Taxonomy and distribution of the species of the genus Myrmechixenus Chevrolat, 1835 (Tenebrionidae: Diaperinae)1

Abstract

Abstract The genus Myrmechixenus Chevrolat, 1835 (Tenebrionidae: Diaperinae: Myrmechixenini, type species M. subterraneus Chevrolat, 1835) contains only three species described in the middle of the 19th century from Europe. Two species are now distributed nearly worldwide, and unknown so far only from the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Central and South America. The third species has a restricted distribution in Europe, probably because of its association to ants. M. calvus Reitter, 1877, described from Sulawesi, is considered as a junior synonym of M. picinus (Aubé, 1850), M. lathridioides Crotch, 1873 from northern America is considered as a junior synonym of M. vaporiarorum Guérin-Méneville, 1843. A species key is added. Myrmecoxenus Agassiz, 1846 is an unjustified emendation of Myrmechixenus.