Selenophorus palliatus species group

Shpeley, Danny, Hunting, Wesley & Ball, George E., 2017, A taxonomic review of the Selenophori group (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Harpalini) in the West Indies, with descriptions of new species and notes about classification and biogeography, ZooKeys 690, pp. 1-195 : 73

Selenophorus palliatus species group

Recognition.

Combination of the following characters: head, pronotum and elytra with mesh pattern isodiametric; serial punctures of striae 2, 5 and 7 foveate; and hind tarsus about 2/3 length of hind tibia.

SBL. Males, 6.12-8.60 mm; females, 6.28-9.12 mm.

Color. Antennae testaceous to rufo-testaceous, same color as legs or darker. Mouthparts and legs testaceous to rufo-testaceous. Dorsal and ventral surface rufo-brunneous to nearly piceous. Elytra distinctly bicolored or with apical margin diffusely paler or unicolorous. Elytral epipleuron pale, same color as the legs.

Luster. Dorsal surface with faint greenish to cupreous metallic luster

Dorsal microsculpture. Head, pronotum and elytra with mesh pattern isodiametric.

Male genitalia.

Apical portion of phallic median lobe short to moderately long, triangular, symmetrically rounded in dorsal/ventral aspect; endophallus with 4 microtrichial spine fields, spines thin and short or without spines or darkened microtrichial spine fields; without lamina.

Ovipositor and female reproductive tract. Gonocoxite 2 moderately long to long, thick, slightly falcate. Bursa copulatrix short to moderately long; large somewhat bulbous to sausage-like spermatheca originating near base of common oviduct; moderately long to long spermathecal gland duct originating near middle of bulb of spermatheca. Spermathecal gland small, bulbous, with or without small swelling of duct basad gland.

Included species.

The palliatus species group includes four species in the West Indies: S. alternans Dejean, S. palliatus (Fabricius), S. pyritosus Dejean and S. woodruffi Ball and Shpeley.

Geographical distribution.

The range of this species group in the West Indies extends throughout the Bahamas and Greater and Lesser Antilles.