Cryptognatha Mulsant 1850
Creators: name: F, Guillermo González
name: Hanley, Guy A.
name: Gordon, Robert D.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Coccinellidae
Cryptognatha

description: Cryptognatha Mulsant
Cryptognatha Mulsant 1850: 497; Crotch 1874: 206; Horn 1895: 83: Korschefsky 1931: 218; Blackwelder 1945: 449; Gordon 1971: 183.
Type species. Cryptognatha auriculata Mulsant, 1850; subsequent designation by Crotch (1874).
Description. Cryptognathini with anterior margin of clypeus margin truncate or nearly so, anterior angle upturned, usually acute (Fig. 117); antenna usually with 10 articles, sometimes with 9 articles, club with 4 articles, maxillary palpus with apical article widened apically (Fig. 93). Prosternum approximately as long as lateral 1/3 of basal ventrite, wide anterior to coxae, completely concealing mouthparts in repose (Fig. 117); prosternal carina short, not reaching lateral margin of prosternum. Epipleuron strongly descending externally (Fig. 116). Proleg with tibia strongly expanded for reception of tarsus, outer margin sinuate or angulate, as wide as femur or slightly narrower, femur notched for reception of tibia (Fig. 23, 28). Meso- and metatibia less strongly expanded, grooved on outer margin for reception of tarsi, femur narrow, notched for reception of tibia. Abdomen with postcoxal line incomplete, extended nearly to lateral margin of abdomen. Male genitalia unmodified, of basic Coccinellidae type. Female genital plate with stylus and stiff setae; spermatheca curved, narrowed from base to apex (Fig. 17, 109).
Remarks. Cryptognatha is clearly defined by key characters. An apically truncate or slightly arcu- ate clypeus with upturned anterior angles is the most significant character, along with an anteriorly expanded prosternum concealing the mouthparts and a strongly expanded protibia with sinuate outer margin. Species descriptions list the head as impunctate, however, punctures are present but concealed in a dense alutaceous sculpture.
Cryptognatha nigrans Mulsant is not included in the text because the type (s) cannot be located. Mulsant (1850) indicated they were in the Melly collection, at least parts of which are in the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, Geneva. However, the type (s) of C. nigrans could not be located there (G. Cuccodoro, pers. comm). Similarly, type (s) of C. obscura Mulsant. stated by Mulsant (1850) to be in the collection of Germar and Schaum, could not be located. Type material of Cryptognatha amabilis Gorham is not present in the BMNH and cannot be located elsewhere, hence it is not included in the present publication.
Members of this genus may be grouped based on type of male genitalia. For example, C. auriculata Mulsant, C. gemellata Mulsant and several other species possess apparently identical or extremely similar male genitalia. Species groups are defined as follows:
auriculata group. This group contains those species with length nearly always more than 2.2 mm, male genitalia long, penis guide long, side parallel, apical 1/8 abruptly narrowed to rounded split off apex (Fig. 4, 11, 18), prosternal carina short or moderately long, rarely curved, female genitalia with base of sperm duct not sclerotized.
reedi group. Length in this species group is usually less than 2.2 mm, male genitalia with penis guide short, lobe more or less tapered from base to nearly acute or abruptly rounded apex (Fig. 51, 75, 79), prosternal carina long, usually curved outward, female genitalia with base of sperm duct sclerotized in at least two species (Fig. 98).
description: Published as part of F, Guillermo González, Hanley, Guy A. & Gordon, Robert D., 2019, South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part XIX: Overview of Cryptognathini and systematic revision of South American Cryptognatha Mulsant, pp. 1-32 in Insecta Mundi 714 (714) on page 4, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3674855