Cephennodes excavatus, Jaloszynski, 2007

Cephennodes excavatus View in CoL species group

Diagnosis. Aedeagus of modified latus form, with generally oval large and broad median lobe, its membranous area relatively large, slant and exposed (i.e., not concealed by ventral wall of median lobe), apical projections subtriangular in shape, and (most importantly) endophallic structures include two long strongly elongate elements: anchoring device with bifurcate apex, and thick modified flagellum (in a fully erected condition flagellum projecting distad, and bifurcate anchoring device directed proximad).

Moreover, in some species apices of parameres are variously modified, in some cases bearing a tooth-like projection, and the pigmentation in many cases is darker on the head and pronotum, and distinctly lighter on the elytra. In many species males have odd (sometimes multiple) modifications of the elytra (lateral impressions covered with short setae, apical impressions or cavities, setal tufts), antennomeres, legs (tibiae and/or tarsi) or the last exposed abdominal sternite.

The excavatus group is similar to the C. longipes group, the latter also occurring in China, but no new species have been found in the material from Yunnan studied for the present publication. These groups can in future be merged, based on a highly similar structure of the aedeagus.

This group is particularly species-rich and currently includes 25 described species distributed in China, Nepal, and Bhutan: