Taxonomic review of the Tribe Melaenini (Coleoptera: Carabidae), with observations on morphological, ecological and chorological evolution
Author
Ball, George E.
Author
Shpeley, Danny
text
Zootaxa
2005
2005-12-19
1099
1
1
120
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.1099.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.1099.1.1
11755334
5051674
CA0A0ED3-D49D-4198-A409-407EF86A164E
Cymbionotum
(sensu stricto)
Coscinia
Dejean 1831: 478
(not Hübner 1822).
TYPE
SPECIES:
Siagona schueppelii
Dejean 1831
(designated by Bedel 1897). —Chaudoir 1876: 118.
Cymbionotum
Baudi di Selve 1864: 212
.
TYPE
SPECIES:
Cymbionotum collare
Baudi di Selve 1864
=
Coscinia semelederi
Chaudoir 1851
(designated by original monotypy).—Marschall 1873: 187.—Andrewes, 1933: 3.—1935: 18.
Graniger
Chaudoir 1871: 282
(not Motschulsky 1864).
TYPE
SPECIES:
G. algirinus
Motschulsky 1864
.—Semenov, 1903: 169.—Csiki, 1929: 477.
Cymbionostrum
(misspelling) Burgeon 1937: 395.
Notes about synonymy.
The generic name
Coscinia
Dejean
was a junior homonym of
Coscinia
Hübner
, and was thus not available for use by Dejean (Chaudoir 1871). Claiming incorrectly that
G. algirinus
,
the
type
species of
Graniger
,
was conspecific with
Coscinia semelederi,
Chaudoir
proposed
Graniger
as a substitute name for
Coscinia
. This proposal was generally accepted by subsequent authors. Andrewes (1933), based on study of the
types
involved, recognized that
G. algirinus
was a ditomine harpaline, and thus the generic name
Graniger
was unavailable for use as proposed by Chaudoir. That left
Cymbionotum
as the name available to replace
Coscinia
Dejean.
Recognition.
Precinctive in the Eastern Hemisphere, adults of this subgenus have the posteriolateral dentiform projections close to the posterior margin of the pronotum (
Fig. 14B
). The posterior margin of the pronotum is beaded or not (
C. striatum
, only), and the proepipleuron (
pep
) is visible from a dorsal perspective (
Fig. 14B
; cf.
Fig. 14A
). Males have sclerite x of the endophallus about one eighth length of phallus, and in infolded position near the basal lobe (Figs. 17D–E, 17I,
x
), or sclerite x is absent.
Descriptive notes.
Size and ratios of body parts (
Tables 3–9
). Size range (SBL and EW,
Tables 3
and
4
) extends over the range of the genus. Pronotum relatively narrow, values for PL/PWM (
Table 7
) 0.75 or more; base relatively narrow, values for ratio PWB/ PWA (
Table 9
) 0.82 or less.
Color. Dorsal surface and appendages with range same as for genus, but with paler colors predominant.
Microsculpture. Most of dorsal surface without microlines, smooth; postocular transverse impression of head smooth or with mesh pattern isodiametric to slightly transverse; scutellum with mesh pattern evident throughout, more or less isodiametric, or microlines in anterior part only, posterior part smooth, or surface entirely smooth.
Vestiture. Dorsal surface with setae short to long (
Table 1
and
Figs. 2B–D, 2F
), setation very sparse to moderately dense (
Figs. 3A–E
).
Head. Clypeus: anterior margin medially with (
Fig. 11C
) or without (
Figs. 11A–B
) a dentiform projection, or distinct swelling.
Antennae. Antennomere 2 globose (
Fig. 11E
), relatively short (about half length of antennomere 3), or pyriform (
Fig. 11D
), and relatively longer (about two thirds length of antennomere 3,
Table 11
); antennomeres 5–10 moderately (
Fig. 11F
) to markedly (
Fig. 11G
) asymmetrical.
Labrum. Anterior margin rather deeply, subangularly concave (
Figs. 11A–C
).
Included taxa.
This subgenus includes 18 species arranged in three species groups and three superspecies.
Habitat.
Like
Cymbionotum
(sensu lato),
the members of
Cymbionotum
(
sensu stricto
)
occupy the five vegetation zones occupied by the tribe
Melaenini
, with a concentration in temperate grassland and tropical deciduous forest and savannah vegetation zones (Table 17 and Fig. 24), and marginal to the desert/semidesert zone.
Geographical distribution.
The range of
Cymbionotum (sensu stricto)
(
Figs. 16
, 18,
20, 21, 23) is confined to the warmer parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, principally north of the Tropic of Capricorn.
Relationships and chorological affinities
This subgenus is the more derived putative adelphotaxon of subgenus
Procoscinia
, from which it is isolated geographically.