Nitidulinae, Latreille, 1802

Lawrence, John F., 2019, Australian Nitidulinae: general review with descriptions of new genera and species (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), Zootaxa 4657 (2), pp. 261-290 : 264

Nitidulinae : tribes and generic complexes

As indicated above, this subfamily is considered by this author to comprise all genera included by Kirejtshuk (2008: 110–112) except for those groups mentioned in the Introduction. It is a large and diverse group containing well over 100 genera and much work remains to be done before we are close to understanding their phylogenetic relationships. The nitiduline tribes recognised by Kirejtshuk include Nitidulini , Cychramini , Cychramptodini, Cyllodini , Lawrencerosini, Mystropini , and Nitidulini , while the last tribe is divided into several rather poorly defined generic complexes. Excluding those groups transferred to the Prometopiinae, the nitiduline complexes include the following: Nitidula complex (two genera), Soronia complex (12 genera), Ipidia complex (five genera), Phenolia complex (nine genera), Perilopsis complex (four genera), Aethina complex (seven genera) and Pocadius complex Erichson (25 genera). The last group apparently includes genera formerly included in the Thalycra complex by Kirejtshuk & Leschen (1998), with the addition of Bolivitoxus Kirejtshuk (2009) . Some of these complexes may be monophyletic, but, in general, they appear to be at most convenient groups of morphologically similar adults.

The tribes recognized by Kirejtshuk (2008) are perhaps more easily defined, but the monophyly of some of them certainly requires further testing. The Mystropini appears to be a very distinct group, the constitution of which was clarified by Kirejtshuk & Jelínek (2000). This New World group associated with palm inflorescences is characterised by a unique suite of characters, including the absence of antennal grooves. The two tribes Cychramptodini and Lawrencerosini each appear to be monophyletic, but the relationships of either tribe to other nitidulines are not at all obvious. This is due in large part to the fact that cychramptodines have a suite of morphological features protecting them from ants associated with their host scales, while lawrencerosines are probably all symphiles in ant nests with a different suite of protective adaptations. Both tribes are Australian and have been revised by Kirejtshuk (1990) and Kirejtshuk & Lawrence (1992a). Australian taxa in the remaining tribes are discussed below.