Cerocoma Geoffroy, 1762

Turco, Federica & Bologna, Marco A., 2011, Systematic revision of the genus Cerocoma Geoffroy, 1762 (Coleoptera: Meloidae: Cerocomini) 2853, Zootaxa 2853 (1), pp. 1-71 : 10-11

Genus Cerocoma Geoffroy, 1762

Cerocoma Geoffroy, 1762: 357 .

Type species. Meloe schaefferi Linnaeus, 1758: 420 , by subsequent monotypy ( Fabricius, 1775).

Genus diagnosis. Head green metallic, or black in the subgenus Mesocerocoma ; in several species the middle portion of frons or the anterior half of head (including male frontal calli, partially or completely) is orange. Frons of male with two almost smooth calli, just behind the antennae, scarcely or moderately raised over the head (see Fig. 5 ). Mouthparts (labrum, mandibles, and maxillae) elongate, variously coloured, often orange. Antennae 9-seg- mented, inserted on the fronto-clypeal suture, subclavate in female, from scarcely (three species of the nominate subgenus only) to extremely modified in male; mostly orange, antennomere I orange, black or dark green metallic, in some cases antennomere IX (or rarely V–IX) dark, almost black. Maxillary palpomeres simple in female, variously modified in male.

Pronotum usually subrectangular and slightly narrowed in the anterior third, rarely subquadrate or moderately transverse, not distinctly elongate as in other representatives of the tribe; with two oblique, lateral impressions on the anterior third in males; most commonly metallic (green, blue or bronze), rarely black (subgenus Mesocerocoma ) or orange. Elytra flattened, metallic (green, blue or bronze); wings normally developed. Coxae and trochanters most commonly metallic, rarely orange; femora and tibiae metallic or orange; male protibiae always orange, usually largely modified, dorso-ventrally flattened or with a dorsal keel variously shaped, in few species scarcely or not modified; tarsomeres not modified or, in some species, slightly enlarged, male tarsomere II with a dorsal bulge in the subgenus Meloides ; tarsomeres orange or the apical one or two dark.

Abdomen most commonly metallic (green, blue or bronze), in some species totally or partially orange-red, rarely black; posterior margin of last visible abdominal sternite rounded in females, emarginate in males, in four species of the subgenus Metacerocoma prolonged in two laminar expansions visible also in dorsal view. Male external genitalia: aedeagus with two distinct hooks, directed backwards and usually subequal in size; endophallus with sclerotised double-hooked apex; gonostyli slender with apical lobes quite distinct.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Male head, dorsal view: A, C. schreberi; B, C. scovitzi; C, C. vahli; D, C. adamovichiana; E, C. kunzei; F, C. schaefferi. Scale bar = 1 mm.