Verodes Casey, 1907

Foley, Ian A. & Ivie, Michael A., 2008, A phylogenetic analysis of the tribe Zopherini with a review of the species and generic classification (Coleoptera: Zopheridae), Zootaxa 1928 (1), pp. 1-72 : 53-54

Key to the species of Verodes Casey

1 Dorsal surface of pronotum with all setae singly inserted at the base of tubercles; tubercles on pronotum uniformly distributed .................................................................................................................................................................... 2

- Dorsal surface of pronotum with dense setae between tubercles inserted directly on cuticular surface; tubercles on pronotum more dense on ridges, and absent in intervening areas ...............................................................................5

2 Pronotal and elytral surface smooth with dense flattened tubercles lacking any distinct ridges or nodules; male femoral nodules absent. Mexico, Oaxaca. Fig. 68 ......................................................................... V. aequalis (Champion)

- Pronotal and elytral surfaces with distinct ridges and nodules; male femoral nodules present on at least meso and metafemora................................................................................................................................................................... 3

3 Metepisternum irregularly foveolate; elytra elongate, 1.95–2.05 X longer than widest point; elytra smooth at apex. Guatemala. Fig. 62 .................................................................................................................... V. sparsus (Champion)

- Metepisternum tuberculate; elytra more stout, 1.60–1.75 X longer than widest point; elytra very shallowly to deeply emarginate at apex. Mexico and Central America....................................................................................................... 4

4 Elytra shallowly emarginate at apex, rounded; subapical area of elytra with single elevated nodule. Mexico and Central America. Fig. 64 ....................................................................................................... V. guatemalensis (Champion)

- Elytra deeply emarginate at apex, sharply pointed; subapical area of elytra with nodule with two distinct elevations. Mexico and Central America. Fig. 63 .................................................................................... V. zunilensis (Champion)

5 Ridge or nodule in 5 th elytral interval very short, or long, but never reaching the base of the elytra .......................... 6

- Ridge in 5 th elytral interval very short, or moderately long, but always reaching the base of the elytra ..................... 8

6 Third elytral interval with short ridge at base; 5 th elytral interval with arcuate ridge from level of just behind mesocoxal cavities to the suture between ventrites 2 and 3; apical third of elytron with three moderate sized nodules subequal in size, one near apex slightly smaller than subapical two. Mexico. Fig. 57 ......................... V. inaequalis (Say)

- Third elytral interval with nodule at base, may be fused to short ridge in 5th; 5 th elytral interval with disconnected nodules arranged in a row approximately from the level of the midpoint of metasternum to suture between ventrites 1 and 2; apical third of elytron with three large projecting conical nodules, lateral subapical one very large, much larger than one near apex. Mexico.............................................................................................................................. 7

7 Apical margin appearing very strongly serrate; subapical nodules extremely large and conical. Mexico, Hidalgo. Fig. 59 ............................................................................................................................................ V. asperatus (Champion)

- Apical margin of elytra weakly serrate; subapical nodules rounded. Mexico. Fig. 60 ................. V. scabrosus (Solier)

8 Apical half of elytra with 6 distinct nodules not connected to ridges. Mexico. Fig. 67 .............. V. championi (Casey)

- Apical half with 4 or fewer nodules not connected to ridges....................................................................................... 9

9 Fifth elytral interval with ridge distinctly hooked at apex; apex of elytra with swollen ridge around suture; ridge starting at base of elytra curved towards midline. Mexico. Fig. 61 ..................................... V. interruptus (Champion)

- Fifth elytral interval with straight to arcuate ridge, but never hooked at apex; apex of elytra along suture flattened; ridge starting at base of elytra straight ....................................................................................................................... 10

10 Subapical nodule in 3 rd elytral interval extending farther towards apex than nodule in the 5 th interval; nodules and ridges relatively weakly elevated. Mexico. Figs. 55 , 58 ...................................................... V. exsculptus (Champion)

- Subapical nodule in 5 th elytral interval extending farther towards apex than nodule in the 3 rd interval; nodules and ridges more distinctly elevated .................................................................................................................................. 11

11 Ridge in 5 th elytral interval extending continuously from the base to beyond the level of the start of ventrite 2. Mexico. Fig. 66 .............................................................................................................................. V. carinatus (Champion)

- Ridge in 5 th elytral interval distinctly interrupted into basal and apical half, with median lateral depression across elytra near the level of the metacoxae. Mexico. Fig. 65 ....................................................... V. impressus (Champion)

Figures

FIGURES 65–68. Dorsal habiti. 65. Verodes impressus, Mexico, Veracruz; 66. V. carinatus, Mexico, Veracruz; 67. V. championi, Mexico, Oaxaca;68. V. aequalis, Mexico, Oaxaca. Scale bar = 5 mm.

FIGURES 61–64. Dorsal habiti. 61. Verodes interruptus, Mexico, Oaxaca; 62. V. sparsus, Guatemala; 63. V. zunilensis, Mexico, Chiapas; 64. V. guatemalensis, Mexico, Chiapas. Scale bars = 5mm.

FIGURES 57–60. Dorsal habiti. 57. Verodes inaequalis, Mexico, Puebla.; 58. V. exsculptus, Mexico, Oaxaca; 59. V. asperatus, Mexico, Hidalgo; 60. V. scabrosus, Mexico. Scale bars = 5mm.

FIGURES 54–56. 54–55. Hypomera. 54. Sesaspis sylvatica; 55. Verodes exsculptus. 56. Ventral surface of head and pronotum of Verodes inaequalis. Scale bars = 1mm.