Aplocnemus reitteri, Schilsky, 1894

Liberti, Gianfranco, 2019, The Aplocnemus Stephens, 1830, of Greece (Coleoptera, Cleroidea, Dasytidae). A contribution to their knowledge, Natural History Sciences 6 (1), pp. 3-26 : 11-12

Common description of the A. reitteri group

The Aplocnemus reitteri group of species (points 14-16 of the above key), including caelatus , cribrarius , henrici and reitteri , is very homogeneous. A short common description is here reported to avoid repetitions (but further specific characters will be supplied for each species):

♂. Entirely deep black (only one species – caelatus – shows green reflections) including antennae and legs, but legs at times blackish or dark brown. Dorsal integuments very rough, more or less dull, strongly and densely punctuate. Body shape sub-oval: elytra, in their max. width (slightly behind the middle) wider than pronotum (in its max. width) which, in turn, is wider than head (including eyes). Pronotum convex, transverse; more or less rounded on lateral sides; posterior border longer than anterior; max. width slightly behind the middle; surface very densely punctate; distance between punctures smaller than their diameter; surface between punctures alutaceus, rather dull. Elytra as rough and dull as pronotum but more wrinkled and with punctures often merging into each other. Antennae thick, strongly serrate. Median process of last sternite usually underdeveloped or short (as, for example, in Fig. 38) but in one species – henrici – rather well developed (Fig. 41). Dorsal lever of median lobe often minutely denticulate on dorsal side.

♀. Closely resembling male: antennae bear the only sexual difference rather easily noticeable: thinner and less strongly serrate in females than in males. A difference can also be found (but sometimes hardly visible) in body shape which is slightly more convex in females, with elytral apex more regularly curved down (in males elytral apices are often shortly and slightly flattened).