Body larger, convexconvex:
the outer curved surface of a segment of a sphere, as opposed to concave.
, elongate-oval, size over 4 mm. Antennaeantennae:
paired, segmental appendages, borne one on each side of head, functioning as sense organs and bearing a large number of sensilla.
11-segmented with a 3-segmented club. Antennal setation sparse. Eyes well-developed, elongate-oval, somewhat reniformreniform:
kidney-shaped.
, coarsely faceted, extending well onto dorsal portion of head. Groove around dorsal edge of eye paralleling a narrow cuticular process directed away from eye for partial length. Lateral margins of pronotumpronotum:
dorsal portion of the pronotum, lying above the lateral pronotal carinae when these are present.
arcuate. Pronotal discpronotal disc:
the area of the pronotum which is visible dorsally and usually delimited laterally by the two lateral carinae. Contrasted with the paired pronotal hypomera, which extend onto the ventral surface.
simple. Hypomeronhypomeron:
that portion of the pronotum which is visible from the ventral side; when there is a lateral pronotal carina, this is the portion below that carina (the pronotal disc being above it).
with deep antennal cavitiesantennal cavity:
a prothoracic cavity for housing the whole antenna or a portion of the antenna (usually the club).
. Antennal groove and cavity slightly curved (not recurved dorsally), ending before lateral margin of hypomeronhypomeron:
that portion of the pronotum which is visible from the ventral side; when there is a lateral pronotal carina, this is the portion below that carina (the pronotal disc being above it).
. Antennal cavityantennal cavity:
a prothoracic cavity for housing the whole antenna or a portion of the antenna (usually the club).
concealed by prothoracic leg when retracted. Procoxal cavitiesprocoxal cavities:
external closure: Externally closed when the postcoxal processes of the hypomera meet the prosternal process or meet one another.
open. Metacoxaemetacoxae:
the coxae of the metathorax.
widely separated, separation as wide or wider than metacoxal length. Scutellumscutellum:
posterior portion of mesotergum. Often referring only to that portion of the scutellum which is visible between the bases of the elytra (see Scutellar Shield).
small, triangular, visible. Abdominal ventriteabdominal ventrite:
visible ventral abdominal sclerite. Ventrite number does not correspond to true sternite number except in rare cases where sternite 1 is visible. Also called ventrite.
5 simple. Tarsal formulatarsal formula:
the number of tarsomeres on the fore, mid, and hind tarsi, respectively.
5–5–4. Dorsal surface punctate, glabrousglabrous:
without hairs (setae).
, shiny.
The genus Spinhyporhagus is most similar to the other monommatine genera Aspathines and Hyporhagus. Spinhyporhagus can be separated from Aspathines by the larger size, 3-segmented anntennal club, antennal groove and cavity not strongly recurved dorsally and not ending near lateral margin of hypomeron, and antennal cavityantennal cavity:
a prothoracic cavity for housing the whole antenna or a portion of the antenna (usually the club).
concealed by the prothoracic leg when retracted. Spinhyporhagus can be separated from Hyporhagus and Aspathines by the presence of a thin cuticular process on the dorsal margin of the eye.
Spinhyporhagus cuneispinatus Freude, 2000Freude, 2000:
Freude H. 2000. Zur Monommatiden-FaunaderAfrotropis, Orientalis, Nearktis sowie Mittelamerikas mit Beschreibung von vier neuen Arten (Insecta, Coleoptera: Monommatidae). Mitteilungen aus dem Museum fur Naturkunde in Berlin Zoologische Reihe 76: 135-141.
Southcentral (TX) USA.
Members of the Monommatini are associated with rotting vegetable matter and are suspected to feed on fungus (Ivie 2002bIvie 2002b:
Ivie, M.A. 2002b. 128. Monommatidae, pp. 454-456 In: R. H. Arnett, Jr., Jr. and M. C. Thomas (eds.), American Beetles. CRC Press, Gainesville, Florida.).
Abundance: Known from only a single specimen.
Spinhyporhagus cuneispinatus: Southcentral species. This is the only member of the genus thought to occur in North America. The description and differentiation from similar genera above serve to distinguish this species from all other North American monommatines. Distribution: Texas, USA.
According to Ivie (2002b)Ivie (2002b):
Ivie, M.A. 2002b. 128. Monommatidae, pp. 454-456 In: R. H. Arnett, Jr., Jr. and M. C. Thomas (eds.), American Beetles. CRC Press, Gainesville, Florida., Freude (2000)Freude (2000):
Freude H. 2000. Zur Monommatiden-FaunaderAfrotropis, Orientalis, Nearktis sowie Mittelamerikas mit Beschreibung von vier neuen Arten (Insecta, Coleoptera: Monommatidae). Mitteilungen aus dem Museum fur Naturkunde in Berlin Zoologische Reihe 76: 135-141. described Spinhyporhagus cuneispinatus from a single specimen labeled "Texas." No specimens of this species have been seen, and it is unclear whether or not the genus is established in the United States or if this species is valid. The only other described species of the genus, S. clavispinatus Freude, 1984Freude, 1984:
Freude H. 1984. Monommidae aus aller Welt mit Beschreibungen neuer Taxa und einer neuen Bestimmungstabelle der Monommidae Madagascars. Spixiana 7(3): 285-314., is known only from Brazil. No specimens of S. cuneispinatus have been seen, therefore, an image is not available at this time.
The nature of the head usually contracted within the pronotumpronotum:
dorsal portion of the pronotum, lying above the lateral pronotal carinae when these are present.
will make this species difficult to separate from the genus Hyporhagus unless the head is removed.
Freude (1984)Freude (1984):
Freude H. 1984. Monommidae aus aller Welt mit Beschreibungen neuer Taxa und einer neuen Bestimmungstabelle der Monommidae Madagascars. Spixiana 7(3): 285-314., Freude (1993)Freude (1993):
Freude H. 1993. Neue Monommidae und Epitragini (Tenebrioidae) des British Museum und eine Tabell der amerikanishen Monommidae. Spixiana 16: 213-225., Freude (2000)Freude (2000):
Freude H. 2000. Zur Monommatiden-FaunaderAfrotropis, Orientalis, Nearktis sowie Mittelamerikas mit Beschreibung von vier neuen Arten (Insecta, Coleoptera: Monommatidae). Mitteilungen aus dem Museum fur Naturkunde in Berlin Zoologische Reihe 76: 135-141., Ivie (2002b)Ivie (2002b):
Ivie, M.A. 2002b. 128. Monommatidae, pp. 454-456 In: R. H. Arnett, Jr., Jr. and M. C. Thomas (eds.), American Beetles. CRC Press, Gainesville, Florida., Ślipiński and Lawrence (1999)Ślipiński and Lawrence (1999):
Ślipiński, S.A. and J.F. Lawrence. 1999. Phylogeny and classification of Zopheridae sensu novo (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea) with a review of the genera of Zopherinae (excluding Monommatini). Annales Zoologici (Warszawa), 49: 1-53.
Authors: Lord NP, Nearns EH, Miller KB. 2011–2015.
Content updated Apr 2015; taxonomy updated Feb 2026
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