Apiocephalus Gahan, 1898

Genus Apiocephalus Gahan, 1898 View in CoL

Apiocephalus Gahan, 1898: 42; Gahan 1906: 74 [redescription]. View in CoL

Type species.

Apiocephalus punctipennis Gahan, 1898 .

Redescription.

Head prolonged, markedly narrowed behind eyes; eyes prominent, coarsely faceted. Antennae longer than body; scape long and curved, thickened apically; antennomere 3 approximately equal in length to antennomere 4 but distinctly shorter than antennomere 5; antennomeres 5–10 gradually decreasing in length. Pronotum strongly narrowed anteriorly, constricted before apex, with two developed lateral spines; disc provided with four protuberances, of which the anterior two are before middle, low, and the posterior two are after middle, strongly ridged. Elytra much broader than pronotum, with sides subparallel in basal two-thirds, thence converging more strongly towards apices which are truncate. Male metatarsomere 1 approximately as long as metatarsomere 2 and 3 combined.

Distribution.

Kenya, India, China (new country record).

Remarks.

This genus was first found in “ British East Africa ” (now part of Kenya). The second species was discovered in northern India. The third species, to be described below, comes from central China. This scattered distribution suggests that the genus exhibits a continental distribution pattern. It also indicates that with further research, additional new taxa may be discovered across the continents of Africa, Europe and Asia.