Cossyphodes caecus

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Cossyphodes caecus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Beetle
Suborder: Polyphaga
Family: Tenebrionidae
Genus: Cossyphodes
Species: C. caecus
Binomial name
Cossyphodes caecus
Schwaller, 2013

Diagnosis

Cossyphodes caecus sp. n. can be recognised by the lack of eyes without any ocelli present, by two pairs of weak keels on the head, by distinct complete keels on the pronotum, and by distinct main keels as well as present secondary keels on the elytra. Cossyphodes braunsi from Eastern Cape (Fig. 14) also lacks ocelli, but the head is without any keels or tubercles, the pronotum with only weak external keels, and the elytra with extinct inner keels.

Description

Body dark brown without colour pattern. Body length 2.6–2.8 mm. Head semicircular, clypeus not separated, clypeal lines indistinct, straight; anterior and lateral margins somewhat bent upwards, frons with two pairs of weak keels, internal keels reduced to two tubercles each; head surface with regular microgranulation; eyes completely absent, a short longitudinal keel instead of ocelli; antennae 11-segmented with two large apical antennomeres forming club. Pronotum 1.7 times broader than median length, posterior corner rectangular, acute, anterior corner rounded; all margins unbordered; surface with same microgranulation and microsetation as on head, disc on each side with three distinct, complete longitudinal keels, additionally with a distinct medial keel, for direction, distances of these keels, see Fig. 15; prosternal process elongate triangular with protruding acute posterior angle. Elytra widest shortly before base, 1.4 times longer than broad; elytra with four primary keels and distinct secondary keels, internal main keel present only on anterior third of elytra, for direction, distances of these keels, see Fig. 15; surface with the same microgranulation and microsetation as on head and pronotum. Legs without peculiarities, tarsal formula 5-4-4 as usual for the genus. Aedeagus with trianguar acute apicale (Fig. 16).

Distribution

South Africa

Biology

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