Remarks. This species-rich genus, distributed in the Oriental and Afrotropical regions, needs a taxonomic revision.

Type material

Holotype (♂): E Gabon, Ogooué-Ivindo Prov., 5–9 km SW Makokou, Ivindo NP, Ipassa forest research station, 0°30′52″N 12°48′21″E, 480–540 m, 19–20.VI.2016, leg. D. Telnov (NHMUK).

Paratypes: Same data as holotype, 3 exx. (NHMUK, DTC). – E Gabon, Ogooué-Ivindo Prov., 5–9 km SW Makokou, Ivindo NP, Ipassa Forest Station, 0°30′52″N 12°48′21″E, 480–540 m, 18–19.VI.2016, leg. D. TELNOV, 1 ♀ (NHMUK). – E Gabon, Ogooué-Ivindo Prov., 5–9 km SW Makokou, Ivindo NP, Ipassa forest research station, 0°30′52″N 12°48′21″E, 540 m, 24–25.VI.2016, leg. D. Telnov, 3 exx. (SMNS).

Description

Body length 2.8–3.2 mm. Dorsal and ventral surfaces and all appendages brown, without colour pattern and without metallic shine; dorsal and ventral surfaces punctured, punctures with short, adpressed, pale setae, intervening space shiny (Fig. 12). Head with punctures similarly coarse and partly confluent, as on pronotum; genae somewhat swollen but not dilated, with distinct transverse impression between them; anterior margin of epistome straight and without an excavation or other modifications; eyes circular and prominent, not encroached by genae; antennae composed of 10 antennomeres, shape of antennomeres as in Fig. 12, antennomere 3 distinctly longer than antennomere 2, terminal two antennomeres forming loose club, terminal antennomere feebly bipartite. Pronotum widest across middle, anterior and posterior margins not beaded, lateral margins not beaded but distinctly crenulate, anterior angles slightly marked but not prominent or acute, posterior angles rectangular; surface convex with irregular, coarse and partly confluent punctures, punctures similar to those on head and elytra, prothoracic hypomera with punctures and setation similar to those on disc of pronotum, metasternal punctures larger laterally than medially. Hind wings completely developed (functional). Elytra widest behind middle, lateral margins completely visible in dorsal view, surface with irregular punctures not arranged in rows or striae, epipleura with large and dense punctures, similar to those of dorsal side of elytra. Ventrites with punctures larger laterally than medially, terminal ventrite not beaded. Legs without specific modifications. Aedeagus (Fig. 22) with long basale and triangular apicale with rounded apex.

Diagnosis

Enicmosoma ivindoense sp. n. differs from E. cantaloubei Ardoin, 1957 from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire), Uganda, and Tanzania in the larger body (the total body length is 2.3 mm in E. cantaloubei) and the denser and partly confluent punctures of the pronotum and elytra. Ferrer (2005) described E. barclayi from a single female, collected in Angola, with similarly dense dorsal punctures, but according to the description this species has an 11-segmented antenna (this observation is possibly incorrect, since the terminal antennomere might be bipartite) and a much stronger transverse pronotum with rounded posterior angles. The aedeagus of E. barclayi remains unknown. Further species of Enicmosoma Gebien, 1922 from West and Central Africa yet unknown, whereas other species occur in Réunion, Mauritius, the Seychelles, and Madagascar. Additionally, Schawaller (2013) recorded ten species of Enicmosoma from South Africa, presented a key for them, and provided a complete list of the 26 known species from Africa and adjacent islands.

Etymology

Toponymic. Named after Ivindo National Park, where the type series was collected.

Distribution. Subsaharan Africa.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Remarks. The genus Sphingocorse Gebien, 1921 is possibly a junior synonym of Pseudolyprops Fairmaire, 1882.

Remarks. Robiche & Le Gall (2019) recently treated in detail the species of this tribe from Ivindo National Park.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Remarks. The collected specimens (det. E. Ruzzier and D. Telnov) probably belong to the subspecies regalis (Harold, 1878). However, the status of several subspecies and aberration names pertaining to this taxon remain unclear.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Distribution. Guinea, Central Africa.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Remarks. Specimens identified by O. Merkl.

Distribution. Guinea, Central Africa.

Remarks. Specimens identified by E. Ruzzier and D. Telnov.

Remarks. Three specimens were collected, all belonging to the P. subdepressus (Wollaston, 1864) species group. They could not be identified to species level because of the unclear taxonomic situation within the species group.

Distribution. Central, East and Southern Africa.

Remarks. The type locality of the lectotype is “Gabon, Nkogo”. Some other records of Palorus from Africa were recently published by Grimm & Schawaller (2019). Unfortunately, the description of Palorus halsteadi Bremer, 1985 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire) (Bremer 1985) was overlooked in that paper.

Distribution. Subsaharan Africa, Madagascar.

Remarks. Collected only in the vicinities of Ivindo NP.

Remarks. The single available specimen, a small male (total body length 7 mm, aedeagus as in Fig. 18) might represent an undescribed species and belongs to the group of small African species near D. brevipes Kaszab, 1969, D. espanoli Ardoin, 1957, D. inaequalis Gebien, 1921, D. ivoirensis Ardoin, 1969, and D. pusillus Gebien, 1921. However, without a comprehensive taxonomic revision of this group, this single male from Gabon cannot be named.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Remarks. Collected only in the vicinities of Ivindo NP.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Distribution. Cape Verde, West, and Central Africa, Chad.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Remarks. The genus Tribolioides was described by Blair (1913) with type species Tenebrio ferrugineus Fabricius, 1781 from “tropical” Africa. The lamellate prolongation beneath the penultimate tarsomere is very peculiar for Tribolioides. The assignment of this genus to Tenebrionidae or Cucujidae is not yet clear to the authors, although Bouchard et al. (2021) placed it in the family Cucujidae. However, a detailed examination in the framework of this inventory is not possible. The aedeagus was unknown so far and is shown in Fig. 17.

Distribution. West, Central, and East Africa.

Remarks. The genus Gridellia Kammerer, 2006 was revised by Ferrer (1994) under the preoccupied name Villiersia Gridelli, 1951; additional taxonomic notes were given by Robiche (2019).

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Remarks. The Subsaharan species of Diaclina Jacquelin du Val, 1861 were revised by SCHAWALLER (2019).

Distribution. Central and East Africa.

Type material

Holotype (♂): E Gabon, Ogooué-Ivindo Prov., 6 km S Makokou, 0°30′58″N, 12°49′42″E, 480–510 m, 20.VI.2016, leg. D. Telnov (NHMUK).

Description

Body length 3.0 mm. Ovate, blackish brown, shining; margins of pronotum and lateral margins of elytra paler reddish brown. Punctures of dorsal surface not bearing setae, punctures of head with a few microsetae. Head outline continuous, not interrupted between epistome and frons; apical margin of epistome straight, not medially emarginate; fronto-clypeal suture indistinct. Genal canthus not protruding beyond outline of eyes, with its outlines nearly continuous with the outlines of the eyes. Eyes large, constricted at genal canthus, dorsal part as large as ventral part. Antennae not extending towards base of pronotum, with six distal antennomeres forming a kind of club; antennomere 2 as wide as long; antennomere 3 elongate, about twice as long as wide; antennomeres 6–10 serrate, distal antennomere rounded apically (Fig. 11). Pronotum transverse, width to length ratio 2.2, dorsal surface convex; widest across posterior angles. Anterior margin emarginate, basal margin bisinuate, lateral margins finely beaded, distal and basal margins not beaded. Anterior angles rounded, posterior angles rectangular. Pronotal disc with larger and sparser punctures than on head, subbasal impressions distinct. Prothoracic hypomera with smaller punctures than on pronotal disc, without setae, surface wrinkled. Prosternal process protruding. Elytra ovate with rounded lateral margins, base as wide as pronotal base. Rows of punctures without striae, diminishing posteriorly, scutellar striole absent, punctures in the rows larger than those on pronotal disc; all intervals nearly flat and smooth, impunctate; lateral margins in dorsal view visible over entire length till apex; humeral angles indistinct. Scutellum large, triangular. Abdominal ventrites 1–3 laterally with large punctures, larger than those on pronotum, terminal ventrites 4–5 with finer punctures, all punctures without setae. Tibiae gradually and faintly dilated towards apex, without external carinae or other modifications. Aedeagus with triangular apicale and acute tip (Fig. 23).

Diagnosis

Diaclina gabonica sp. n. can be recognised by the small body size in combination with the continously ovate body outline (similar to Peltoides Laporte de Castelnau, 1833), the pronotum and the elytra being widest at the base. In the species key of Schawaller (2019), specimens of the new species would run to D. ovalis Gebien, 1921 (consider the Gabon record for this species, below). However, D. ovalis is larger (body length 4–5 mm) and its body outline is not continuously ovate but slightly interrupted between the pronotum and the elytra. The shape of the aedeagal apicale is similar in both species [compare Fig. 23 with Schawaller (2019: fig. 17].

Etymology

Toponymic. Named after Gabon, where the holotype was collected.

Distribution. West, Central, and East Africa.

Distribution. West, Central, East, and Southern Africa. Remarks. The type locality is “Gabon”.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Distribution. Guinea and Central Africa.

Peltoides senegalensis Laporte de Castelnau, 1833

Distribution. Subsaharan Africa.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Remarks. The African congeners were revised by FERRER (2007).

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Distribution. Afrotropical Region, including Cape Verde, Comoros, South Africa, western Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.

Type material

Holotype (♂): E Gabon, Ogooué-Ivindo Prov., 5–9 km SW Makokou, Ivindo NP, Ipassa forest research station, 0°30′52″N 12°48′21″E, 540 m, 21–22.VI.2016, leg. D. Telnov (NHMUK).

Paratype: E Gabon, Ogooué-Ivindo Prov., 7.7 km SW Makokou, Ivindo NP, Ipassa forest research station, 0°30′52″N 12°48′21″E, 520 m, 19–20.VI.2016, leg. D. Telnov, 1 ♂ (SMNS).

Description

Body dark brown, ovate, body length 6.0–7.5 mm. Male head dorsally without impressions or other modifications, with regular, fine and non-confluent punctures similar to those on pronotum. Male antenna (Fig. 4) without modifications, antennomeres 4–11 symmetrical. Male mentum (Fig. 15) flat, with distinct, lateral, sparsely setose impressions. Male ligula with a few sparse setae. Male pronotum (Fig. 4) without impressions and tubercles, posterior margin entirely not beaded, anterior margin not beaded in the middle, lateral margins straight and parallel in basal half, regularly rounded in distal half, surface with regular, dense, non-confluent, fine punctures similar to those on head, intervening spaces without micropunctures at 25x magnification. Prothoracic hypomera with distinct, dense, fine longitudinal furrows. Prosternum prominent. Elytra ovate, widest across middle, punctures of elytral rows not distinctly wider than striae, elytral intervals flat and with fine, sparse punctures; these punctures distinctly smaller than those on pronotum. Ventrites laterally with longitudinal wrinkles, terminal ventrite not beaded. Male protibia (Fig. 16) regularly dilated towards apex, without internal excavations. Aedeagus (Fig. 13–14) with short, finger-like apicale with rounded apex, apicale bent upwards at apex.

Diagnosis

Uloma gabonica sp. n. belongs to the species group of U. pusilla Gerstaecker, 1871, U. obscurina Ardoin, 1962, and U. simplicollis Ardoin, 1962 based on the general body shape and size, the unmodified male head and pronotum, the shape of the male pronotum, and the similar male mentum. It would run to couplet 7 in the identification key of African Uloma Dejean, 1821 by Schawaller (2015b). Uloma gabonica sp. n. can be differentiated mainly by the larger body size, the specific shape of the aedeagal apicale, and by the strigose sculpture of the prothoracic hypomera. Uloma pusilla, U. obsurina, and U. simplicollis are all smaller (maximum total body length around 5 mm). In U. pusilla the lateral margins of the pronotum are straight and parallel in the basal half, but the pronotal disc is just very finely and sparsely punctured and the prothoracic hypomera have only a few longitudinal wrinkles. In U. obscurina and U. simplicollis the pronotal disc is also less roughly punctured, but the prothoracic hypomera possess a distinctly strigose sculpture similar to that of U. gabonica sp. n. In U. simplicollis the lateral margins of the pronotum are straight and parallel in the basal half, whereas in U. obscurina they are constricted. See also figures in Schawaller (2015b).

Etymology

Toponymic. Named after Gabon, where the type series was collected.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Remarks. Specimens identified by E. Ruzzier & D. Telnov.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Remarks. Specimens identified by E. Ruzzier & D. Telnov. The type locality is given as Gabon, Libreville.

Distribution. West, Central, East, and Southern Africa.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Distribution. Central, East, and Southern Africa.

Remarks. Identification tentative. Body size and structure of pronotum and elytra are somewhat different from typical G. rusticus and it cannot be decided here if this is just a morphological variation or a specific difference.

Distribution. West, Central, East, and Southern Africa.

Distribution. West, Central, and East Africa.

Distribution. Cameroon, Guinea, and Central Africa.

Remarks. The type locality is Gabon, Ivinda (sic!; very probably another spelling of Ivindo).

Distribution. West, Central, and East Africa.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Remarks. The status of the subspecies M. dentata laticollis Pic, 1915 from Cameroon is doubtful.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Remarks. The specimens probably belong to the subspecies E. longipes brevicollis Harold, 1878.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Remarks. Specimens identified by E. Ruzzier and D. Telnov. The status of the subspecies N. flavopictus obliteratus Pic, 1915 is doubtful, and it is probably only a colour variation.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Remarks. The type locality is “Gabon”.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Remarks. Praogena (sic!) cameruna Gebien, 1912 was considered a junior synonym of P. lucidula by De Moor (1970).

Distribution. Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Palaearctic Region.

Remarks. The species was collected only near Libreville (coastal sand dunes).

Distribution. Nearly cosmopolitan.

Remarks. The genus Ulomoides Blackburn, 1888 (syn. Martianus Fairmaire, 1893 and Palembus Casey, 1891) needs a taxonomic revision. The few species are mostly synanthropic, with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution, and were originally described in various genera. For example, Schawaller & Grimm (2014) transferred a species from Alphitobius Stephens, 1829 to Ulomoides, and Ardoin (1969) described Martianus ivoirensis (which may be con-specific with U. castaneus) from the Ivory Coast and synonymised Alphitobius cinctellus (Fairmaire, 1902) with “Martianus” castaneus. A possible synapomorphic character state of Ulomoides is the distinctly crenulated outer margin of all tibiae.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Remarks. Kaszab (1969) compiled an identification key for the six species of African Pentaphyllus Dejean, 1821 known at that time. The newly-collected specimens have a somewhat more strongly rounded lateral margin of the pronotum compared to that figured in the original description, and the posterior angles are rounded. These differences are not considered significant herein. A further species, Pentaphyllus ivoirensis Ardoin, 1969, was subsequently described from the Ivory Coast.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Remarks. The type locality of Platydema trituberculatum Pic, 1926 is “Gabon”; this taxon is recognised as a junior synonym of Stomylus apicatus (Gebien, 1910) (Schawaller 2006).

Distribution. West and Central Africa; known also from Angola (SMNS, unpublished).

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Distribution. West and Central Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, and Zambia.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Remarks. The type locality is “Gabon”.

Distribution. Central Africa, Kenya.

Remarks. Collected only in the vicinities of Ivindo NP.

Type material

Holotype (♂): E Gabon, Ogooué-Ivindo Prov., 5–9 km SW Makokou, Ivindo NP, Ipassa forest research station, 0°30′52″N 12°48′21″E, 480–540 m, 15–19.VI.2016, leg. D. Telnov (NHMUK) (terminal antennomeres missing, body surface widely covered with a white layer of unknown material).

Paratype: Same data as holotype, 1 ♀ (SMNS).

Description

Body length 4.0–4.1 mm. Head and pronotum blackish, elytra uniformly brown, dorsal side dull, glabrous (Fig. 6). Head in male: frons with a pair of symmetrical, straight, glabrous horns (Fig. 21), epistome without a medial tubercle, frons impressed between horns and with fine punctures similar to those on pronotum. Head in female: without armature, frons with weak medial impression, punctures regular, as those on pronotum. Ratios of the antennal segments (female) as in Fig. 6, antennomere 3 slightly elongate, antennomeres 1–3 pale brown, 4–11 blackish. Pronotum transverse, widest across base, surface with regular, fine and separate punctures similar to those on head, with feeble basal foveae; entire posterior margin not beaded, anterior margin finely and completely beaded; anterior margin not excavated, anterior and posterior angles rounded. Prothoracic hypomera with coarse confluent punctures and short setation. Elytra ovate, widest across middle, 1.3 times as long as wide, with, besides scutellar row and lateral margin, eight rows of punctures arranged into feeble striae (third row with about 50 punctures), punctures in rows of similar size as on pronotum. Intervals flat and distinctly shagreened, with scattered, fine punctures, glabrous. Abdominal ventrites with short setation, punctures fine and regular, surface feebly wrinkled, last ventrite not beaded. Male basal tarsomeres 1–3 of anterior and median tarsi distinctly dilated (Fig. 20), tibiae externally with indistinct, crenulated carinae. Aedeagus large compared to body length (Fig. 19), apicale long, subtriangular, with rounded apex.

Diagnosis

The African species of Platydema were revised by Schawaller (2004, 2015a). Platydema telnovi sp. n. can be recognised by the dilated male anterior and median tarsi, the male head with a pair of long, glabrous horns, the absence of a medial tubercle on the male epistome, and the uniformly paler elytra lacking a colour pattern. The only other known African species with dilated male tarsi are P. binotatum Pic, 1926, P. latitarse Gebien, 1910, P. rufovittatum Pic, 1937, and P. tarsatum Ardoin, 1969. However, in all these species the male head bears a pair of short and broad horns, the male epistome has a medial tubercle, and the elytra are not uniformly coloured and provided with a colour pattern. The aedeagus of P. latitarse was figured by Schawaller (2004), that of P. tarsatum by Ardoin (1969); the aedeagi of P. binotatum and P. rufovittatum remain unknown.

Etymology

Patronymic. Named in honour of Dmitry Telnov (NHMUK), the collector of the type series of this taxon and other Tenebrionidae from Ivindo National Park, Gabon.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Remarks. Collected only near Libreville (coastal sand dunes).

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Remarks. The systematic position of the genus Myrmecocatops Wasmann, 1897 (type species M. latus Wasmann, 1897), described from Madagascar in Crypticini, is highly doubtful. Both known species possess highly apomorphic characters as an adaptation to life in ant nests. This taxonomic problem cannot be solved in the framework of an inventory of the Ivindo tenebrionids. The specimens from Gabon seem to be identical to the species described from the Ivory Coast by Ardoin (1969) and were attracted to light.

Distribution. West, Central, and East Africa.

Remarks. This species was redescribed by Bremer (1995) in his revision of the genus Corticeus Piller & Mitterpacher, 1783 from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Distribution. West, Central, East, and Southern Africa.

Remarks. Bremer (1995) downranked C. nitidissimus (Pic, 1914) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire) and C. elongatus (Pic, 1915) from Sierra Leone to subspecies of C. glabratus. The status of both subspecies should be re-evaluated.

Distribution. West and Central Africa.

Remarks. Collected only in the vicinities of Ivindo NP.

Distribution. West Africa.

Remarks. Collected only in the vicinities of Ivindo NP and identified by E. Ruzzier & D. Telnov. This unusual-looking species for its tribe was originally described as a cucujiid and was later moved to Tenebrionidae by LAWRENCE (1977).

Distribution. West Africa.

Distribution. West Africa.

Remarks. Gebien (1921) published a key to the species of Alcyonotus Pascoe, 1882. According to this key, A. pauper, originally described from Guinea, can be recognised by the nearly straight epistome, the comparatively small body (6–7 mm), and the uniformly coloured legs.

Distribution. Central Africa.

Remarks. Falsoperichilus alternatus Ardoin, 1965 from Cameroon is considered a junior synonym (Schawaller 2012).