Tillus Olivier, 1790

Redescription of the genus Tillus Olivier, 1790 .

Head. – Head including eyes wider than pronotal anterior margin; eyes small, protruding, more-or-less reniform, not margined, facetation intermediate to coarse; eye emargination in the middle, deep; distance between eyes more than double eye width.Antennae long, in males distinctly dilated (serrate) from A3, A4 or A5 onwards, in females from A4 (or A5), antennomeres with fine pubescence from dilated antennomeres onwards, antennae in males of T. flabellicornis Fairmaire, 1866 and T. pectinicornis Abeille, 1892 bifurcate, A11 slender, pointed(Fig. 1);antennaeconspicuouslydistant from eye emargination; antennal ridge leading towards posterior eye margin (Fig. 2). Labrum large, wider than long, anterior margin almoststraight.Terminal maxillary palpomere short, stout, cylindrical to spatulate; terminal labial palpomere short, securiform, inner margin short, straight, outer margin long, sensory field narrow, impressed, outer margin corresponding to length of sensory field, but longer than inner margin. Gula large, U-shaped, depressed, gular sutures diverging, gular pads broad,semi-circular, almost adjoining in middle.

Pronotum. – Pronotum longer than wide, apex and base slightly dilated, slightly sinuate before middle, anterior transverse impression not distinct; prosternal process narrow, long, slightly dilated distally, almost tightly connected with hypomera; hypomera stout, flattened, pointed, but not very acute; procoxal cavities closed.

Mesoventrite. – Mesoventrite anteriorly straight, without anterior mesoventral process (Fig. 3).

Elytra . – Elytral base not margined, base narrow, conspicuously dilated towards apex, apices separately rounded.

Legs. – Short, tibiae without carina, tarsalsole formula 4-4-4, solesdistally more-or-less straight, tibial spur formula 2-2-2, spurs short, stout; claws bidentate, with stout denticle (Fig. 4).

Remarks. – The 42 species of Tillus listed by Corporaal (1950) are collectively distributed throughout all zoogeographic regions, with the exception of Africa and Oceania, including Australia.Though several specieshave been transferred toother genera, e.g. Cymatoderella Barr, 1962 , Eucymatodera Schenkling, 1899 , Flabellotilloidea Gerstmeier & Kuff, 1992 , Isocymatodera Hintz, 1902 , Tilloidea Laporte, 1832 , Tillopilo Winkler, 1958 and Wittmeridecus Winkler, 1981 , the genus requires a complete taxonomic revision. The new species described herein from Kenya, South Africa and Zambia represent the first records for the genus Tillus in the Ethiopian region.

The above description was based on examination of the following species:

- Tillus elongatus (Linné, 1758)

- Tillus flabellicornis Fairmaire, 1866

- Tillus nitidus (Schenkling, 1917)

- Tillus pallidipennis Bielz, 1850

- Tillus pectinicornis Abeille, 1892