Aenigmoronia Lawrence 2019, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Lawrence, John F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Nitidulidae
Aenigmoronia

description: Aenigmoronia, gen. nov.
Type species: Aenigmoronia echinodes, sp. nov.
Diagnosis. This monotypic genus is similar to several other nitiduline genera exhibiting a type of dual and seriate elytral punctation and vestiture in which 1) megasetae are erect or suberect, more or less thickened, apically blunt and bristle-like or brush-like, and well removed from one another within a longitudinal row, and 2) microsetae form two or more, sometimes irregular rows, each associated with a circular to ovoid pit. Most genera in this group are further distinguished from most nitidulines in the abrupt depression of the anterior metaventrital lobe to meet the edge of the mesoventrite, which is on a lower plane. Included are Atarphia Reitter, 1884; Hebasculinus Kirejtshuk, 1992; Hebascus Erichson, 1843, Hyleopocadius Jelínek, 1977; Kryzhanovskiella aequilibris (Kirejtshuk, 1986); Kryzhanovskiella pecki (Kirejtshuk, 1986); Lordyrodes Reitter, 1884; Niliodes Murray, 1868; Physoronia Reitter, 1884; “ Physoronia ” intermedia Kirejtshuk, 2006a, Pocadiodes Ganglbauer, 1899 and Pocadites Reitter, 1884. In some species, the megasetal rows have become highly irregular and often incomplete, sometimes due to the presence of elytral tubercles. Note that the genera Lordyrodes and Pocadiodes are considered by Kirejtshuk (2006a) to be synonymous with Physoronia. To account for some variable characters, the two species of Kryzhanovskiella are treated separately and Physoronia intermedia is treated separately from other described Physoronia. Aenigmoronia differs from one or more of these taxa in the following respects: 1) vertexal line replaced by a transverse band of linear microcells (Fig. 34) (a complete carina in Atarphia, Hebasculinus, Niliodes, Physoronia, Pocadiodes and Pocadites or no carina in Hebascus and Lordyrodes); 2) labral apex simple and truncate (weakly to strongly emarginate in Atarphia, Hebascus, Hyleopocadius and Physoronia; with median notch in Hebasculinus, P. intermedius, Pocadiodes, and Pocadites); 3) mandible bidentate without serrate lobe (unidentate in Hebascus and Hyleopocadius; bidentate with at least one serrate lobe in Hebasculinus, K. aequilibris, Physoronia and Pocadites); 4) apical labial palpomere obliquely emarginate with two separated sensory areas (Fig. 40) (unique to Aenigmoronia); 5) submentum simple, without longitudinal grooves (with at least weak longitudinal paired grooves in Atarphia, Hebasculinus, Hyleopocadius, P. intermedius, Physoronia and Pocadiodes); 6) posterior pronotal angles slightly acute (right to obtuse in all but K. aequilibris and Niliodes); 7) posterior edge of pronotum with broadly rounded to subtruncate prescutellar lobe (absent in Hyleopocadius, P. intermedius, Niliodes and Pocadiodes); 8) prosternal process distinctly narrower than mid length of procoxal cavity (at least as wide in Atarphia, Hebasculinus, K. pecki, Lordyrodes, Niliodes and Pocadiodes); 9) sides of elytra narrowly explanate (broadly explanate in K. pecki, Niliodes, and Physoronia); 10) megasetae thick and brush-like (present only in some Kryzhanovskiella); 11) mesoventrite with short median carina (carina longer in Hebascus, Hyleopocadius, Lordyrodes, Niliodes, Pocadiodes; no carina in Atarphia, Hebasculinus, K. pecki, Physoronia, and Pocadites); 12) axillary spaces moderately large (small to very small in Hebascus, Hyleopocadius, Lordyrodes, Niliodes, Physoronia and Pocadiodes); 13) distance between mesocoxae equal to or slighty greater than that between procoxae (distinctly greater in Niliodes, Physoronia, Pocadiodes and Pocadites; distinctly less in Hebascus, Kryzhanovskiella and Lordyrodes); 14) protibial ridge present in male (Fig. 26, compare with Fig. 29) (absent in Hebascus, Hyleopocadius, K. pecki, Physoronia, Pocadiodes); 15) no basal tarsomeres expanded (basal protarsomeres expanded in Atarphia, Hebascus and Pocadites; all basal tarsomeres expanded in Niliodes); 16) abdominal intercoxal process truncate (broadly rounded in Hebascus, Hyleopocadius and Physoronia); 17) penis almost as long as to longer than tegmen (distinctly shorter, except in Kryzhanovskiella); 18) genital capsule with subapical pit (Fig. 55) (absent in all but K. aequilibris and Physoronia); 19) gonocoxites contiguous (Figs 63, 77) (at least apically separated in Hyleopocadius, Lordyrodes, Physoronia and Pocadiodes); 20) gonocoxites without lateral recurved teeth (teeth present in Hebasculinus, Hebascus, Kryzhanovskiella, Lordyrodes, Physoronia and Pocadiodes); 21) gonostyli reduced, shorter than wide and lateral (Fig. 63) (well-developed and parallel-sided in Atarphia, consisting of a few setae only in Hyleopocadius, K. aequilibris and P. intermedius; absent in Hebasculinus, Hebascus, K. pecki, Lordyrodes and Physoronia); Aenigmoronia appears to be most similar to Kryzhanovskiella species, which are also much smaller (2.10–2.65 mm versus 3.50–4.2 mm) with a shorter and broader pronotum and combined elytra.
description: Published as part of Lawrence, John F., 2019, Australian Nitidulinae: general review with descriptions of new genera and species (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), pp. 261-290 in Zootaxa 4657 (2) on page 267, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4657.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/3769191