Earophanta Semenov 1903
Creators: name: Chigray, Svetlana N.
name: Nabozhenko, Maxim V.
name: Chigray, Ivan A.
name: Abakumov, Evgeny V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Tenebrionidae
Earophanta

description: Genus Earophanta Semenov, 1903
Figs 7, 13E, F, 22, 23H, 24E, 25B, 26G, 28C
Earophanta Semenov, 1903b: 172 (replacement name for the elimination of the homonymy).
Earophila Semenov, 1903a: 9 (type species: Platyope serrata Semenov, 1893, by original designation; as subgenus of Platyope; homonym, nec Earophila Gumppenberg, 1887).
Earophilina Strand, 1917: 99 (unnecessary replacement name for the elimination of the homonymy).
Earophanta – Skopin 1959: 72–75 (larvae); 1962: 260–261, 281 (larvae). — Medvedev & Nepesova 1985: 44 (in key).
Type species
Platyope serrata Semenov, 1893, by original designation.
Species included
Earophanta beludzhistana Bogatchev, 1957, E. collaris (Fischer von Waldheim, 1844), E. holdhausi Reymond, 1937, E. pilosissima (Reitter, 1895), E. planidorsis (Reitter, 1889), E. pubescens Skopin, 1960, E. serrata (Semenov, 1893), E. tomentosa (Semenov, 1893). Species below are listed from the west (Turkmenistan) to the east (Eastern Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan) distribution.
Diagnosis
Body black, robust, wide, oval, completely or partially covered with dense white, grey or yellowish recumbent setae, elytra with moderate or large tubercles and serrate lateral margins (Fig. 7A–D). Body length 7.5–17 mm. Eyes circular, convex in dorsal view.
Pronotum transverse (1.7–2.25 × as wide as long) (Fig. 7A–D). Lateral margins usually strongly rounded in dorsal view. Disc of pronotum strongly or moderately convex, with triangular depressions in base, with strong, acute, spinose tubercles. Prosternum without depression along anterior margin. Procoxae usually very large and prosternum before procoxae very short (15× as short as longitudinal diameter of procoxae in E. serrata) (Fig. 7D). Prosternal process wide between procoxae and sharply narrowed at apex, not raised between procoxae or protruding beyond procoxae. Procoxal cavities closed, postcoxal bridges complete (Fig. 25B).
Elytra with double or simple humeral ribs consisting of longitudinal row/rows of very coarse, strong, acute, spine-like tubercles and seems serrate (Fig. 13E). Dorsal surface of elytra with 2–4 longitudinal lines (sometimes irregular) of moderate or large shining spine-like tubercles (Fig. 7F) and dense setation between them, forming striped or spotted pattern. Each tubercle with very long, erected seta. Surface between tubercles densely or sparsely microgranulated (some setae located on microgranules).
Scutellar shield almost concealed by base of pronotum (Fig. 7A–C), but sometimes open (E. beludzhistana) (Fig. 7E); elytral surface around scutellar shield usually weakly depressed. Ventral side densely pubescent. Intercoxal process of abdominal ventrite 1 wide, near 1.7–2× as wide as one metacoxa (Fig. 7D).
Pro- and mesotrochanters usually with long, dense pubescence. Pro- and mesofemora weakly curved outward, protibiae straight, meso- and metatibiae curved along elytral lateral vertical side. Outer margin of protibiae with 5–7 very large and long sparse teeth and sometimes with several small teeth, widened to apex, sub-triangular, without projecting process at apex of outer margin (Figs 26G, 28C). Protibiae of Earophanta beludzhistana have four teeth in basal part and flattened undulate lamina (merged teeth) in distal part (Fig. 7F). Length of largest teeth is at least one third of width of protibia at apex. Tibial terminal spurs as in Platyope. Protibiae often curved outward (Fig. 7A, C–F), but sometimes straight (E. planidorsis) (Fig. 7B). Mesotibiae always curved outward, metatibiae straight. Tarsi as in Platyope.
Male genitalia (Fig. 22A–H)
Inner sternite VIII (Fig. 22H) widely sclerotized, except for weakly sclerotized median part, densely covered with long setae; anterior margin with round, wide median emargination, with extremely dense pubescence; gland straight, very long and completely sclerotized. Rods of spiculum gastrale (Fig. 22G) narrowly connected at apex; derivatives of inner sternite IX elongate, more or less evenly sclerozited.
Tegmen of aedeagus long, slender, fusiform, with apical piece longer than basal piece (Fig. 22A–C). Apical piece weakly curved, ventral apophyses unclear, dorsal apophyses usually very short and merged. Basal piece with small, separated apex. Median lobe (Fig. 22D–F) weakly curved, with clear narrow baculi, merged basally; base not bifurcated, apex acutely angulate.
Female genitalia
Spiculum ventrale (Fig. 22I) with long and sharply widened at apex common stem, thin rods and often with weak sclerotized area between them, apophyses of sternite VIII comparatively short, acutely angulate at apex.
Ovipositor (Fig. 22J–L) long and moderately sclerotized. Coxite lobe I with baculi, strongly sclerotized distally; lobes II and III merged into one moderately sclerotized plate; apical lobe fossorial, transformed to strongly sclerotized and rounded apically scoop-like plates. Paraproct with long and narrow ventral baculi and very short additional dorsal baculi. Vulva without sclerotized areas. Only coxite with sparse pubescence of moderately long and short setae; paraproct with very short setae on margins near coxite. Proctiger with long, narrow baculi and rounded apical margin.
Female genital ducts (Fig. 23H)
Very similar to those in Platyope, with single-tube long spermatheca and long, constricted basally accessory gland.
Distribution
Turkmenistan (Karakum Desert), Uzbekistan (Kyzylkum Desert), South-Eastern Kazakhstan (Muyunkum Desert), China (Xinjiang), North Afghanistan, Pakistan.
description: Published as part of Chigray, Svetlana N., Nabozhenko, Maxim V., Chigray, Ivan A. & Abakumov, Evgeny V., 2022, A revision of the Palaearctic Pimeliini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): a comparative analysis and systematic position of Eastern European and Asian taxa with dorso-lateral eyes, pp. 1-71 in European Journal of Taxonomy 809 on pages 49-52, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.809.1719, http://zenodo.org/record/6419425