aulacoderus . Dealing with taxonomy of the large genus Anthicus , BONADONA (1952) noted that the subgenera Microhoria and Immicrohoria share large lateral dimples (impressions/fossettes) on the pronotum, modified male elytral apices, and the male genitalia exhibited a unique structure within the Anthicidae . Therefore he raised Microhoria to the generic level and proposed its subdivision into four subgenera: Microhoria s. str., Immicrohoria , Submicrohoria, and Platyhoria , reflecting Krekich-Strassoldo’s ‘Bifossicolles’ Groups 4 and 5 respectively (KREKICH- STRASSOLDO 1929: 151). Subsequently Bonadona, without discussion, began treating three other subgenera of Anthicus as genera, namely Aulacoderus ( BONADONA 1956: 118), Clavicomus ( BONADONA 1960: 55), and Tenuicomus ( BONADONA 1974: 108). These genera were more formally characterized as such by BONADONA (1974) when he proposed the tribe Microhorini (sic!, now Microhoriini [cf. NARDI 2003, BOUCHARD et al. 2011]) to hold these three genera together with Microhoria , which now contained four subgenera: Liparoderus , Microhoria s. str., Immicrohoria , and Platyhoria ( BONADONA 1974). BONADONA (1988: 13) later raised Liparoderus to the generic level, noting Liparoderus LaFerté-Sénectère, 1849 was an older name than Microhoria Chevrolat, 1877 . He subsequently used Liparoderini in place of Microhorini ( BONADONA 1990a: 20) in his key to the anthicid genera of France, without an explanation of his rationale for creating this new name. In his treatment of the Anthicidae of France BONADONA (1991) used Microhorini in the key to genera (pp. 12, 14) while using Liparoderini in the text (p. 123), which was repeated in a posthumous updated and annotated reissue of this treatment ( BONADONA 2013).

NARDI (2003) pointed out that Liparoderini was an unnecessary replacement name for the tribe, synonymized it with Microhoriini , and placed the names Immicrohoria , Platyhoria , and Submicrohoria as junior synonyms of Microhoria , leaving Aulacoderus , Clavicomus , Liparoderus, Microhoria , and Tenuicomus as the members of Microhoriini . TELNOV (1999) incorrectly included three New World genera as members of this tribe, based on unpublished portions of the Doctoral Dissertation of Claudia Hemp, and UHMANN (2000, 2007) incorrectly placed many Australian species in Microhoria and Aulacoderus . Recently KEJVAL (2015) added a new genus, Falsophilus Kejval, 2015, which was based on the distinctive Section 5 of Aulacoderus that had been proposed by VAN HILLE (1984), and provided a redescription of Aulacoderus in his treatment of the Palaearctic species of the genus ( KEJVAL 2017).

In a case ruled on by the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN 2016), based on a petition by ALONSO- ZARAZAGA (2013), use of Marseul’s names that typically ended with the suffix ‘-colles’, and which had been used by CHANDLER et al. (2004, 2008), were adjudicated to be incorrectly formed names that were to be rejected, with the correctly formed names of PIC (1894) ending with the suffix ‘-comus’ to be retained.