Cathartocryptus
| Cathartocryptus | |
|---|---|
| Cathartocryptus maculosus adult from Mount Pirongia, New Zealand | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
| Family: | Erotylidae |
| Genus: | Cathartocryptus Sharp, 1886 |
| Type species | |
| Cathartocryptus obscurus Sharp, 1886
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Xenoscelinus Grouvelle, 1910 | |
Cathartocryptus is a small genus of pleasing fungus beetle (family Erotylidae). Some authors place it in tribe Cryptophilini of subfamily Cryptophilinae, others accept fewer subfamilies in the Erotylidae and place the Cryptophilini in subfamily Xenoscelinae. Earlier authors often placed these beetles into a distinct tribe Xenoscelinini of the lizard beetles, at that time held to be a distinct family Languriidae but actually was paraphyletic with Erotylidae and eventually was merged into it. Similarly, the Xenoscelinini were eventually merged into the Cryptophilini.[1][2]
This genus is mainly found on the western side of the Pacific Ocean, inhabiting places such as Japan, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. However, it has also been recorded from Africa.[1][2]
Nomenclature and taxonomy
The type species of this genus is C.maculosus, endemic to the North and Three Kings Islands of New Zealand.[3] However, when English entomologist David Sharp established Cathartocryptus in 1886, he believed the single species he placed therein to be his own new discovery, and named it Cathartocryptus obscurus. He did not realize that five years earlier already, New Zealander Thomas Broun had described the same species in his Manual of the New Zealand Coleoptera as a supposed member of genus Paramecosoma in family Cryptophagidae (silken fungus beetles) under the name P.maculosa.[2]
Meanwhile, Frenchman Antoine Grouvelle in 1910 established genus Xenoscelinus for a Southeast Asian species he named X.malaicus. He, and later authors, added more species to this genus. By the mid-20th century, there was growing suspicion that "P."maculosa was actually a pleasing fungus beetle and congener of X.malaicus. The merging of Xenoscelinus into Cathartocryptus was formalized in 1998.[2]
Post-merge, Cathartocryptus contains 8 species:[2]
- Cathartocryptus ater (Grouvelle, 1914)
- Cathartocryptus australiensis (Sen Gupta & Crowson, 1971)
- Cathartocryptus concolor (Grouvelle, 1916)
- Cathartocryptus hiranoi (Sasaji, 1989)
- Cathartocryptus maculosus (Broun, 1881)
- Cathartocryptus malaicus (Grouvelle, 1910)
- Cathartocryptus tasmanicus (Grouvelle, 1911)
References
- ^ a b "Genus Cathartocryptus". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
- ^ a b c d e Leschen, Richard A.B. & Węgrzynowicz, Piotr (1998): Generic catalogue and taxonomic status of Languriidae (Cucujoidea). Ann.Zool. 48(3/4): 221-243. PDF fulltext
- ^ "Cathartocryptus". Biota of New Zealand. 17 January 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2026.