TNZOR Silvanidae

Brontopriscus pleuralis

Brontopriscus sinuatus

Silvanus lateritius, length about 2.7 mm

NZIB checklist [p. 424]

SILVANIDAE
BRONTINAE
BRONTINI

SILVANINAE
CRYPTAMORPHINI

SILVANINI

replace Cryptamorpha n. sp. E TK with Cryptamorpha triregia Brown, Marris & Leschen, 2012 E TK ZooBank
delete Cryptamorpha curvipes Broun, 1880 E

according to Lefkovitch (1961: 144), Cryptamorpha picturata (Reitter, 1880) (Parabrontes) is a synonym of Dendrophagella capito (Pascoe, 1876) (as Dendrophagus capito), and Cryptamorpha rugicollis (Broun, 1910) also belongs to Dendrophagus
Arrow (1901: 594, 597) had earlier determined Parabrontes picturatus Reitter to be a synonym of Dendrophagus capito Pascoe (as Hyliota capito)
it is unfortunate that Thomas (2004) considered only Dendrophagus capito when erecting Dendrophagella, and made no mention of Dendrophagus rugicollis, either as an included species of Dendrophagus, or elsewhere, which leaves it in "taxonomic limbo"
Parabrontes picturatus Reitter can be maintained as a synonym of Dendrophagella capito (Pascoe), following Arrow (1901: 594, 597) and Lefkovitch (1961: 144), despite the fact that it was not considered by Thomas (2004)
while it seems most likely that Cryptamorpha rugicollis also belongs to Dendrophagella, it is best retained in Dendrophagus, following Lefkovitch (1961: 144), pending further research, but with a question mark
there is little or nothing to suggest that Silvanus lateritius is endemic, see Halstead (1973: 73)

Lefkovitch (1961: 143) stated 'Two species of Silvanus, S. lateritius (Broun) and S. unidentatus (F.) have been found in New Zealand; the former has been synonymised with S. bidentatus (F.). I have compared New Zealand examples of both of these species with specimens from Europe and they do not differ in any perceptible way. In spite of this, I think it unlikely that they are, in fact, identical with their European counterparts although the possibility of their introduction with timber or with nursery stock cannot be disregarded. Consequently, I have included Silvanus in the key to genera given below. If they should prove to be different species, S. lateritius (Broun), 1880, will require a new name since it is a homonym of S. lateritius Reitter, 1878, and the species known as S. unidentatus will require a description'
- This indicates that Silvanus unidentatus (or a very similar new species) is/was present in New Zealand, though the 'New Zealand examples' referred to by Lefkovitch are unspecified and so the possibility that they were all interceptions cannot be ruled out
- all N.Z. records of Silvanus bidentatus appear to be based on misidentifications of Silvanus lateritius, as suggested by Lefkovitch (1961: 143) and confirmed by Halstead (1973: 71)

Arrow, G.J. 1901: The genus Hyliota of the coleopterous family Cucujidae, with descriptions of new forms and a list of the described species. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London, 1901: 593-601. doi BHL BUGZ
Brown, S.D.J.; Marris, J.W.M.; Leschen, R.A.B. 2012: Review of New Zealand Cryptamorpha (Coleoptera: Silvanidae), with a description of a new species from the Three Kings Islands. New Zealand entomologist, 35(1): 29-38. doi ZooBank
Halstead, D.G.H. 1973: A revision of the genus Silvanus Latreille (s.l.) (Coleoptera: Silvanidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), entomology, 29: 37-112. BUGZ PDF
Lefkovitch, L.P. 1961: Notes on New Zealand Cucujidae and Silvanidae (Coleoptera). Entomologist's monthly magazine, 97: 143-144. BUGZ
Thomas, M.C. 2004: The Brontini of the world: a generic review of the tribe (Coleoptera: Silvanidae: Brontinae). Insecta Mundi, 17(1-2): 1-31. PDF