Colydiopeltini Kolibac , 2006, 1886

Kolibac, Jiri, 2013, Trogossitidae: A review of the beetle family, with a catalogue and keys, ZooKeys 366, pp. 1-194 : 85-86

Tribe Colydiopeltini Kolibac, 2006

Type genus.

Colydiopeltis Ślipiński, 1992

Kolibáč, J. 2006: 126

Remarks.

A record by Ivan Löbl and Daniel Burckhardt ( Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle Genève) of three minute wingless Colydiopeltis species from a forest litter in Thailand, together with their scientific processing ( Ślipiński 1992), was one of the most surprising discoveries within Cleroidea to occur in recent decades, rather like the discovery of the rentoniins in the 1960s. The latter author also added a second genus, Parapeltis , extracted from litter in Queensland, and he originally classified the two genera together with Larinotus within Larinotini ( Ślipiński 1992). In a 2006 paper, I split the latter tribe into the monotypic Larinotini related to Egoliini and the newly-established Colydiopeltini . While the nominotypical Colydiopeltis shares basic thoracic and mouthpart characters with other trogossitids, Parapeltis shows several unusual features: (1) extended clypeus, (2) maxillary lacinia without hooked spine(s), (3) procoxal cavities externally closed, (4) all coxae (especially pro- and metacoxae) short and small (metacoxae do not reach elytral margin), (5) metepisterna extremely wide (see excellent drawings and description by Ślipiński l.c.). Labrum, aedeagus and tarsi are of common “trogossitid” structure, although some of these features may be shared with certain non-cleroid Cucujiformia. On the other hand, it should be noted that aptery can have a profound influence on thoracic morphology. I have never studied Parapeltis australicum , the single species, first-hand, so the classification here follows that by Ślipiński (1992).

Key to genera

1	Rather elongate species, pronotum narrower than elytra; front coxal cavities externally closed; mandible with two apical teeth	Parapeltis
-	More compact species, pronotum at base as wide as elytra; front coxal cavities externally open; mandible with one apical tooth	Colydiopeltis