Leptotyphlinae Fauvel, 1874

Leptotyphlinae Fauvel, 1874 View in CoL

Diagnosis. Very small beetles, body length about 0.8–1.9 mm; depigmented; eyes completely atrophied. Head capsule large, neck region short; gular sutures always well-defined, confluent or not in middle or anterior third of head length; mandibles strong, symmetric with one or more teeth; maxillary palpi composed from four palpomeres, palpomere 2 and 3 of different shape and size, tribe characteristic. Antennae with 10 or 11 antennomeres, scape and pedicel always large; antennal club composed from two to five antennomeres. Pronotum about as long as head or slightly shorter. Elytra reduced, slightly wider than long; lacking hind wings. Abdomen longer than head, pronotum and elytra combined; visible sternites simple, slightly impressed or with deep transverse sulcus at posterior region. Leptotyphlinae are actually classified into six tribes which can be separated by following key.

1 All visible tergites with well-defined paratergites............................................................ 2

- Visible tergites 2–5 lacking paratergites. Australia.................................... Australiotyphlini Pace, 2014 View in CoL

2 Visible sternite 5 with deep, transversal sulcus ( Fig. 3 View FIGURES 1–8 ), in some genera deep, transversal sulcus is present on visible sternites 2–5 ( Cephalotyphlus Coiffait, 1963 View in CoL , Romanotyphlus Struyve, 2022 View in CoL and Paratyphlus Blackwelder, 1952 View in CoL )............... 3

- All visible sternites lacking deep, transversal sulcus, at most with shallow depression............................... 4

3 Maxillary palpi with palpomere 2 strongly dilated, distinctly larger than palpomere 3. The whole Mediterranean region, Canary Islands and Romania........................................................... Entomoculiini Coiffait, 1957 View in CoL

- Maxillary palpi with palpomeres 2 and 3 dilated, palpomere 3 larger than palpomere 2. France and Italy........................................................................................... Cephalotyphlini Coiffait, 1963 View in CoL

4 Palpomere 2 strongly dilated, much more developed than palpomere 3. Mediterranean region, Slovakia, Tanzania, The Democratic republic of Congo.................................................... Leptotyphlini Fauvel, 1874 View in CoL

- Both palpomeres 2 and 3 about equally dilated.............................................................. 5

5 Fore coxal cavities rounded on its anterior margin, with or without small excision on lateral side of its anterior margin; proepisternum and prosternum fused, not separated by suture; ligula not distinct; mandibles not falciform. Europe, Chile, Mexico (undescribed species) and Venezuela........................................ Metrotyphlini Coiffait, 1963 View in CoL

- Fore coxal cavities on its anterior margin with well-defined excision which is prolonged anteriad by suture separating proepisternum from prosternum; ligula distinct, represented with pair of well visible, widely-separated projections; mandibles falciform. The most widely distributed tribe, known from the mediterranean region, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, USA (California, Idaho, Florida, Alaska), Belize, Cuba, Guatemala and Chile................ Neotyphlini Coiffait, 1963 View in CoL