Selenophorus hylacis species group

Shpeley, Danny, Hunting, Wesley & Ball, George E., 2017, A taxonomic review of the Selenophori group (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Harpalini) in the West Indies, with descriptions of new species and notes about classification and biogeography, ZooKeys 690, pp. 1-195 : 40-41

Selenophorus hylacis species group

Recognition.

Dorsal surface of tarsi with short setae; ventral surface of basitarsus of hind tarsus with inner row of spines touching each other, outer rows of spines more widely spaced. Species formerly placed in the genus Gynandropus , here treated as a species group of subgenus Selenophorus .

SBL. Males, 3.76-7.07 mm; females, 3.76-6.94 mm.

Color. Antennae variously colored: unicolorous testaceous; or with basal one to three antennomeres testaceous, remaining antennomeres darker. Mouthparts testaceous. Legs testaceous to rufo-testaceous. Dorsal and ventral surfaces rufo-brunneous to brunneo-piceous; elytra unicolorous or bicolored, with dark discal cloud.

Luster. Shiny, with or without faint iridescence.

Dorsal microsculpture. Microlines not visible at 100 × on head and pronotum. Elytra with mesh pattern transverse, sculpticells about 3 –4× wide as long.

Male genitalia. Apical portion of phallic median lobe moderately long and wide. Preapical orifice anopic, moderately long; endophallus variously armored with spines and/or darkened microtrichial fields, or without spines or darkened microtrichial fields, without lamina.

Ovipositor and female reproductive tract. Only S. dessalinesi and S. parvus were examined. Bursa copulatrix moderately short; spermatheca moderately long to long, with apical portion coiled, originating near base of common oviduct; moderately long to markedly long spermathecal gland duct originating well above base of spermatheca. Spermathecal gland small, bulbous, without swelling of duct basad gland.

Included species.

The West Indian members of the hylacis species group includes five species: S. clypealis Ball and Shpeley, S. dubius Putzeys, S. dessalinesi Ball and Shpeley, S. parvus Darlington and S. subquadratus (Putzeys).

Geographical distribution.

The range of this species group extends in the Greater Antilles from Cuba to the Virgin Islands and through the Lesser Antilles to Grenada.