Melittomma Murray, 1867
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4895.2.3 |
publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:77117CFB-AD8E-4066-819F-FA81D3D589B7 |
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4361840 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3735BF36-A00F-5D7C-FF46-93507040FEF4 |
treatment provided by |
Plazi |
scientific name |
Melittomma Murray, 1867 |
status |
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Melittomma Murray, 1867 View in CoL View at ENA
( Wheeler, 1986, figs 225–267)
Melittomma Murray, 1867: 314 View in CoL .
Type species: Hylecoetus brasiliensis Laporte 1832 , by original designation.
Neohylecoetus Kurosawa, 1956: 80 . Type species: N. javanus Kurosawa, 1956: 81 (= Hylecoetus javanicus Chevrolat, 1829 ; Neohylecoetus philippensis Kurosawa, 1956 ). Kurosawa, 1985 (synonymy).
Diagnosis. According to Wheeler (1986), adults of the genus Melittomma may be distinguished from other members of the family by having large, often proximal eyes, palp organs in the male, entire or almost entire elyra, appendiculate paratergites on abdominal segment IX and small parameroids, while lacking setose pads on segment VIII in the male. Larvae may be distinguished by the presence of a heavily sclerotised abdominal apex terminating in a concavity lined by a deeply notched ridge. Adults of Australymexylon species differ in lacking palp organs and having setose pads on segment VIII in the male, while Alcestoma species lack the appendiculate paratergites on segment IX and have more elongate parameroids.
Note. The genus Melittomma currently contains about 20 species worldwide, but it is not clear if all of these species share the diagnostic features mentioned above. Wheeler (1986) moved M. insulare Fairmaire (1893) and M. curtipenne Pic (1939) to the genus Protomelittomma Wheeler (= Alcestoma Fairmaire ) and considered them to be synonymous, but some Melittomma types were not seen and some names were based on females only. This problem can only be addressed by those with access to the relevant types. The only true Melittomma occurring in Australia, based on male genital and pregenital features listed above, is M. pervagum , which is redescribed below.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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Order |
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Family |
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SubFamily |
Melittommatinae |
Melittomma Murray, 1867
Lawrence, John F. 2020 |
Neohylecoetus
Kurosawa, Y. 1956: 80 |
Kurosawa, Y. 1956: 81 |
Melittomma
Murray, A. 1867: 314 |