Thinobatis Eschscholtz, 1831

Flores, Gustavo E. & Aballay, Fernando H., 2015, Two Evaniosomini Species (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Associated with Decaying Carcasses in Argentina, with Remarks on the Tribal Assignment of Achanius Erichson, The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 14) 69, pp. 167-179 : 171-172

Genus Thinobatis Eschscholtz, 1831

( Figs. 1 , 5, 7 , 9 , 11)

Thinobatis Eschscholtz 1831: 8 . Solier 1835: 407; Laporte 1840: 196; Solier 1851: 126; Lacordaire 1859: 65; Gemminger and Harold 1870: 1836 (catalog); Philippi 1887: 722 (catalog); Gebien 1910: 19 (catalog), 1937: 588 (catalog); Blackwelder 1945: 513 (catalog); Kulzer 1956: 903 (revision); Freude 1960: 24; Peña 1966: 405 (catalog), 1974b: 243.

Type species: Thinobatis ferruginea Eschscholtz, 1831 , by monotypy.

Description. In addition to the characters stated above: Mandibles thick, base 2X wider than apex, both mandibles with dorsal cusp on basal half, shorter on right than on left mandible ( Fig. 5 ), lacking ventral fossa; labrum exposed, entirely sclerotized; clypeus short, not covering labrum, anterior margin straight or concave, nearly at same level with antennal insertions, lacking row of teeth ( Fig. 5 ); prementum partially sclerotized, base concealed beneath mentum; anterior margin of mentum narrowly notched ( Fig. 7 ); eyes small, not protruding, upper margin lacking carina; length of epicanthus 1.5X length of eye ( Fig. 5 ); antennae reaching posterior margin of pronotum, antennomere 1 as long as 3, emerging from distal half of antennal insertion ( Fig. 7 ), antennomere 3 longer than 2 ( Fig. 5 ), antennomeres 9 and 10 triangular, strongly expanded outwards, wider than long, antennomere 11 equal to or longer than 10 ( Fig. 9 ). Pronotum with anterior angles acute, directed forwards, or rounded sloping towards venter ( Fig. 1 ). Metasternum short, as long as mesosternum. Metacoxae separated by less than half metacoxal width; metacoxal width 3X metacoxal length; distance between meso– and metacoxae equal to metacoxal length ( Fig. 11 ). First tarsomere of hind legs longer than 2+3 combined.

Species Included. T h i n ob a t i s f e r r u g i ne a Eschscholtz, Thinobatis rufipes rufipes Solier , Thinobatis rufipes penai Freude , Thinobatis rotundicollis Waterhouse , Thinobatis intermedia Philippi and Philippi , Thinobatis kuscheli Kulzer , Thinobatis brevicollis Kulzer , Thinobatis calderana Kulzer , Thinobatis melcheri Freude , Thinobatis simplex Peña , Thinobatis punctata Peña , Thinobatis confusa Peña , and Thinobatis arenaria Peña ( Peña 1974b) .

Material Examined. Thinobatis intermedia , T. melcheri , T. rufipes rufipes , and T. rufipes penai (IADIZA) . We also examined T. rotundicollis , but it should be classified in a distinct genus because of the shape and proportional length and width of the pronotum, rounded pronotal posterior angles, lack of a dorsal cusp on both mandibles, and clypeus and frons with protuberances.

Figures

Figs. 1–4. Dorsal habitus. 1) Thinobatis rufipes rufipes; 2) Vaniosus profana, holotype, (Image courtesy of Eva Sprecher, NHMB); 3) Vaniosus paradoxus, holotype (Image courtesy of Isabelle Züercher, NHMB); 4) V. paradoxus, holotype, pronotum and head (Image courtesy of Isabelle Züercher, NHMB). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figs. 5–8. Head. 5) Thinobatis rufipes rufipes, frontal view; 6) Vaniosus profana, frontal view; 7) Thinobatis rufipes rufipes, mouthparts, ventral view; 8) Vaniosus profana, mouthparts, ventral view, white arrow indicates ventral fossa on mandible.

Figs. 9–10. Antennomeres 9–11.9) Thinobatis rufipes rufipes; 10) Vaniosus profana.

Figs. 11–12. Meso– and metasterna. 11) Thinobatis rufipes rufipes; 12) Vaniosus profana.