ANTHICUS TOBIAS MARSEUL, 
ANOTHER TRAMP SPECIES 
(COLEOPTERA: ANTHICIDAE) 
By F. G. Werner 
University of Arizona, Tucson 
Among the rather numerous collections of Anthicidae examined 
by the author during the past ten years there have been small numbers 
of an unidentified species of Anthicus from a truly amazing variety of 
localities. In the United States, which yielded the first examples seen, 
specimens have turned up from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from 
New England to Florida, including such places as Catarina, Texas and 
the Sierra Ancha Mountains of Arizona. The author must admit that 
he held these specimens to represent an undescribed species and had 
prepared a description for publication and designated types. Then 
a specimen was sent from Guam, in the Marianas, others from Oahu 
identified as Anthicus mundulus Sharp, and, most recently, others 
from Jamaica and Venezuela. By this time it had become apparent 
that the species must have been introduced into part of the localities. 
Structurally, it is quite unlike any other species in the New World, 
especially in the details of the very elaborate structure surrounding the 
male primary gonopore. So an Old World source was likely. 
The true identity of the species was revealed in the British Museum 
collection, which the author was privileged to study recently. Speci- 
mens identified as Anthicus tohias Marseul from Aden, India and 
Java are the same as those previously seen. The type specimen of 
tohias has not been examined but the specimens at hand agree per- 
fectly with the original description. Both Anthicus mundulus Sharp 
and A. cervinus LaFerte, under whose names most specimens have 
been misidentified, are quite different. 
In the United States, at least, this is not a very abundant species. 
In most cases only one or a very few specimens have been seen from 
any one locality. It may be more abundant on Oahu, if one can judge 
from the number of specimens that have accumulated in collections. 
In order to help prevent further misidentification in any new areas 
where the species may be found, a brief description and figure are 
given here. The male genitalia are very distinctive. In most cases an 
examination of the tip of the tegmen will suffice for the identification 
of the species; none other has been seen with a similar conformation. 
A quick perusal of the British Museum collection and the Pic collec- 
tion in Paris failed to disclose any species that might be likely close 
70 
