Plastica Waterhouse, 1903

Aalbu, Rolf L., Kanda, Kojun, Merkl, Otto, Ivie, Michael A. & Johnston, M. Andrew, 2023, Reconstitution of some tribes and genera of Lagriinae (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae), ZooKeys 1172, pp. 155-202 : 155

Genus Plastica Waterhouse, 1903

Figs 51 , 53

Plastica Waterhouse, 1903: 563. Type species: Plastica polita Waterhouse, 1903.

Note.

Plastica Waterhouse, 1903 is transferred from Apocryphini Lacordaire, 1859 ( Tenebrioninae ) to Laenini ( Lagriinae ). This genus contains a single species which occurs in high elevation arid regions around Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. Waterhouse (1903) placed Plastica in Apocryphini based on its apparent similarity to species in the genus Apocrypha Eschscholtz, 1831, but separated the two genera based on differences in the femora and tarsi. Apocrypha , as with all other members of Tenebrioninae , possess abdominal defensive glands that open between abdominal sternites VII and VIII.

Examination of images of the holotype stored in the NHMUK provided by Dmitry Telnov and dissection of specimens matched with the holotype clearly place Plastica in Laenini . Plastica polita does not possess abdominal defensive glands, excluding it from any lineages of Tenebrioninae . The following characters support its placement in Laenini : eyes small and round, not emarginate anteriorly (Fig. 53 ); mesocoxal cavity open; hind wings absent; elytral humeri rounded; abdomen with visible intersegmental membranes between abdominal sternites V-VII, lateral (tenebrionoid) hinging between these segments; abdomen lacking defensive glands.

Figures

Figures 50 - 53. Capeluprops and Plastica, two genera transferred to Laenini. 50 Dorsal habitus of Capeluprops laenoides Schawaller, 2011, paratype 51 Dorsal habitus of Plastica polita Waterhouse, 1903, specimen compared with holotype 52 lateral view of head of C. laenoides, non-type specimen 53 lateral view of head of P. polita, same specimen as Fig. 44. Scale bars: 1 mm (51), 0.5 mm (52, 53). Fig. 50 was produced by Otto Merkl and the size of the specimen was not recorded before he passed.

Figures 42 - 45. Elytral humerus of Anaedus and Aemymone. 42 Anaedus lateralis (Pic, 1917), formerly in Spinolyprops 43 Anaedus brunneus Ziegler, 1844 44 Anaedus punctatissimus Blanchard, 1842 45 Aemymone sp.