Anthia Weber, 1801

Mawdsley, Jonathan R., Erwin, Terry L., Sithole, Hendrik, Mawdsley, James L. & Mawdsley, Alice S., 2011, The genus Anthia Weber in the Republic of South Africa, Identification, distribution, biogeography, and behavior (Coleoptera, Carabidae), ZooKeys 143, pp. 47-81 : 49-50

Genus Anthia Weber, 1801

Anthia Weber (1801:17).

Carabus sexguttatus Fabricius (1775:236); subsequent designation by Latreille (1810:426). Type Species.

Pachymorpha Hope (1838:51); synonymized by Basilewsky (1950:80).

Thoracolobus Gistel (1857:50); synonymized by Csiki (1929:377).

Diagnosis.

Body large and massive, adults of South African species always 40 mm or greater in length; body black or dark brown, usually with yellow or white setae and pubescence. Prothorax cordiform, distinctly expanded laterally and usually with large lateral flanges. Mandibles and prothorax sexually dimorphic: mandibles elongate in males, shorter in females; base of pronotum with two posterior flanges or flattened extensions in males, tumescent without extensions in females. Elytra smooth with rows of minute punctures or feebly striatiopunctate, never markedly striatiopunctate in South African species (although other species in the genus do have striatiopunctate elytra).

Recognition from sympatric genera.

Specimens of southern African species of Anthia may be readily distinguished from those of allied genera by the presence of broad lateral flanges on the pronotum and the sexual dimorphism in the structure of the mandibles and pronotal base. Most other South African Anthiini also have the elytra markedly striatiopunctate, at least in part. The only sympatric genus with which species of Anthia might be confused is Termophilum Basilewsky, that contains several large species that are similar in overall appearance and markings with those of the genus Anthia . However, species of Termophilum have a much simpler pronotal structure that lacks the large lateral flanges and secondary sexual characteristics present in Anthia species. Species of Termophilum also lack the sexual dimorphism in the mandibles that is seen in species of Anthia .

Notes on Taxonomy.

Basilewsky (1950) was the first to point out that the generic names Anthia Weber and Pachymorpha Hope have the same type species, Carabus sexguttatus Fabricius. The name Anthia clearly has priority over Pachymorpha . Basilewsky (1950) noted that a replacement name for Pachymorpha was not necessary, as the species formerly classified in that genus fit readily within his restricted concept of the genus Anthia , a generic concept which we follow here. Thoracolobus was proposed by Gistel (1857) for the two species Anthia maxillosa (F.) and Anthia thoracica (Thunberg) and is clearly synonymous with Anthia Weber as treated here.

Key to South African species of Anthia Weber 1801