Review of darkling beetles of the genus Ectromopsis Antoine, 1947 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) of former USSR
2005
M.V. Nabozhenko
Review of the genus Ectromopsis of the faunaof the former USSR is presented. Three species previouslyattributed to the genus Gunarus (subtribe Helopina) aretransferred to the genus Ectromopsis (subtribe Cylindronotina):Ectromopsis tantillus (Ménétriés, 1848), comb. n.,E. bogatschevi (Khnzoryan, 1957), comb. n., E. bulgaricus(Medvedev et Angelov, 1981), comb. n. Some morphologicaladaptations of the genus to environmental conditions,plesiomorphic and apomorphic characters, relationshipsand position in the tribe Helopini are discussed. The genusEctromopsis belongs to the nalassoid group of generaof the subtribe Cylindronotina and possesses a number ofplesiomorphic characters in the structure of penis, parameres,gastral spicula of males, sexual (?genital, oviducts?V.G.) ducts of the females, and epipleura. Morphologicaltransformations of this group are connected with transitionof ancestral forms of generic group “Nalassus” fromthe woody mesophyl mode of life to the life on the opensemi-desert landscapes. Nevertheless, the representativesof the genus Ectromopsis lack deeply specialized structures,adaptive to the arid conditions. On the other hand,plesiomorphic features characteristic for mesophyl woodygroups of the subtribe Cylindronotina are not expressed orare poorly-defined in this genus. Species of Ectromopsis arerelated with genera Zophohelops and Xanthomus Mulsant,1854.
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