Subtribe Panaphantina Jeannel, 1950

Museums

Regional Maps

• Panaphantina Jeannel, R. 1950. Coléoptères Psélaphides. Faune de France. Paris : Lechevalier Vol. 53 iii 421 pp. [76].

  Type genus:

   Panaphantus Kiesenwetter, 1858.
• Acetaliini Jeannel, R. 1958. Révision des Psélaphides du Japon. Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris [1936-1950] ns, Série A: Zoologie 18: 1-138 [81] [junior subjective synonym of Panaphantina Jeannel, 1950].

  Type genus:

   Acetalius Sharp, 1883.
• Bibloplectina Jeannel, R. 1959. Révision des Psélaphides de l'Afrique intertropicale. Annales du Musée Royal du Congo Belge, Tervuren 8, Zool. 75: 1-742 [110] [junior subjective synonym of Panaphantina Jeannel, 1950].

  Type genus:

   Bibloplectus Reitter, 1881.
• Trisignina Park, O & Schuster, R.O. 1955. A new subtribe of pselaphid beetles from California. Natural History Miscellanea. The Chicago Academy of Sciences, Chicago, Illinois No. 148: 1-6 [1] [junior subjective synonym of Panaphantina Jeannel, 1950].

  Type genus:

   Trisignis Park & Schuster, 1955.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Chandler, D.S. 2001. Biology, morphology, and systematics of the ant-like litter beetle genera of Australia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae). Gainesville, FL : Memoirs on Entomology, International Vol. 15 viii + 560 pp. [Date published 30 April 2001] [143] (synonymy of all three groups)

Introduction

The Panaphantina (Jeannel, 1950) was initially based on Panaphantus Kiesenwetter from western Europe and northern Africa, with Park (1952b) later adding four Neotropical genera to this subtribe. The critical feature for inclusion in this group was the clear separation of the mesocoxae by a posterior projection of the mesosternum. While Panaphantus is a distinctive genus due to its prominent frontal rostrum, a number of North American genera of Trichonychini (c.f. Grigarick and Schuster, 1980) can be seen exhibiting a transition from contiguous to separated mesocoxae. Similar variation within a tribe is also seen in members of the Euplectini, Metopiasini, and Trogastrini, as well as tribes in other subfamilies, such as the Brachyglutini, without separation of these groups into subtribes based on this feature. Panaphantus has a similar foveal pattern to that of the genera here placed in the Euplectops group, and otherwise fits well into Jeannel’s concept of the Bibloplectina. In the absence of other defining characters, the importance of the separated mesocoxae in justifying the maintenance of separate subtribes is downplayed, and the Trisignina Park and Schuster, Acetaliini Jeannel, and Bibloplectina Jeannel have been synonymized with the Panaphantina due to their similar pattern of thoracic foveae (Chandler 2001: 142).

Diagnosis

Head with antennal tubercles low and knobbed to prominent; antennae with clubs formed by apical three antennomeres. Pronotum with antebasal sulcus distinct, rarely lacking on disc and faint laterally; prosternum with or without median, longitudinal carina. Thorax with lateral mesosternal foveae simple, usually slanted toward midline; median mesosternal fovea usually single (genera near Panaphantus) (Fig. 4) or lacking (genera near Bibloplectus), forked or widely separated in a few genera (genera near Acetalius). The transition of the median mesosternal fovea from forked to single, or single to lacking can be found within several Australian genera, such as Paraplectus and Kyogle, as well as genera from other regions or in other subfamilies.

Diagnosis References

Chandler, D.S. 2001. Biology, morphology, and systematics of the ant-like litter beetle genera of Australia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae). Gainesville, FL : Memoirs on Entomology, International Vol. 15 viii + 560 pp. [Date published 30 April 2001] [142]

General References

Chandler, D.S. 2001. Biology, morphology, and systematics of the ant-like litter beetle genera of Australia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae). Gainesville, FL : Memoirs on Entomology, International Vol. 15 viii + 560 pp. [Date published 30 April 2001]

History of changes