Elaphidion spinicorne   Click here for a larger view

Diagnosis.--key characters: Ommatidial size coarse (Fig. 39b); prosternal process expanded apically (Figs. 18, 27); mesal antennal spines present and acute (Figs. 8b, 9b); lateral antennal spines present and acute in most taxa (Figs. 8a, 9a); pronotum with impunctate regions and calli present and well-developed (Figs. 8, 12d); femoral carinae absent; procoxal cavities closed laterally (Fig. 24); profemoral apices rounded (Fig 26d); lateral mesofemoral apices dentiform or spinose (Fig. 25b); mesal mesofemoral apices and mesal/lateral metafemoral apices spinose, with spines shorter and broader than spine on antennomere three (Figs. 8c-d, 9c-d), procoxal cavities open posteriorly (Fig 18); pronotum without crenulations or rugose sculpturing; tibial carinae absent (coded both ways in key since character state is difficult to see); prosternal process acutely declivous (Fig. 44b) with few exceptions (E. elegans, E. portoricensis, and others to be treated by Ivie and Lingafelter, in prep); body covered with patches of dense, mottled pubescence broken by glabrous regions (Fig. 8); femora gradually enlarged or linear (Fig 37c, d); elytral apices usually strongly spined (Figs. 8e, f, 10e, f); antennomere three about two-thirds length of pronotum (Fig 46b); lateral projections into mesocoxae from mesosternum present (Fig. 21); elytra without large, deep punctures situated in distinct rows; taxa not associated with Eucalyptus. Length: 11-35 mm.

Distribution and Diversity.--Southern Canada to México, West Indies. Sixty-six species, excluding E. elegans and E. portoricensis, incertae sedis.

Discussion.--Elaphidion is clearly a polyphyletic assemblage as evidenced by Figs. 50-56. E. elegans and E. portoricensis do not share the listed characters for the genus and should be excluded as discussed previously. Many other taxa have been examined which do not possess the characters of Elaphidion, and these will be treated in depth in a separate paper (Ivie and Lingafelter, in prep.)

The spinose femora, antennae, and elytra, and acutely declivous prosternal process between the procoxae will identify this genus.