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