Center for Systematic Entomology, Gainesville, Florida
Date of this Version
12-25-2020
Citation
Powell GS, Schnepp KE. 2020. Review of Carpophilus (Ecnomorphus) Motschulsky, 1858 (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Carpophilinae) in the West Indies. Insecta Mundi 0840: 1–8.
Abstract
Two new species of Carpophilus Stephens, 1829 in the subgenus Ecnomorphus Motschulsky, 1858 (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) were recovered in material from the Caribbean. Descriptions and detailed diagnoses are provided for Carpophilus (Ecnomorphus) jamaicensis Powell and Schnepp, new species and Carpophilus (Ecnomorphus) thomasi Powell and Schnepp, new species. A key to the Carpophilus (Ecnomorphus) of the West Indies is appended.
The family Nitidulidae Latreille is distributed throughout the world and reported broadly throughout the West Indies (Blackwelder 1945). The family represents one of the most diverse lineages of cucujoid beetles; however, the group remains one of the more difficult to reliably identify. Specifically, the genus Carpophilus Stephens is often considered one of the most troublesome and diverse within the family and is commonly misidentified or unidentified in larger faunistic studies. Carpophilus currently contains more than 250 described species recorded from all major land masses except Antarctica (Powell et al. 2020). The subgenus Ecnomorphus Motschulsky, was erected in 1858 and is currently one of the largest subgenera with over 50 valid species worldwide (Kirejtshuk 2008, Powell 2020). A full generic and subgeneric level synonymy is given by Kirejtshuk (2008). Ecnomorphus is diagnosed by the following characters: 1) antennal club loosely formed between the 9th and 10th antennal segments and 2) having an overall more dorsoventrally flattened body form. The following newly described species share these characters, allowing reliable placement within the subgenus Ecnomorphus.
Leng and Mutchler (1914) provided a preliminary list of the Coleoptera of the West Indies, and included two species of Ecnomorphus, Carpophilus dufaui Grouvelle and Carpophilus tempestivus Erichson, from Guadeloupe and Cuba, respectively. Several more checklists have been provided for the Coleoptera fauna of different islands in the West Indies (Blackwelder 1945; Wolcott 1951; Miskimen and Bond 1970; Woodruff et al. 1998; Peck et al. 2002, 2014; Peck 2005, 2006, 2009a, 2009b, 2010, 2011a, 2011b, 2016; Ivie et al. 2008; Perez-Gelabert 2008; Turnbow and Thomas 2008; Thomas et al. 2013); however, no other species of Carpophilus (Ecnomorphus) have been added to the fauna of the region. Peck (2005) listed 32 species of nitidulid present in Cuba, 13 of which are listed as “Carpophilus” but also include species of Nitops Murray and list several species that have since been synonymized or re-elevated so should be considered outdated. Peck et al. (2014) list 24 species of nitidulid in the Guadeloupe Archipelago, six of which are in the subfamily Carpophilinae (again, all listed as Carpophilus in the text, but several are considered Nitops by many authors). Peck et al. (2014) listed several additional species under Carpophilus dimidiatus (Fabricius) as sibling species that are suspected to be present but unable to be confirmed as part of the study, further illustrating the lack of taxonomic resources for the group and the need for revision in the West Indies. In order to provide a foundation for more focused taxonomic work in the area, we present a review and dichotomous key to the Carpophilus (Ecnomorphus) that occur in the West Indies, as well as descriptions and diagnoses of two new species.
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Published on December 25, 2020 by Center for Systematic Entomology, Inc. P.O. Box 141874 Gainesville, FL 32614-1874 USA http://centerforsystematicentomology.org/