Cryptodus

Cryptodus sp., copyright Bill and Mark Bell.

Belongs within: Dynastinae.

Cryptodus is a genus of dynastine beetles, usually associated with ant or termite nests, found in Australia and New Caledonia.

Characters (from Carne 1957): Mentum very broad, enclosing all mouthparts; base of mentum produced, rarely with conspicuous vestiture. Maxillary palps with terminal segment tapering, as long as first 3 segments combined; labial palps with terminal segment elongate, truncate. Mandibles flattened, molar regions somewhat membranous, scissorial area bidentate. Antennae 10-, 9-, or, rarely, 8-segmented; club shorter than shaft. Clypeus transverse, usually slightly narrowed, more or less truncate. Pronotum weakly convex, with abundant punctation, especially along median line; anterolateral angles acute; anterior margin corneous. Scutellum punctate. Elytra with or without very narrow linear sutural striae, disc with abundant annulate punctation, the intervals commonly costate; epipleurae glabrous. Legs slender: fore tibiae 3- or 4-dentate; tarsi with fifth segment longer than first; claws often asymmetrical in male. Hind femora usually without a distinct sulcus near inner margin; tibiae with distal margin and carinae digitate, very rarely with distinct ciliae; spurs long, acute, curved; hind tarsi with first and fifth segments subequal in length, the former produced to form a conspicuous spine. Pygidium glabrous or bearing a uniform covering of very small fine setae, apical ridge glabrous. Male with pygidium usually very highly convex, occasionally obliquely flattened and convex just before apical ridge; fore tarsi often thickened and bearing asymmetrical claws. Female with pygidium flat, rarely with a median fovea; claws simple.

<==Cryptodus Macleay 1819 [incl. Cryptodellus Westwood 1856, Cryptodinus Westwood 1856] CW92
    |--*C. paradoxus Macleay 1819 (see below for synonymy) CW92
    |--C. bilobus Lea 1917 CW92
    |--C. caviceps Westwood 1856 [=C. (*Cryptodellus) caviceps] CW92
    |--C. concentricus Lea 1920 [incl. C. reginae Arrow 1937] CW92
    |--C. costulipennis Fairmaire 1877 CW92
    |--C. cycnorum Fairmaire 1877 [incl. C. explanatus Carne 1957] CW92
    |--C. debilis Blackburn 1890 [incl. C. aberrans Lea 1919] CW92
    |--C. foveatus Lea 1919 [incl. C. quadridentatus Lea 1920] CW92
    |--C. fraternus Fairmaire 1877 (see below for synonymy) CW92
    |--C. gigas Lea 1917 CW92
    |--C. goerlingi Carne 1957 CW92
    |--C. grossipes Fairmaire 1877 CW92
    |--C. matthewsi Endrödi 1977 CW92
    |--C. oblongoporus Fairmaire 1877 CW92
    |--C. obscurus Macleay 1871 (see below for synonymy) CW92
    |--C. passaloides Germar 1848 [=C. (Cryptodinus) passaloides; incl. C. decipiens Fairmaire 1877] CW92
    |--C. piceus Germar 1848 [incl. C. convexicollis Westwood 1856] CW92
    |--C. relictus Carne 1957 CW92
    |--C. rotundicollis Fairmaire 1877 [incl. C. platyceroides Fairmaire 1879] CW92
    |--C. tasmannianus Westwood 1841 (see below for synonymy) CW92
    `--C. variolosus White 1841 CW92

Cryptodus fraternus Fairmaire 1877 [incl. C. angustus Lea 1919, C. fairmairei Macleay 1888, C. protensus Fairmaire 1879] CW92

Cryptodus obscurus Macleay 1871 [incl. C. antennalis Lea 1919, C. neuter Fairmaire 1877, C. platessa Fairmaire 1877, C. subcostatus Macleay 1871] CW92

*Cryptodus paradoxus Macleay 1819 [incl. C. creberrimus Fairmaire 1877, C. diffinis Fairmaire 1877, C. incornutus Macleay 1871] CW92

Cryptodus tasmannianus Westwood 1841 [=C. (Cryptodinus) tasmannianus; incl. C. anthracinus Erichson 1842, C. ater Lea 1920, C. elongatus Arrow 1937, C. (Cryptodinus) politus Westwood 1856] CW92

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

Carne, P. B. 1957. A Systematic Revision of the Australian Dynastinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Division of Entomology, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia: Melbourne.

[CW92] Cassis, G., & T. A. Weir. 1992. Dynastinae. In: Houston, W. W. K. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia vol. 9. Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea pp. 383–425. AGPS Press: Canberra.