no. 3649 LEPTOFERONIA — HACKER 7 



or in the duff. In drier areas they are more abundant near streams 

 than on the dry slopes. Teneral specimens have been collected from 

 May through October. Copulation is known to occur in the fall. 

 The lighter color and small eyes of some species probably are a 

 result of burrowing habits. This is analogous to the loss of pigmenta- 

 tion and eyes in cave-dwelling animals. 



Relationships to other subgenera.- — The subgenus Leptqferonia 

 shares similarities with the subgenera Hypherpes and Anillojeronia. 

 The meaning of these similarities is not clear because the three 

 groups have not been accurately denned, and accurate definition 

 depends, above all, on a careful revision of Hypherpes. The numerous 

 similarities shared by these subgenera, however, are best interpreted 

 as an indication of close relationship. 



It is tempting to say that Leptqferonia occupies a position inter- 

 mediate to Hypherpes and Anillojeronia. The species are generally 

 intermediate in size, color, and number of elytral setae. At present 

 it is best not to interpret the sequence Hypherpes-Leptqferonia- 

 Anilloferonia as a phyletic one because the similarities between the 

 latter two may be a result of convergent evolution, and some of the 

 apparent similarities between Hypherpes and Leptqferonia may be 

 the result of incorrect classifications. All specimens of Hypherpes 

 known to me have a short right paramere. If the elongate right 

 paramere of some Leptqferonia and some of the other pterostichines 

 is a holdover from the ancestral type, then those species of Lepto- 

 feronia probably are not derived from Hypherpes. 



Species groups. — Thirteen of the species can be arranged into 

 four groups of from two to six species each. These groups consist 

 of species that share several morphological characters and appear 

 to be closely related. They are the inopinus, fenyesi, juchsi, and 

 hatchi groups, which are characterized in their appropriate places 

 in the text. 



I have relied heavily upon the structure of the aedeagus in separating 

 populations as species or subspecies. Its structure seems to be stable 

 within each taxon described herein. The aedeagi of all 24 species and 

 subspecies are illustrated in figures 1-26. In the key I have used only 

 male characteristics in some of the couplets when other characteristics 

 are difficult to treat objectively. Reference to the distribution maps 

 should help an investigator if he has only females from a given locality. 



Key to Species and Subspecies of Leptqferonia Casey 



1. Pronotum with posterior pair of setiferous punctures 2 



Pronotum without posterior pair of setiferous punctures. 



24. termitiformis Van Dyke 



2(1). Elytron with scutellar setiferous puncture 3 



Elytron without scutellar setiferous puncture 18 



