Iphiclus is a large genus – possibly the most diverse – in the pleasing fungus beetle family (Erotylidae). This genus belongs to subfamily Erotylinae and occurs across the Neotropics. Its almost 300 named species are divided into several subgenera, whose monophyly (and validity), however, remains to be determined.Alvarenga, Moacyr (1994): Catálogo dos Erotylidae (Coleoptera) Neotropicais. [Catalogue of Neotropical Erotylidae (Coleoptera). Portuguese with English abstract.] Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 11(1): 1-175. . Most of these beetles, as adults as well as larvae, feed on polypores (shelf fungi).Robertson, James A.; McHugh, Joseph V. & Whiting, Michael F. (2004): A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the pleasing fungus beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae): evolution of colour patterns, gregariousness and mycophagy. Syst.Entomol. 29(2): 173-187. PDF fulltext
The genus name was established by Louis Chevrolat in 1837.Skelley, Paul E. (2009): Pleasing fungus beetles of the West Indies (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae). Insect.Mund. 82: 1-94. PDF fulltext Chevrolat's name was, however, overshadowed by the extensive study of Jean Théodore Lacordaire a few years later, who described most of the currently-known species and introduced the genus name Brachysphoenus. That genus name, or spelling variants thereof, was generally used by subsequent authors – namely in the seminal works on the genus by George Crotch in the mid-1870s, Henry Gorham in the late 1880s, Paul Kuhnt around 1910, Leopold Mader around 1940, and Jacintho Guérin in 1956 –, until Iphiclus was reinstated by Moacyr Alvarenga in the 1960s.
Description Iphiclus unites species which are fairly large by the standards of their family (about 6.5-17 mm long and 4-9 mm wide as adults), and generally similar to Erotylus and other close relatives. They can be recognized by an elongated oval shape and elytra which are usually only slightly convex (unlike some relatives such as Aegithus, which are almost hemispherical); the rear edge of the pronotum has at least a weak – in some, a pronounced – rearward bulge in the middle lobe. The head of Ischyrus has a short wedge-like snout, compound eyes with small ommatidia, a short wedge-shaped clypeus with a wide base, and 11-segmented antennae with a "club" at the tip in which the segments are still distinctly visible. The mentum has a triangular plate, the ends of the maxillary palps are widened to a triangle shape, the maxillary lacinia bear two small teeth, and the mouth-cavity sides are flattened lobes. There are no ornaments on the head, and the pronotum is likewise smooth. The legs are of moderate length, with tarsi whose first three segments are increasingly widened.Deelder, C.L. (1942): Revision of the Erotylidae (Coleoptera) of the Leiden Museum. Zool. Meded. 24(3): 49-115. Fulltext
Systematics The division into subgenera must be considered provisional. As of the early 21st century, even the monophyly of the genus as such is not considered likely anymore; some subgenera (in particular Habrodactylus) are probably paraphyletic, while others (such as Megaprotus) seem to warrant recognition as distinct genera.
Subgenus Aegithomorphus Iphiclus (Aegithomorphus) Lacordaire, 1842. Type species: I.biplagiatus.
Southeastern Brazil. Iphiclus biplagiatus (Guérin-Méneville, 1841) Iphiclus dorsomaculatus (Lacordaire, 1842)
Subgenus Brachymerus Iphiclus (Brachymerus) Dejean 1836 (= Morphoides Crotch, 1876 (non Hope, 1841: preoccupied), Neomorphoides). Type species: I.tibialis, erroneously re-designated as I.nitidulus (now subgenus Neobarytopus).Skelley, Paul E. (2020): Nomenclatural notes for the Erotylinae (Coleoptera: Erotylidae). Insect. Mundi 0767: 1–35. PDF fulltext
Body oval. Pronotum usually almost square and flat or slightly convex, rarely more strongly convex. Prosternum keeled in some species, but unkeeled in others. Tarsi wide and robust, first segment of hindleg tarsi elongated. Higly variable; presence or lack of prosternal keel distinguishes otherwise similar species.Mader, Leopold (1944): Die Erotyliden von Peru. (Col.). ["The erotylids of Peru". Article in German.] Stettiner entomologische Zeitung 105: 94-117. PDF fulltext
Lowlands and foothills from Guatemala to southern Brazil.
Iphiclus amazonus (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus atriventris (Mader, 1943) Iphiclus bicolor (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus clavicornis (Olivier, 1792) (= I.lacordairei) Iphiclus columbiae (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus costaricensis (Mader, 1943) Iphiclus disconigrum (Mader, 1942) Iphiclus dorsonotatus (= I.haematopterus) Iphiclus fabricii Skelley, 2020 (= I.immaculatus, I.rufipennis (Fabricius, 1801 nec Panzer, 1798: preoccupied)) Iphiclus fulviventris (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus humeropictus (Mader, 1943) Iphiclus lateripunctatus (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus melanopus (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus neglectus (Guérin, 1956) Iphiclus nigritarsis (Mader, 1942) Iphiclus nigriventris (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus nigropectus (Mader, 1943) Iphiclus posticenigrum (Mader, 1942) Iphiclus pyrrhocephalus (Erichson, 1847) Iphiclus rubripennis (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus signaticollis (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus simplex Iphiclus spilotus (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus tibialis (Duponchel, 1825)
Subgenus Habrodactylus Iphiclus (Habrodactylus) Lacordaire, 1842. Type species: I.sulphurifer. Probably a paraphyletic group, with I.conspicillatus basal to the entire assemblage of Iphiclus and related genera, while some other species placed in this subgenus are closer to genus Ellipticus and Erotylina.
Body oval; rather small (less than 10 mm). Pronotum usually short and wide, more or less tapering to the front. Tarsi usually narrow; on the hindlegs the first tarsal segment is elongated, usually as long as segments 2 and 3 together. Some are patterned with eyespots; others are largely brownish with little black patterning. Larvae feed individually in some species, but as a group in I.conspicillatus.
Lowlands and foothills from southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
Iphiclus agathinus (Guérin-Méneville, 1841) Iphiclus annulatus Iphiclus antennalis (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus arculifer (Kirsch, 1883) Iphiclus basinotatus (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus bisquadripunctatus (Kuhnt, 1911) Iphiclus bisquinquepunctatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus bisquinquesignatus (Mader, 1942) Iphiclus bistripunctatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus brevicollis (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus centromaculatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus cereus (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus concolor (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus congener (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus conspicillatus (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus cordiger (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus decemoculatus (Mader, 1943) Iphiclus decemplagiatus (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus decempunctatus Iphiclus deficiens (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus deletus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus detritus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus discrepans (Guérin, 1956) Iphiclus discus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus egensis (Gorham, 1889) Iphiclus exiguenotatus (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus festivus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus fulvipennis (Erichson, 1847) Iphiclus fuscipes Iphiclus fuscomaculatus (Duponchel, 1825) Iphiclus grammicoides (Mader, 1943) Iphiclus grammicus (Erichson, 1847) Iphiclus haematites (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus haematomelas (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus hamatus (Guérin, 1956) Iphiclus hoffmani Iphiclus hybridus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus ictericus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus jejunus (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus kourouensis (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus manicatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus melanostictus (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus meleagris (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus mendax (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus multiguttatus (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus obliquatus (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus obliqueguttatus (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus oblitus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus oblongonotatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus pallidipennis (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus palmatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus perspicillatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus proximus (Guérin-Méneville, 1844) Iphiclus punctiger (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus quadrimaculatus (Duponchel, 1825) Iphiclus rufescens (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus rufifrons (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus scutulatus (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus septemmaculatus (Guérin, 1956) Iphiclus spadiceus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus striatipennis (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus subsignatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus sulphurifer Iphiclus tabidus (Erichson, 1847) Iphiclus tetrastictus (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus thoracicus (Kirsch, 1876) Iphiclus vetula (Lacordaire, 1842)
Subgenus Iphiclus Iphiclus (Iphiclus) Chevrolat, 1837. Type species: I.flavovittatus. Close to subgenus Saccomorphus and genus Erotylina.
Body usually elongated-oval. Pronotum wide. First segment of hindleg tarsi usually shorter than segments 2 and 3 together. Elytra often patterned with light spots or eyespots. Larvae feed individually?
Lowlands and foothills from Guatemala to northern Paraguay.
Iphiclus abdominalis Iphiclus atrisignatus Alvarenga, 1976 (= I.conspersus (Duponchel, 1825, nec Germar, 1824: preoccupied)) Iphiclus basalis (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus chelonarius (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus cingulatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus claropictus (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus decemnotatus (Duponchel, 1825) Iphiclus flavovittatoides (Mader, 1943) Iphiclus flavovittatus (Duponchel, 1825) Iphiclus flexuosus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus guttatus (Duponchel, 1825) Iphiclus guttiger (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus intersectus Iphiclus lineellus (Duponchel, 1825) Iphiclus ocellatus (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus octodecimguttatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus pardalinus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus pictus (Duponchel, 1825) Iphiclus quadristictus (Guérin, 1956) Iphiclus quinquevigintipunctatus (Mader, 1943) Iphiclus rubidus Iphiclus scutellaris (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus sedecimguttatus (Olivier, 1792) (= I.maculatus) Iphiclus sedecimmaculatus Iphiclus sedecimpustulatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus sexpunctatus Iphiclus striolatus (Guérin, 1956) Iphiclus tenuecinctus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus titschacki (Mader, 1942) Iphiclus varians (Lacordaire, 1842) (= I.mnigrum) Iphiclus ventralis (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus vigintipunctatus
Subgenus Megaprotus Iphiclus (Megaprotus) Lacordaire, 1842. Type species: I.signatus. Close to subgenus Brachymerus and genus Prepopharus.
Body rounded oval, more or less strongly convex back, fairly small. Pronotum short and wide, strongly tapering to the front and with a deeply concave frontal margin. Tarsi usually narrow. Some are patterned with eyespots. Males of some species have a deep groove in the front of the head, and widened foreleg tarsi. Larvae feed individually?
Lowlands and foothills from southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
Iphiclus ardens (Curran, 1941) Iphiclus argus (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus catillifer (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus cinctellus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus circulus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus clarosignatus (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus coadunatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus cunctabandus (Mader, 1942) Iphiclus decussatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus delineatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus dilectus (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus duodecimpustulatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus duplicatus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus ephippium Iphiclus epigraphus (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus eximius (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus fasciellus (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus fasciunculus (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus laetus (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus laevipennis (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus luctuosus (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus luteoniger (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus luteopictus (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus masculinus (Crotch, 1876) Iphiclus moniliferus (Guérin-Méneville, 1841) Iphiclus nubilus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus nuculus (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus obliteratus (Guérin, 1956) Iphiclus octolinearis (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus octopunctatus (Kirsch, 1876) Iphiclus orphanulus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus patruelis (Kuhnt, 1910) Iphiclus perlepidus (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus pithecius (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus porcellana (Lacordaire, 1842) Iphiclus pulcher (Gorham, 1888) Iphiclus sedecimlinearis (Mader, 1942) Iphiclus sedecimpunctatus (Lacordaire, 1842)