Pseudothryptus multiseriatus is the only species of Pseudothryptus, a genus of minute marsh-loving beetle in the subfamily Limnichinae. Initially described in 1923 as part of the large genus Caccothryptus, it was redescribed in 2004 due to a number of physical differences with other Limnichidae, especially in its genitalia.
Pseudothryptus multiseriatus is the only species in the genus Pseudothryptus; a genus of Limnichinae, a subfamily of the minute marsh-loving beetles (Limnichidae). Within Limnichinae it belongs to the "Mandersia group" of genera, alongside the large genus Caccothryptus and four other small genera—Euthryptus, Mandersia, Resachus, and Simplocarina. These genera share a number of physical features, such as a non-articulated aedeagus (male reproductive organ) without an articulated internal piece ("spiculum") within the median lobe; this distinguishes the genera from the genus Byrrhinus.[1] The Afrotropical genera Tricholimnichus and Cyclolimnichus are close relatives of the Mandersia group, but lack some distinguishing characteristics in the pronotum.[2]
The entomologist Harry George Champion described the species as Caccothryptus multiseriatus in 1923, alongside C. testudo and C. ripicola. There is no holotype of the species, although a male specimen in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London has been designated as the lectotype.[3] In 2005, entomologists Carles Hernando and Ignacio Ribera reclassified C. multiseriatus into a new genus, Pseudothryptus, due to a number of differences in its genitalia and minor external characteristics.[4]
Description
P. multiseriatus is a small beetle about 2.5 millimetres (0.098in) in length. It has a very convex oval body, ranging from brown to dark brown. It has two layers of setae on its elytra; a short layer within the punctures, and a very long and thick layer between the stripes of the elytra. Each elytron has thirteen rows of punctures, with smooth and shiny surface between these rows. Its head, slightly retracted into its pronotum, is covered with coarse, dense punctures. It has long eleven-segment antennae, extending beyond the back of the pronotum, covered with fine setae.[5]
They can be differentiated through their genital characteristics, as the parameres of the aedeagus are laterally fused. In contrast to the related genera Mandersia and Euthryptus, their aedeagus possesses a small grove along the apex of its median lobe, while the base of their phallus is symmetrical.[1] The beetle can be found in portions of northeastern India, including the states of Sikkim and Assam.[5]
Hernando, Carles; Ribera, Ignacio (2005). "Pseudothryptus, a new genus of Limnichidae (Coleoptera) for Caccothryptus multiseriatus". Entomological Problems. 35 (2): 131–135. ISSN1335-5899.
Hernando, Carles; Ribera, Ignacio (2014). "Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Caccothryptus Sharp (Coleoptera: Limnichidae)". Koleopterologische Rundschau. 84. ISSN0075-6547.
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