A Systematic Study On The Genus Promethis From China (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

The genus Promethis is a group of arboreal and fungus-eating beetles, belonging to the family Tenebrionidae. It is consist of 148 species (subspecies) all over the world, of which 46 species (subspecies) are from China. This dissertation comprehensively summarizes this genus, it is divided into 8 parts, with 85 characteristic figures, 96 colorized photos and 15 plates of scanning electron microscopy.Part 1 introduced the classification status and systems of Promethis.Part 2 introduced the biology and the economic importance of Promethis, according to materials and observing the breeding insects.Part 3 discussed and introduced the materials and methods used in this dissertation in brief.Part 4 reviewed the classificatory history and situation in the world and in China.Part 5 introduced morphological characters in detail; observed some ultrastructures of Promethis valgipes valgipes (Marseul, 1876), P. parallela parallela (Fairmaire, 1897) and P. evanescens (Gebien, 1918) by scanning electron microscopy for the first time.Part 6 involved taxonomy and description. Keys to genera related to and species from China within Promethis are drawn up. Forty-six species of Promethis from China are listed in citation and synonyms, specimens information and distribution, then described in detail attaching with photos and characteristic figures.Five new species were described in this part, Promethis guizhouana sp. nov, Promethis curvimarginis sp. nov., Promethis xinganensis sp. nov., Promethis scalithorax sp. nov., and Promethis constractithoras sp. nov.; a synonym Promethis tonkinensis (Gebien, 1918) [=P. hamatilis Ren et Yang syn. nov.] was proposed; and a female of Promethis frontosulcatis Ren et Yang, 2004 was firstly recorded.Part 7 primarily discussed the phylogenetic relationships. The characters of hind-wings venations and defensive glands of some species were described and discussed their evolution for the first time. Phylogenetic relationships among 18 groups of genus Promethis were analyzed in Cladistics also for the first time.Part 8 analyzed the geographical distribution features of the world and distribution patters of China.