Creophilus erythrocephalus

CREOPHILUS ERYTHROCEPHALUS SPECIES- GROUP

This species group was originally proposed by Newton (1985) for the austral species. With removal of one species from synonymy and description of one new species, seven species are included here.

Diagnosis: Head at least partly orange-red or yellowish-brown ( Fig. 1A–E), dorsally with black spot variable in size and shape ( Fig. 7 View Figure 7 ); antennomere 2 subequal in length to 3 or longer; antennomere 11 with apical setae close together anterior to antennal axis (e.g. Fig. 25C View Figure 25 ); right mandible with T3 proximal to T2 and base of mandibular blade, mostly to fully visible dorsally (e.g. Fig. 25B View Figure 25 ); anterior pronotal angles converging ( Fig. 25A View Figure 25 ); abdominal tergites III–V with secondary transverse basal ridge ( Fig. 2L, sbr); marginal fringe of tergites III–VI and body vestiture uniformly black (or golden-brown in most C. huttoni specimens); median lobe of aedeagus continuously sclerotized ventrally ( Fig. 3A). Large males with apical portion of mandibles less than or equal to 0.9 times length of basal portion (ML1/ML2 range of all males = 0.58–0.90); with ventrolateral carina of head ( Figs 2A, 31B View Figure 31 , vl); pronotum widest slightly anterior to middle (e.g. Fig. 25A View Figure 25 ); base of profemur without spine-like apophysis; superior pronotal marginal line not deflected beneath pronotum basally, basolateral denticle absent ( Fig. 25A View Figure 25 ).