Aphanocephalus Wollaston 1873
Creators: name: Szawaryn, Karol
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Discolomatidae
Aphanocephalus

description: Aphanocephalus Wollaston, 1874
Aphanocephalu s Wollaston, 1873: 278.
Type species: Aphanocephalus hemisphaericus Wollaston, 1873 – by monotypy.
Eleopthreptus Blackburn, 1895: 235. Type species: Eleopthreptus punctulatus Blackburn, 1895 – by monotypy. Synonymized by Arrow 1920: 3.
Redescription. Length 1.2–2.5 mm. Body broadly ovate (Figs 7J, 8E) to elongate (Figs 7C, 9C), sub-hemispherical (Fig. 8D, F) to more or less flattened (Figs 7D, 9D); dorsal surfaces covered with short or long hairs (sometimes hairs are very short and surface appears glabrous – Figs 7J, L, 8C, D), decumbent or suberect.
Head deeply retracted into prothorax and often concealed from above by pronotum (Fig. 1D), with well-developed temples about twice as long as length of an eye. Eyes small, elliptical, distinctly protuberant, coarsely facetted (Figs 1I, 2B, D), without interfacetal setae. Antennal insertions in front of eyes, widely separated and exposed from above (Fig. 1I). Subantennal grooves well developed, deep, extending slightly behind eyes (Figs 2C, D, E). Usually, a pair of glandular openings present close to inner margin of antennal socket (Fig. 1I). Frontoclypeal suture distinct, straight to slightly arcuate posteriorly (Fig. 1I). Clypeus large, slightly rostrate, expanded laterally (Fig. 1I), together with genal extensions (lateral ridges) forming a frame surrounding mouthparts (Figs 2C, D, E); clypeal apex truncate to emarginate (Fig. 1I). Labrum free, strongly transverse, broadly rounded or sub-truncate apically (Figs 1I, 3C). Antennae 9-segmented with a 1-segmented club (Figs 2B, G, 3A). Mandible sub-triangular, bidentate apically; incisor area with one subapical tooth very close to apex; mola well developed without molar tooth; prostheca well developed, mostly membranous with distinct fringe of setae, but on left mandible an additional tridentate or quadridentate sclerotised projection is present (Fig. 3F, G) (reduced on right mandible – Fig. 3E). Maxilla (Figs 2A, 3B) with semicircular cardo, stipes with well visible sutures between palpifer, basistipes and mediostipes; with setose galea and slightly narrower, setose lacinia, the latter without uncus. Maxillary palp with four palpomeres (Figs 2A, 3B); first very small, reduced; second large, inflated; third reduced, ring-like; apical one somewhat conical. Submentum tansverse (Fig. 2A); mentum transverse (Fig. 2A), rectangular, anterolateral portions slightly depressed to accommodate labial palps in repose, median sub-triangular portion slightly prominent; prementum sub-rectangular to elongate with anterior margin broadly rounded and slightly expanded laterally (Figs 2A, 3D); ligula setose; labial insertions placed basally, separated by a narrow carina. Labial palp with three palpomeres (Figs 2A, 3D); first very small, reduced, ring-like; second large, inflated; apical one somewhat conical. Corpotentorium present (Fig. 3H), anterior tentorial bridge absent. Cervical sclerites absent.
Prothorax. Pronotum transverse, widest at base (Figs 1D–F); anterior margin arcuate posteriorly, lateral margins moderately (Fig. 1E) to strongly (Fig. 1D) rounded, narrowly explanate, posterior margin strongly sinuate; lateral pronotal carinae complete, without raised margin or bead, anterior (except A. bimaculatus – Fig. 1D) and posterior margins not bordered; anterior angles broadly rounded, not produced, posterior angles acute; pronotal disc simple. Lateral pronotal margins with two pairs of glandular pores (Figs 1D, E), one at anterior angle and one near base. Notosternal sutures absent; notosternal ridge visible (Fig. 2D) or indistinct (Fig. 2C). Prosternum moderately to distinctly longer than procoxal cavity (Figs 2C–E), flattened or slightly convex; anterior prosternal margin broadly arcuate posteriorly. Prosternal process broad, broader than visible procoxal diameter; prosternal apex broadly laterally expanded (Fig. 2C), posteriorly closing procoxal cavity; surface flat with apex depressed to accommodate mesoventral process; without lateral carinae, sometimes with short subparallel, lateral grooves (Fig. 2D). Procoxal cavities circular, widely separated, externally closed, internally open. Procoxae with long concealed lateral extensions; trochantins concealed. Hypomeron smooth (Figs 2C–E).
Pterothorax. Scutellar shield large, triangular and apically acute (Figs 1A–C). Elytra with sides strongly rounded (Figs 1A–C); disc irregularly punctate with punctures of double size (Figs 1K, L), lateral edge with six glandular pores (Fig. 1G), sometimes with additional row of pseudoporse (Fig. 1H); lateral margins narrowly explanate, well visible throughout from above (Figs 1A–C), anteriorly with oblique indentation to receive posterior corners of pronotum (Fig. 1J). Epipleura broad (Figs 1I, J), sharply defined and complete, inner margin with complete carina fading before base of elytra. Mesoventrite transverse, fused with mesanepisterna, sutures not visible (Figs 2D, I); visible part of mesepimera very narrow, visible as a small triangle adjacent to postero-lateral portion of metaventrite (Fig. 2D); anterior portion of mesoventrite on much lower level than mesoventral junction, forming a transverse fold to accommodate posterior margin of prosternal process; externally visible anterior mesoventral margin broadly arcuate anteriorly (Figs 2C–E, I); mesoventral process truncate. Mesocoxae with long concealed lateral extensions; trochantins concealed or absent. Mesocoxal cavities circular, laterally closed. Meso-metaventral suture visible, junction forming a straight (Fig. 2D) or posteriorly arcuate line (Fig. 2I). Metaventrite flat to slightly convex, without discrimen, with mesocoxal marginal line complete or almost complete laterally (Figs 2D, J); exposed portion of metanepisternum very long and narrow (Fig. 2I), sometimes hardly visible (Fig. 2J) or only in posterior part. Metacoxae strongly transverse but mostly concealed by metaventrite and appearing globular, widely separated. Metendosternite with transverse stalk (Fig. 4E), with long lateral arms, without laminae or anterior process and with anterior tendons not apparent. Hind wing well-developed.
Legs with trochanters large, narrowly sub-triangular (Figs 2C, D, I); femora stout (Figs 2C, I), grooved for reception of tibiae in repose (Fig. 2F); tibiae slender, tibial spurs absent; tarsal formula 3-3-3 (Fig. 2H); tarsomeres simple; pretarsal claws simple or appendiculate; empodium bisetose (Fig. 2F).
Abdomen with five free ventrites; ventrite 1 much longer than 2; intercoxal process slightly emarginated anteriorly (Figs 2I, J). Ventrite 1 with metacoxal marginal lines present, separated medially, complete laterally (Fig. 2J). Posterior margin of ventrite 5 in males roundly emarginate (Fig. 4A), in females straight or rounded. Sternite VIII reduced to two lateral lightly sclerotized lamellae. Tergite VIII heavily sclerotized (Figs 4A, B), with median groove forming an interlocking mechanism with elytra (Fig. 1B), slightly bent downwards and visible from below, appearing as narrow, false ventrite 6. Functional spiracles on abdominal segments I–V.
Male terminalia and genitalia. Segments IX and X in male highly reduced and membranous (Fig. 4C), without spiculum gastrale. Aedeagus symmetrical, lying on side when retracted; tegmen elongate, parameres absent or fused, tegminal strut reduced (Figs 10–14B, C, E, F, H, I); penis tubular, without penis capsule, stout, with apical sclerotized gonopore (Figs 10–A, D, G).
Female terminalia and genitalia. Paraprocts reduced, membranous; proctiger narrow, in form of lightly sclerotized arc (Fig. 4D); coxites elongate, subtriangular, narrow without styli (Fig. 4F). Bursa copulatrix membranous (Fig. 4D), sperm duct long, narrow originating apically; spermatheca slightly coiled, divided into two parts of various diameters (Figs 15A–H), basal vermiform and apical bulbous like, with distinct stenosis between both parts.
Distribution. Afrotropic, Australasian and Oriental realms.
description: Published as part of Szawaryn, Karol, 2025, Revision of the Australian species of Aphanocephalus Wollaston (Coleoptera: Discolomatidae), pp. 401-440 in Zootaxa 5632 (3) on pages 405-407, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5632.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15372416