Melanotus Eschscholtz
Creators: name: Akhter, Muhammad Atique
name: Platia, Giuseppe
name: Rizvi, Syed Anser
name: Ahmed, Zubair
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Elateridae
Melanotus

description: Key to the known species of the genus Melanotus Eschscholtz from Pakistan
1. Last visible sternite with apex rounded..................................................................... 2
- Last visible sternite with apex truncated.................................................. M. brunnipes (Germar)
2. Pronotum broader than long............................................................................. 3
- Pronotum longer than broad............................................................................ 12
3. Elytral interstriae impunctate............................................................................ 4
- Elytra interstriae punctuate.............................................................................. 5
4. Sides of pronotum parallel for more than three-quarters of length.......................... M. riesei Platia & Schimmel
- Sides of pronotum parallel for more than half of length...................................... M. castanipus (Paykull)
5. Two or more than two antennal segments reach base of pronotum............................................... 6
- Less than two antennal segments reach base of pronotum...................................................... 9
6. Combined length of 2nd and 3rd antennal segments just shorter than 4th segment..................................... 7
- Combined length of 2nd and 3rd antennal segments clearly shorter than 4th segment................................... 8
7. Surface of pronotum glossy.................................................... M. besucheti Platia & Schimmel
- Surface of pronotum dull............................................................. M. planipennis Candèze
8. Punctation on pronotum with uniform intervals..................................... M. ocellatus Platia & Schimmel
- Punctation on pronotum with variable intervals...................................... M. thomasi Platia & Schimmel
9. Second antennal segment as long as broad................................................ M. herticornis (Herbst)
- Second antennal segment longer than broad................................................................ 10
10. Tip of last antennal segment pointed........................................... M. pakistanicus Platia & Schimmel
- Tip of last antennal segment rounded..................................................................... 11
11. Basal plate of male genitalia broad to narrow (towards base) (Figure 2)............................ M. kalamensis sp.n.
- Basal plate of male genitalia parallel (Figure 4)................................................... M. usrae sp.n.
12. Punctation on pronotum heterogeneous................................................... M. punctosus (Walker)
- Punctation on pronotum homogenous..................................................................... 13
13. Basal margin of basal plate of male genitalia sub truncate...................................... M. opicus (Candèze)
- Basal margin of basal plate of male genitalia not sub truncate.................................................. 14
14. Segments 3–8 of antennae sub-serrate.................................................................... 15
- Segments 3–8 of antennae cylindrical..................................................................... 16
15. Head width across eyes narrower than anterior margin of pronotum...................... M. zethneri Platia & Schimmel
- Head width across eyes broader than anterior margin of pronotum............................. M. raziae Akhter et. al.
16. Clypeus with anterior margin arcuate............................................... M. porioni Platia & Schimmel
- Clypeus with anterior margin rounded..................................................................... 17
17. Elytra narrower than base of pronotum............................................... M. lobeli Platia & Schimmel
- Elytra as broad as base of pronotum......................................... M. convexiusculus Platia & Schimmel Melanotus kalamensis sp. n. (Fig: 1 & 2)
description: Published as part of Akhter, Muhammad Atique, Platia, Giuseppe, Rizvi, Syed Anser & Ahmed, Zubair, 2011, Two new species of the genus Melanotus Eschscholtz (Coleoptera: Elateridae; Melanotinae) from Pakistan, pp. 47-52 in Zootaxa 3101 on pages 48-49, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.279178