THE EPIPHARYNX OF ATAENIUS HAROLD (COLEOPTERA, SCARABAEIDAE, APHODIINAE)

Presented is a descriptive study of the epipharynx of Ataenius regulus Balthasar, A. figurator Harold, A. glabriventris Schmidt, A. setiger Bates, A. imbricatus (Melsheimer), A. punctifrons Cartwright, A. noctu rnus (Nomura), A. texanus Harold, A. confertus Fall, A. sculptor Harol d, A. complicatus Harold and A. communis Hinton. The prototypical stru cture is as follows: the haptomerum is piriform, the nesium with a row of sensilla; the prophobae has a row of short setae surrounding the h aptomerum from the acroparia to the plegmatium; and the crepis is fuse d to the pternotorma, which is sclerotized, asymmetric and has a midba sal diagonal projection attached to the mesophoba. The following varia tions are observed in the chaetotaxia: corypha with 2-3 setae and 0-7 sensilla, chaetopedia with 6-15 setae, chaetopariae with a longitudina l row of 16-27 setae, while the pternotorma is symmetric or asymmetric ; there may or may not be a clithrum.