Agriotes minutus, Zurita-Garcia & Caballero & Booth, 2012

Zurita-Garcia, Martin Leonel, Caballero, Santiago Zaragoza & Booth, Helga Ochoterena, 2012, New species of Agriotes (Coleoptera: Elateridae) from Mexico with a key to species, Zootaxa 3568, pp. 53-64 : 54-55

Key to the Mexican species of Agriotes (modified from Champion)

1. Third antennomere as long as, or longer than the second...................................................... 2

- Third antennomere slightly shorter than the second.......................................................... 26

2. Pronotum strongly transverse, pronotal index 0.75–0.91....................................................... 3

- Pronotum more or less elongate, pronotal index 0.93–1.0..................................................... 12

3. Dorsal pubescent semierect............................................................. A. hirsutus Champion

- Dorsal pubescent decumbent or semi-decumbent............................................................. 4

4. Hind pronotal angles not divergent......................................................... A. notatus Candèze

- Hind pronotal angles divergent.......................................................................... 5

5. Length less than 5.6 mm ................................................................................6

- Length over 5.8 mm ................................................................................... 7

6. Second antennomere shorter than the third..................................................... A. minutus n. sp.

- Second and third antennomeres equal in length............................................... A. alternus Candèze

7. Elytra less than 3 times the length of the pronotum....................................... A. quadrivitattus Candèze

- Elytra over 3 times the length of the pronotum............................................................... 8

8. Pronotum sparsely and finely punctured, with punctures spaced from 2–4 times their diameters...... A. insolitus Champion

- Pronotum densely and closely punctured, with punctures spaced less from 2 times theirs diameters.................... 9

9. Eyes yellow......................................................................... A. pedregalensis n. sp.

- Eyes black......................................................................................... 10

10. Pronotum with three pubescent dark spots on the disc........................................... A. trivitattus n. sp.

- Pronotum unicolorous (it has a black mark on the disc in some varieties of A. amabilis and A. scapularis ).............. 11

11. Elytra without stripes, suture with gray pubescence, hind pronotal angles long and strongly divergent, and briefly acute......................................................................................... A. amabilis Candèze

- Elytra with stripes, suture and submarginal stripe with gray pubescence; hind pronotal angles briefly divergent and acute..................................................................................... A. scapularis Champion

12. Hind pronotal angles with carina........................................................................ 13

- Hind pronotal angles without carina...................................................................... 24

13. Carina of the hind pronotal angles fine or indistinct.......................................................... 14

- Carina of the hind pronotal angles distinct................................................................. 15

14. Pronotum with two black broad stripes on the disc........................................... A. taeniatus Candèze

- Pronotum unicolorous, usually has a large black on the disc before the middle.................... A. fulvescens Candèze

15. Pronotum with two large black pubescent marks on the anterior part of the disc (these are indistinct in the variety “B” from Champion)....................................................................... A. pulcherrimus Candèze

- Pronotum unicolorous or with a black mark on the disc....................................................... 16

16. Elytra vittate.......................................................................... A. virgatus Candèze

- Elytra not vitatte.....................................................................................17

17. Pronotum with a dark pubescent mark diamond-shape........................................... A. rhombus n. sp.

- Pronotum unicolorous (it has a large black patch on the disc in a variety of A. hilaris ).............................. 18

18. Marginal carina of the pronotum partly interrupted at the middle............................................... 19

- Marginal carina of the pronotum entire (interrupted at the middle in some specimens of A. hilaris and A. pexus )......... 20

19. Pronotum with basal incisures shallow; punctuation closer and coarser, with punctures spaced from 1–2 times their diameters................................................................................. A. longipennis Candèze

- Pronotum with basal incisures deep; punctuation sparse and fine, with punctures spaced from 3–4 times theirs diameters....................................................................................... .. A. vaccinus Candèze

20. Abdomen red.......................................................................... A. bicolor Candèze

- Abdomen brown..................................................................................... 21

21. Elytra moderately elongate, from 2.5–2.6 times the length of pronotum...................... A. miniaticollis Chevrolat

- Elytra very elongate, from 2.8–3.1 times the length of pronotum............................................... 22

22. Pronotum rather sparsely and uniformly pubescent..........................................................23

- Pronotum and elytra densely pubescent....................................................... A. pexus Candèze 23. Elytra with more o less distinct alternate lines of light and dark pubescence..................... A. lineipennis Candèze

- Elytra with the suture and a narrow submarginal vitta gray pubescent.............................. A. hilaris Candèze

24. Marginal carina of the pronotum complete............................................. A. cinereveintris Champion

- Marginal carina of the pronotum faintly indicated at the base or interrupted at the middle........................... 25

25. Pronotum as long as broad; aedeagus with the lateral lobes narrower at the apical region.......... A. mexicanus Champion

- Pronotum longer than broad; aedeagus with the lateral lobes broader at the apical region........... A. incallidus Champion

26. Body narrow, sub-parallel; uniform and sparsely pubescent, hind pronotal angles not divergent and the marginal carina absent anteriorly......................................................................... A. angustatus Champion

- Body oblong or elongate-oval; pubescence moderately close; hind pronotal angles divergent, marginal carina usually obliterated at the middle....................................................................................27

27. Elytral interstices not rougher at the base.................................................... A. mixtus Champion

- Elytral interstices rougher at the base..................................................... A. pauxillus Champion