Epytus, Dejean 1836

Skelley, Paul E., 2009, Pleasing fungus beetles of the West Indies (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae), Insecta Mundi 2009 (82), pp. 1-94 : 45-46

Genus EPYTUS Dejean 1836

Epytus Dejean 1836: 428 . Type Species: Erotylus cyaneus Duponchel 1825: 562 ; subsequent designation by Crotch 1873b: 144 [after the synonymy of Erotylus violaceus Sturm 1826 under E. cyaneus ] ~ Dejean 1837: 452; Crotch 1873b: 144; Crotch 1876: (57)433; Alvarenga 1965: 84, 88; Alvarenga 1994: 17; Skelley 1998b: 9.

Eptyus Dejean in Peck 2005: 134 [misspelling].

Oocyanus Hope 1841: 110 , 113-114. Type species: Erotylus violaceus Sturm 1826 , original designation. ~ Lacordaire 1842: 31, 194-195; Germar 1843: 133; Jacquelin du Val 1856: 133-134; Guérin-Méneville 1857: 322; Chapuis 1876: 31, 34-35; Gemminger and Harold 1876: 396; Kuhnt 1909: 56, 64; Kuhnt 1911: 44; Deelder 1942: 52; Curran 1944: 1; Blackwelder 1945: 465; Roberts 1958: 283.

Diagnosis. Epytus is recognized by its triangular mental plate, femur lacking marginal bead, antennomere IX as long as wide and angular at base, and anterior pronotal angles projecting forward.

Description. Length: 4.5-7.0 mm; width: 2.5-4.0 mm. Body ovate, flattened, with strong microreticulations, dull, blue color; antennae, labrum, palpi, tibiae and tarsi yellow.

Head with ocular striae present, attaining antennal base anteriorly. Antenna attaining base of pronotum; antennomere II length = width; antennomere VIII wider than VII, appearing a base of club; antennomere IX broad at base, trapezoidal ( Fig. 24 ), length = width, sides angled at base. Mentum with triangular plate, length = width ( Fig. 15 ). Genal lobes present, reduced, short, blunt.

Pronotal disc relatively flattened; anterior angles projecting anteriorly, lateral margin do not curve towards the eyes ( Fig. 79 ); anterior edge with marginal bead only behind eyes; base sinuate, lacking marginal bead. Elytral base lacking marginal bead; epipleural fold with a row of punctures at the lateral edge (occasionally obscure), appearing as a secondary line. Wings present, fully developed.

Prosternal anterior edge with marginal bead, not pinched; base shallowly concave. Mesosternum truncate at base; width = 1.5 x length, lacking coarse punctures; mesosternal line continuous around mesocoxal cavity, divergent anteriorly between coxae; impressed anterior line on the metasternum at suture with mesosternum not covered by mesosternum; mesocoxal line on the metasternum lacking. Meso- and metafemora rounded in cross-section, lacking sharp posterior marginal bead ( Fig. 28 , 80 ).

Figures

Figure 18-25. Key characters. 18-21) Mesofemur. 22-25) Antenna. 18, 22) Cubyrus sapphirus. 19, 23) Ischyrus quadripunctatus. 20, 24) Epytus cyaneus. 21, 25) Notaepytus flavitarsis.[White arrow points at posterior marginal bead, or note its absence, on mesofemur.]

Figure 12-17. Key characters. 12-15) Ventral view head and mouthparts. 12) Dacne ducke. 13) Antillengis epochthidius. 14) Notaepytus flavitarsis. 15) Epytus cyaneus. 16-17) Anterior diagonal view of head. 16) Altisessor ater. 17) Notaepytus flavitarsis.

Figure 79-80. Epytus cyaneus. 79) Head and pronotum, lateral-anterior view. 80) Venter.

Figure 26-28. Dacne spp., ventral view. 26) D. brodzinskyi, amber fossil. 27) D. ducke. 28) Dacne quadripunctatus (Say).