Nosoderma Guérin-Méneville, 1838

Foley, Ian A. & Ivie, Michael A., 2008, A phylogenetic analysis of the tribe Zopherini with a review of the species and generic classification (Coleoptera: Zopheridae), Zootaxa 1928 (1), pp. 1-72 : 25-27

Genus Nosoderma Guérin-Méneville

Figs. 4 , 22–25

Nosoderma Dejean, 1834: 207 nomen nudum. Dejean 1836: 207 nomen nudum.

Nosoderma Guérin-Méneville, 1838: 280 . Sherborn, 1928: 4412. Neave, 1939: 347. Foley and Ivie, 2007: 65 . (Type species Nosoderma echinatum Guérin-Méneville 1838: 280 , by monotypy).

Meralius Casey, 1907b: 470 . Gebien, 1936: 669. Neave, 1939: 105. Blackwelder, 1945: 515. Marcuzzi, 1957: 128. Marcuzzi, 1962: 43. Doyen and Lawrence, 1979: 342. Marcuzzi, 1984: 75. Lawrence and Newton, 1995: 891. Ṡ lipi ń ski and Lawrence, 1999: 15. García-París et al., 2001: 145. Ivie, 2002: 460. Garrido, 2004: 56. (Type species Nosoderma duponchelii Solier, 1841 , by original designation) (Synonymy by Foley and Ivie, 2007).

Diagnosis: The combination of the transverse groove on the prosternum ( Fig. 24 ), distinct pit on the metasternum, and lobed lateral margins of the pronotum will separate this genus from all Zopherini with 10-segmented antennae except Scoriaderma . It can be distinguished from Scoriaderma by the ventrally inserted labial palps not concealed by the mentum, sensilla at the apex of last antennomere covering the apical half of the segment, presence of nodules on the femora of the male, and a very narrow groove at least along the apical third of the lateral margin of the pronotum.

Description: The generic definition of Ṡ lipi ń ski and Lawrence (1999) for Meralius Casey , matches the concept of Nosoderma used here.

Notes: The genus Nosoderma was first validated by Guérin-Méneville based on the inclusion of his species Nosoderma echinatum Guérin-Méneville 1838 (type species based on monotypy). The genus Meralius was later described by Casey 1907 (Type species Nosoderma duponchelii Solier 1841 , by original designation) without examining any actual specimens of the genus. It was distinguished based on the crenulate lateral margins of the prothorax, and being the only member of the tribe from the West Indies ( Cuba). The Casey type species was later synonymized with Nosoderma echinatum Guérin-Méneville 1838 ( Gebien 1936) . Meralius Casey was recently synonymized with Nosoderma Guérin-Méneville ( Foley and Ivie 2007) .

No new species were added to this genus for nearly 140 years until 2004, when two new species were described from Cuba. Garrido (2004) added two questionable species to the genus: Meralius turquinensis and Meralius montanus . These species were differentiated based on size, sculpture and variation in the femoral nodules of the male, all of which are variable within species of Zopherini . The male nodule is a particularly variable character across species, within species, and even within individual specimens. Rare specimens of the genera Sesaspis and Verodes have the nodules occurring asymmetrically, present on one leg but not the other in a single individual.

This genus is defined by having ventrally inserted labial palps (also occurs in Verodes ), the presence of a very narrow groove, at least along the apical third of the lateral margin of the pronotum occurs nowhere else in the Zopherini and is probably a synapomorphy, similar pronotal grooves occur in different position in Scoriaderma , Noserinus and Zopher .

A specimen of this genus in the NHMB-Frey Collection, bears a label identifying the specimen as Meralius furcatus , as well as a label that places it in the collection of Gebien. This specimen is not a member of Nosoderma furcatus Kirsch , but a misidentified specimen of Nosoderma turquinense (Garrido) . This clarifies that when Gebien (1936) moved Nosoderma furcatus Kirsch to Meralius , he was in fact examining a misidentified specimen, leading to decades of confusion about the distribution and characters of what was, until recently, known as Meralius . The actual entity belonging to the name N. furcatus is supported as more closely related to Noserinus dormeanus , and is now placed in Noserinus .

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. 1–3. Antennal clubs. 1. Zopherus nodulosus; 2. Sesaspis sylvatica; 3. Zopherosis georgei. 4–5. Apex of last antennomere. 4. Nosoderma echinatum; 5. Scoriaderma cordicolle. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 22–25. 22–23. Dorsal habiti. 22. Nosoderma echinatum, Cuba; 23. N. turquinense, Cuba. 24. N. echinatum ventral surface of prosternum. 25. N. turquinense leg surface.