Trichophoroides albisparsus (Holo.) Click here for a larger view

Trichophoroides decipiens (Holo.) Click here for a larger view

Trichophoroides niveus Click here for a larger view

Neotrichophoroides (Linsley, 1961b):179. NEW SYNONOMY

Trichophoroides albisparsus (Bates, 1872):175. NEW COMBINATION

Trichophoroides jansoni (Bates, 1885):252. NEW COMBINATION

Trichophoroides aurivillii (Linsley, 1961):179. NEW COMBINATION

Trichophoroides decipiens (Bates, 1880):26. NEW COMBINATION

Trichophoroides pilicornis (Fuchs, 1961):1. NEW COMBINATION

Species examined.--T. albisparsus (Bates, 1872); T. aurivillii (Linsley, 1961b); T. decipiens (Bates, 1880); T. jansoni (Bates, 1885); T. pilicornis (Fuchs, 1961b); T. niveus Linsley, 1935a;

Diagnosis.--Key characters: Ommatidial size coarse (Fig. 39b); prosternal process expanded apically (Figs. 18, 27); mesal antennal spines present (Figs. 8b, 9b); pronotum with impunctate regions and calli present (Fig. 12d, although less developed and often obscured by pubescence); femoral carinae absent; procoxal cavities closed laterally (Fig. 24); femoral apices rounded (Fig. 26); procoxal cavities open posteriorly (Fig. 18); pronotum without crenulations or rugose sculpturing; tibial carinae present (Fig. 22); profemora slightly clavate to gradually enlarged (Fig. 37b, c); meso- and metafemora gradually enlarged (Fig. 37c); spine of antennomere three acute (Fig. 45b); antennomere three about length of pronotum or greater (Fig. 46a) and densely fringed with long pubescence ventrally; dense patches of pubescence present between upper eye lobes (as in Fig. 19), and scattered on pronotum and elytra; elytral apices truncate to slightly dentiform or weakly spinose apicolaterally. Length: 10-18 mm.

Distribution and Diversity.--México to Panamá. Six species.

Discussion.--As discussed already, no consistent characters warrant the division of Trichophoroides into three separate genera. There is variation in the femoral shape and degree of spination of the antennae and elytra, but these alone, combined with the results of the implied weight phylogenetic analysis, are not sufficient to split the genera. The relationships of Trichophoroides to other elaphidionine genera remain equivocal (Figs. 50-55). Based on the implied weighting phylogenetic analysis, Trichophoroides falls very close to the base of Elaphidionini. Further analysis needs to be undertaken to fully understand relationships among basal elaphidionine taxa.

Trichophoroides resembles Ambonus and Linsley (1935) felt they were closely related. Trichophoroides lacks the rough surface sculpturing on the elytra and pronotum characteristic of Ambonus. The antennal and elytral spination is much stronger in Ambonus than Trichophoroides. The antennae (primarily antennomere three) are sulcate in Ambonus and carinate in Trichophoroides. The regions of dense pubescence are ill-defined and never elongate in Trichophoroides, but are well-defined and elongate in Ambonus).