Holcopyge Champion 1890, syn. nov.
Creators: name: Telnov, Dmitry
name: Gusakov, Alexey A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Anthicidae
Holcopyge

description: = Holcopyge Champion, 1890 syn. nov.
Champion (1890: 92).
Type species: Holcopyge pallidicornis Champion, 1890, present designation.
Holcopyge — Champion (1890: 292) original description, without subfamily placement, compared with Tomoderus LaFerté-Sénectère, 1849 (Tomoderinae Bonadona, 1961); Pic (1897: 213) note; Pic (1911: 26) checklist; Lucas (1920: 330) checklist; Heberdey (1938: 691) functional morphology; Werner (1965: 3) key to South American Anthicidae genera; Werner (1966: 11) key to Venezuelan Anthicidae genera; Uhmann (1976: 171) key to world Anthicidae genera, erroneously arranged within Anthicini; Uhmann (1978: 76, 79) checklist of world Anthicidae genera, erroneously attributed to Anthicini; Chandler (2002: 557) comment on a generic composition of Tomoderinae; Chandler (2010: 731) checklist of world Anthicidae genera.
Type material examined (Figs 5–9). See redescriptions.
Nomenclature. Holcopyge was established by Champion (1890) for two species described in the same paper, H. meridionalis and H. pallidicornis. No type species was designated for Holcopyge, so herewith we designate H. pallidicornis as the type of its genus. Holcopyge was initially placed in Anthicidae but without family placement, pointing out morphological similarities with Tomoderus LaFerté-Sénectère, 1849 of Tomoderinae Bonadona, 1961. Formally placed in Tomoderinae by Chandler (2002, 2010). This genus has never been revised.
Study of the type species of both Tomosomus and Holcopyge suggests both genera are congeneric. A new genus-rank synonym is therefore proposed. Tomosomus subtestaceus was described from an unstated number of specimens (Motschulsky 1855). A series of five syntypes of this taxon is stored at MZUM. Holcopyge pallidicornis (proposed as type of its genus herein, see above) was described from three syntypes at BMNH.
All three species yet arranged to Tomosomus appear valid (also consider the key below). Two new combinations are proposed for the former Holcopyge species: Tomosomus meridionalis (Champion, 1890) comb. nov. and T. pallidicornis (Champion, 1890) comb. nov.
Redescription of the genus. In general appearance strongly resembles Tomoderus. Dorsum and venter glossy to moderately glossy. Head prognathous, subtriangular, slightly convex in dorsal aspect. Frontoclypeal suture present, straight. Antennal insertion visible in dorsal view, placed at anterolateral margin of frons at some distance from compound eye. Compound eye moderate, not emarginate, irregularly elliptical, facets not numerous, rather strongly convex. Interfacetal setae not observed. Head base broadly rounded to slightly concave. Antenna slightly widened in apical third, constituted of eleven moniliform antennomeres. Second antennomere not shortened. Penultimate antennomere slightly transverse. Mandible apex bidentate. Maxillary palpus quadrimerous. Terminal maxillary palpomere small, securiform to strongly triangular. Head dorsal setae inconspicuous, appressed. Few long, tactile setae along lateral and basal margin, also on vertex. Cranial “neck” narrow, completely concealed by occiput and anterior margin of pronotum. Pronotum distinctly bilobate, with broad and deep postmedian lateral constriction. Anterior lobe distinctly wider and larger than posterior. Anterior rim very narrow both dorsally and laterally. Antebasal sulcus not indicated both dorsally and laterally. Anterior lobe dorsally longitudinally sulcate or not. Lateral constriction starts from a pit in a lateral wall of pronotum just above transition to hypomeron. Dorsal setae of pronotum inconspicuous, appressed to suberect. Lateral margin of anterior lobe with four long, erect tactile setae, of posterior lobe—with one similar seta. Scutellar shield small, triangular, apically rounded. Elytra ovoid to elongate ovoid, slightly convex in dorsal aspect. Humerus obsolete (all known species apterous). Sutural stria present at least in basal two thirds of elytron, narrow. Posterior sutural angle of elytron either acute, not rounded. Epipleuron nearly complete. Elytral setae long, suberect to erect. Profemur distinctly clavate, meso- and metathoracic femurs slightly clavate or not. Tibiae subequal in length to corresponding femora. Tibial terminal spurs not present. Tibia denser setose compare to corresponding femur. Penultimate antennomere not or indistinctly bilobate. Pretarsal claw simple. Procoxa conical, contiguous, basally separated by low intercoxal ridge. Procoxal cavity (Fig. 3C) closed internally, open externally, closed behind by moderately long postcoxal plate. Procoxal rests well-developed. Mesoventrite (Fig. 3C) short, broadly triangular, broadly rounded at anterior margin, lateral edges slightly arched. Mesanepisterna broadly separated by anterior margin on mesoventrite, broadly subtriangular. Mesoventral intercoxal process long and narrow, projecting along almost whole length of mesocoxa, apically rounded, meeting anterior process of metasternum. Mesepimeron elongate triangular. Mesocoxa subovate, mesocoxal cavity closed laterally by mesepimeron. Metaventrite (Fig. 3C) remarkably short and narrow, anterior intercoxal process moderately long, subacute angulate. Metaventral bridge between meso- and metathoracic coxal cavities very narrow. Metaventrite strongly, triangularly expanding laterad to meso- and metacoxal cavities.Metathoracic discrimen not present.Posterior margin of metaventrite broadly emarginate medially to accommodate broad, apically rounded anterior intercoxal process of morphological sternite III (Fig. 3C). Metacoxa strongly transverse. Five free abdominal ventrites. Tergite VII rounded at posterior margin, dorsally with broad, conspicuous median longitudinal furrow lateral margins of which slightly deflected and irregularly microdenticulate (Figs 4A, 7A–B, 9A–B). Morphological sternite VII rounded to subtruncate at posterior margin (Figs 4B, 7C, 9C). Tergite VIII variably emarginate at posterior margin (Figs 4C, 7D, 9D). Morphological sternite IX complex, with free or fused arms and accessory pair of free arms and median, Y- or O-shaped sclerite (Figs 4D, 7E, 9D). Aedeagus irregularly shaped, penis encapsulated to subtubular tegmen (Figs 4E–F, 7E, 9E). Phallobase fused to tegmen. Endophallus with (Fig. 9F) or without armature. Female tergite and morphological sternite VII rounded to subtruncate at posterior margin. Ovipositor with coxites close together in midventral region, in part divided ventrally. Styli small, borne on incompletely bisegmented coxites.
Differential diagnosis. Tomosomus is different from all tomoderine genera primarily in the longitudinally furrowed tergite VII in the combination with the remarkably short, narrow metaventrite, the asymmetrical, subtubular aedeagus not entirely enclosing the penis, the apically emarginate morphological sternite VIII, and the peculiarly shaped morphological sternite IX.
description: Published as part of Telnov, Dmitry & Gusakov, Alexey A., 2023, Rediscovery of Tomosomus Motschulsky, 1855 (Coleoptera: Anthicidae) with redescription of the genus, a new genus-rank synonym, and a key to species, pp. 541-556 in Zootaxa 5293 (3) on pages 542-545, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5293.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/7961475