Michyrus, a new genus of pleasing fungus beetles with coarsely faceted eyes (Coleoptera: Erotylidae)

Authors

Paul E. Skelley, Florida State Collection of ArthropodsFollow
Héctor Jaime Gasca-Álvarez, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de ColombiaFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

12-25-2020

Citation

Skelley PE, Gasca-Álvarez HJ. 2020. Michyrus, a new genus of pleasing fungus beetles with coarsely faceted eyes (Coleoptera: Erotylidae). Insecta Mundi 0836: 1–8.

Michael C. Thomas Festschrift Contribution

Comments

Copyright held by the author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License,

Published on December 25, 2020 by Center for Systematic Entomology, Inc. P.O. Box 141874 Gainesville, FL 32614-1874 USA http://centerforsystematicentomology.org/

Abstract

Michyrus Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez, new genus, is a Neotropical Tritomini (Coleoptera: Ero­tylidae: Erotylinae) with many unusual characters, whose relationships are unclear. Two new species are described: M. thomasi Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez and M. yvineci Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez.

Resumen. Michyrus Skelley y Gasca-Álvarez, nuevo género, es un Tritomini Neotropical (Coleoptera: Ero­tylidae: Erotylinae: Tritomini) con muchos estados de carácter inusuales, cuyas relaciones no están claras. Se describen dos nuevas especies: M. thomasi Skelley y Gasca-Álvarez y M. yvineci Skelley y Gasca-Álvarez.

A resurgence of publications on foundational faunal works, descriptive and revisionary taxonomy, and nomen­clatural issues within the new world Erotylinae (Erotylidae) is happening because of several emerging researchers and their projects (e.g., Skelley and Cekalovic 2002; Lásaro Lopes 2006; Skelley 2009; Gasca-Álvarez 2009; Skelley and Powell 2018; Pecci-Maddalena and Lopes-Andrade 2017, 2018a, 2018b, 2020; Pecci-Maddalena et al. 2019; Skelley 2020a, 2020b; Lásaro Lopes et al. 2020; Powell and Skelley, in press). With this increase in studies, many new taxa are coming to light that need description.

The genus described here has coarsely faceted eyes and could be placed within the genera Ischyrus Lacor­daire (1842) or Megischyrus Crotch (1873). However, some taxa already placed in those genera make them broad heterogeneous conglomerates of potentially unrelated taxa (see discussions in Skelley 1998, 2020b). Several characters of this unusual new genus argue against placement in either Ischyrus or Megischyrus, even with their current sensu lato taxonomic hypotheses. It is here described to be available for ongoing studies.