Trogocryptoides bouchardi ( Grouvelle, 1919 ) Skelley, 2013

Skelley, Paul, 2013, Henoticonus bouchardi Grouvelle transferred to Trogocryptoides Champion (Coleoptera: Salpingidae), Insecta Mundi 2013 (281), pp. 1-4 : 1-4

Trogocryptoides bouchardi ( Grouvelle, 1919) , new combination

Figures 1-8

Henoticonus Bouchardi Grouvelle, 1919: 152-154 ~ Schenkling 1923: 15; Sen Gupta and Crowson 1967: 91; Sen Gupta and Crowson 1971: 16.

Material examined. A single female of Henoticonus bouchardi Grouvelle , here designated as lectotype, is labeled: “/ [red paper] Type / [white paper] Palembang, Sumatra. / [white paper with dotted line across middle, hand written] Henoticonus Bouchardi Grouv. / [red paper] LECTOTYPE Henoticonus bouchardi Grouvelle , des. P.E. Skelley 2012 / [white paper with black border, mostly hand written] Salpingidae : Trogocryptoides bouchardi (Grouv.) , det. P.E. Skelley 2012 /”. Deposited in the Grouvelle Collection, Museum National d’Historie Naturelle, Paris, France.

Distribution. Sumatra, Indonesia; Malang, Java.

Discussion. The genus Henoticonus Reitter (type species: Henoticonus triphylloides Reitter ) has an interesting history of family assignments; starting in the Cryptophagidae , going through a period in the Languriidae ( Sen Gupta and Crowson 1967, 1971), and now belonging in the Erotylidae : Pharaxonothinae ( Leschen 2003) . While the type species is properly placed in the Erotylidae , the similar appearing H. bouchardi proved problematic.

Grouvelle (1919) described H. bouchardi in the Cryptophagidae indicating it was similar to Pharaxonotha . He then briefly discusses three other specimens: one also from Sumatra (Palembang), the other two from Java (Malang), which he felt were the same species. Because H. bouchardi is similar to beetles of different families, and Grouvelle studied three additional specimens whose depository and true identity remain unknown, I must solidly establish the identity of H. bouchardi by here designating the specimen stated above as the lectotype. This specimen was deposited in Grouvelle’s collection and has all necessary labels identifying it as the specimen on which he based the description.

Soon after its description, H. bouchardi was cataloged by Schenkling (1923) in the Cryptophagidae . Following Grouvelle’s description and comments, Sen Gupta and Crowson (1967: 91 footnote, 1971: 16 footnote; Henoticonus assigned to the Languriidae , Loberinae , Pharaxonothini) stated that H. bouchardi might be better placed in the genus Pharaxonotha . However, their 1971 footnote stated they have not studied a specimen. This would explain why they did not transfer it to Pharaxonotha , nor recognize that it was not a member of the Cucujoidea.

Examination of the type quickly proved it was not a Pharaxonotha species or even an erotylid. Characters excluding it from Pharaxonotha included: small body size, length 2.4 mm; tarsi slender with 5-5-4 tarsal formula; no vertexal line nor stridulatory files on vertex; terminal maxillary palpomere dilated, not acuminate; mentum rectangular; pronotum lacking pores and longitudinal lines at basal margin; pronotal disc with subbasal depressions on each side; antennomeres II-III elongate; mesosternum lacking anterior carina and depressions for reception of prosternum; eyes small, finely facetted; scutellary striole short.

Although H. bouchardi is easily excluded from the Erotylidae , determining the correct family placement required the assistance of colleagues. Photographs were sent to R. Leschen ( New Zealand Arthropod Collection) who identified it as a salpingid based on the antennal insertion hidden in dorsal view (present in most groups), which is a reliable character to separate similar-looking members of the Salpingidae from Pharaxonotha . The family Salpingidae is a heterogeneous group of Tenebrionoidea ( Leschen et al. 2010, Lawrence et al. 2012) and is presently under revision ( Escalona 2012) but can be separated from Erotylidae by their tenebrionoid aedeagus and tarsal formula. The images were sent to H. Escalona (Museo del Instituto de Zoología Agrícola, Venezuela) who stated it belonged in the genus Trogocryptoides Champion. Characters which help place H. bouchardi in Trogocryptoides include: 5-5-4 tarsal formula; margin at frontoclypeal suture entire, not notched; pronotum with lateral marginal bead slightly crenulate; antennal grooves only reaching base of subgenal process; prosternal process narrow, not expanded apically; procoxal cavities slightly open externally; intermetacoxal process of first abdominal ventrite acute.