Aethyssius

Belongs within: Alleculinae.

Aethyssius is an Australian genus of alleculine beetles with a relatively short head and acuminate mandibles. Species of this genus have been observed visiting flowers (Matthews & Bouchard 2008).

Characters (from Matthews & Bouchard 2008): Length 5.0–16.0 mm. Integument sometimes brilliantly metallic. Eyes usually moderate, separated by distance about equal to one eye width, but may be larger. Frons and clypeus less produced, frontal index not more than 0.4, clypeolabral membrane as long as half length of labrum or longer. Apices of mandibles acuminate and unidentate. Prothorax subparallel for basal half at least. Exceptionally with simple claws.

<==Aethyssius Pascoe 1863 (see below for synonymy)MB08
    |--*A. viridis (Boisduval 1835) (see below for synonymy)MB08
    |--A. annulatus (Borchmann 1933) [=Chromomaea annulata]MB08
    |--A. ater (Blackburn 1891) [=Anaxo ater]MB08
    |--A. atriceps Carter 1915MB08
    |--A. australicus (Boheman 1858) [=Eutrapela australica]MB08
    |--A. brevicornis (Bates 1868) [=*Anaxo brevicornis]MB08
    |--‘Atractus’ columbinus Boisduval 1835M86
    |--A. curvitibialis (Buck 1957) [=Chromomaea curvitibialis]MB08
    |--A. cyaneus (Macleay 1872) [=Atractus cyaneus]MB08
    |--A. cylindricollis (Carter 1927) [=Anaxo cylindricollis]MB08
    |--A. cylindricus (Germar 1848) [=Allecula cylindrica; incl. Anaxo obscurus Blackburn 1891]MB08
    |--A. dentipes (Carter 1920) [=Anaxo dentipes]MB08
    |--A. deplanchei (Fauvel 1862) (see below for synonymy)MB08
    |--A. eleanora (Carter 1925) [=Chromomaea eleanora]MB08
    |--A. eros Pascoe 1871MB08 [=Atractus erosM86]
    |--A. excisipes (Carter 1915) [=Alcmeonis excisipes]MB08
    |--A. fastigiatus (Germar 1848) [=Allecula fastigiata; incl. *Licymnius foveicollis Bates 1868]MB08
    |--A. flavipes (Macleay 1887) [=Atractus flavipes]MB08
    |--A. fuscus (Carter 1915) [=Chromomaea fusca]MB08
    |--A. fuscoviolaceus (Fairmaire 1879) [=Anaxo fuscoviolaceus]MB08
    |--A. gracillimus (Carter 1920) [=Chromomaea gracillima]MB08
    |--A. maculicornis (Blackburn 1891) [=Chromomaea maculicornis]MB08
    |--A. major (Carter 1928) [=Chromomaea major]MB08
    |--A. mastersi (Macleay 1872) [=Chromomaea mastersi]MB08
    |--A. metallicus (Carter 1930) [=Chromomaea metallica]MB08
    |--A. nigriceps (Champion 1895) [=Chromomaea nigriceps]MB08
    |--A. nivalis (Carter 1932) [=Chromomaea nivalis]MB08
    |--A. occidentalis (Blackburn 1891) [=Anaxo occidentalis]MB08
    |--A. ochraceus (Carter 1915) [=Chromomaea ochracea]MB08
    |--A. oculatus (Carter 1925) [=Chromomaea oculata]MB08
    |--A. opacicollis (Carter 1915) [=Chromomaea opacicollis]MB08
    |--A. ornatus (Carter 1915) [=Chromomaea ornata]MB08
    |--A. pallidus (Bates 1868) [=Chromomaea pallida]MB08
    |--A. paradoxus (Carter 1915) [=Alcmeonis paradoxa]MB08
    |--A. pascoei (Bates 1868) [=Chromomaea pascoei; incl. C. vittata Bates 1868]MB08
    |--A. piceus (Macleay 1872) [=Chromomaea picea]MB08
    |--A. pictus (Pascoe 1866) [=*Chromomaea picta]MB08
    |--A. pulcher (Bates 1868) [=*Alcmeonis pulchra]MB08
    |--A. puncticeps (Blackburn 1891) [=Anaxo puncticeps]MB08
    |--A. punctulaticollis (Blackburn 1893) [=Alcmeonis punctulaticollis]MB08
    |--A. ruber (Carter 1915) [=Tanychilus ruber]MB08
    |--A. rufescens (Bates 1868) [=Chromomaea rufescens]MB08
    |--A. ruficollis (Macleay 1872) [=Atractus ruficollis]MB08
    |--A. rufovittis (Carter 1928) [=Alcmeonis rufovittis]MB08
    |--A. rugosulus (Macleay 1872) [=Atractus rugosulus]MB08
    |--A. sparsus (Blackburn 1891) [=Anaxo sparsus]MB08
    |--A. strigicollis (Fairmaire 1879) [=Licymnius strigicollis]MB08
    |--A. suturalis (Carter 1930) [=Chromomaea suturalis]MB08
    |--A. tenuicornis (Carter 1933) [=Anaxo tenuicornis]MB08
    |--A. tibialis (Carter 1921) [=Chromomaea tibialis]MB08
    |--A. unicolor (Bates 1868) (see below for synonymy)MB08
    |--A. varicornis (Carter 1926) [=Chromomaea varicornis]MB08
    |--A. violaceus (Carter 1922) [=Chromomaea violacea]MB08
    |--A. virescens (Boisduval 1835)MB08 [=Allecula virescensMB08, Atractus virescensM86]
    |--A. vitticollis (Macleay 1872) [=Atractus vitticollis]MB08
    `--A. vittipennis (Macleay 1887) [=Atractus vittipennis]MB08

Aethyssius Pascoe 1863 [=Atractus Dejean 1836 non Wagler 1828, Neoatractus Borchmann 1909; incl. Alcmeonis Bates 1868, Alcmaeonis (l. c.), Anaxo Bates 1868, Chromomaea Pascoe 1866, Chromomoea (l. c.), Lepturidea Fauvel 1862, Licymnius Bates 1868]^MB08

Aethyssius deplanchei (Fauvel 1862) [=Allecula deplanchei, *Lepturidea deplanchei; incl. Chromomaeus rufipennis Blackburn 1891]^MB08

Aethyssius unicolor (Bates 1868) [=Chromomaea unicolor; incl. Anaxo aereus Blackburn 1891, An. affinis Blackburn 1891, An. lindensis Blackburn 1891, An. sydneyanus Blackburn 1893]^MB08

*Aethyssius viridis (Boisduval 1835) [=Allecula viridis, *Atractus viridis, *Neoatractus viridis; incl. Allecula columbina Boisduval 1835, Aethyssius rubriventris Carter 1915]^MB08

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[M86] Masters, G. 1886. Catalogue of the described Coleoptera of Australia. Part IV. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (2): 259–380.

[MB08] Matthews, E. G., & P. Bouchard. 2008. Tenebrionid Beetles of Australia: Descriptions of tribes, keys to genera, catalogue of species. Australian Biological Resources Study: Canberra.