Menghuoius Kawashima, 2000

Kundrata, Robin, Hoffmannova, Johana, Hinson, Kevin R., Keller, Oliver & Packova, Gabriela, 2022, Rhagophthalmidae Olivier, 1907 (Coleoptera, Elateroidea): described genera and species, current problems, and prospects for the bioluminescent and paedomorphic beetle lineage, ZooKeys 1126, pp. 55-130 : 55

Genus Menghuoius Kawashima, 2000

Menghuoius Kawashima, 2000: 132. Gender: masculine. Type species. Rhagophthalmus ingens Fairmaire, 1896, by original designation.

Menghouius : Bocak 2007: 225 [unavailable name, incorrect subsequent spelling not in prevailing usage].

Menhuoius : Li et al. 2008a: 264 [unavailable name, incorrect subsequent spelling not in prevailing usage].

Distribution.

China (Anhui, Guangxi,?Hong Kong, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Myanmar, Vietnam.

Literature.

Kawashima (2000: 132): original description; Kawashima (2002: 487): species description, figures of habitus, body parts, and male genitalia; Bocak (2007: 225): catalogue [as Menghouius [sic!]]; Li et al. (2008a: 264): distribution, morphology, biology, figures of male antenna and genitalia, and larval and female habitus [as Menghouius [sic!]]; Li et al. (2008b: 495): review; Kawashima et al. (2010: 136): book chapter, drawings of head, tarsi, and antenna; Chen et al. (2019: 3): molecular phylogeny; Liu et al. (2020: 46a): luciferase, phylogeny, figures of male and female habitus, and female bioluminescence. In addition to the aforementioned literature, this genus was included in a PhD thesis by Jeng (2008).

Remarks.

Menghuoius currently contains three described species from China, Myanmar, and Vietnam. It is similar to Rhagophthalmus in habitus, short, serrate antennae, and deeply emarginate eyes but differs in the large size and robust mandibles ( Kawashima 2000). Menghuoius was implicitly considered a junior synonym of Rhagophthalmus by Li et al. (2008a) based on the similar morphology of females of both genera. However, since the morphology of highly paedomorphic, larva-like females of Rhagophthalmidae is much less informative than the morphology of adult males, we consider Menghuoius a separate genus until a detailed revision of Rhagophthalmus and related genera is carried out.