Antennaeantennae:
paired, segmental appendages, borne one on each side of head, functioning as sense organs and bearing a large number of sensilla.
10-segmented with a distinct, 1-segmented club. Antennal setation sparse. Subantennal groovessubantennal groove:
groove or concavity lying below the antennal insertion and housing the base of the antenna. Placed between the eye (if present) and the mandibular articulation, and sometimes extends below or behind the eye.
absent. Eyes large, well-developed, finely faceted. 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.
convex, simple. 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.
narrowly separated, separation less than metacoxal length. Elytraelytron:
the fore wing in Coleoptera, which is more or less uniformly sclerotized and in resting position is longitudinally oriented, usually meeting the opposite elytron along the midline.
with serially arranged, thick, upright setaeseta:
a sclerotized, hairlike (or scalelike) projection of cuticula arising from a single trichogen cell and surrounded at the base by a small cuticular ring.
. Tarsal formula 4–4–4. Dorsal surface with strongly curved, flattened, multi-colored setaeseta:
a sclerotized, hairlike (or scalelike) projection of cuticula arising from a single trichogen cell and surrounded at the base by a small cuticular ring.
.
The genus Synchita is similar in general appearance to the other genera with 10-segmented antennaeantennae:
paired, segmental appendages, borne one on each side of head, functioning as sense organs and bearing a large number of sensilla.
and a 1-segmented club that lack a subantennal groovesubantennal groove:
groove or concavity lying below the antennal insertion and housing the base of the antenna. Placed between the eye (if present) and the mandibular articulation, and sometimes extends below or behind the eye.
, including Paha and Endeitoma. The genus Paha differs in lacking obvious dorsal pubescencepubescence:
short, fine, soft, erect hair or down.
, lateral pronotal margins widest anteriorly and distinctly explanateexplanate:
spread out and flattened; applied to a margin.
, and having paired carinaecarina:
an elevated ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute.
on the 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.
. Endeitoma differs in having a long third antennal segment (at least twice as long as segment 4), lateral pronotal margins distinctly denticulatedenticulate:
set with little teeth or notches.
, and a dorsal pubescencepubescence:
short, fine, soft, erect hair or down.
consisting of thin, fine, hair-like setaeseta:
a sclerotized, hairlike (or scalelike) projection of cuticula arising from a single trichogen cell and surrounded at the base by a small cuticular ring.
. In Synchita, the 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.
is simple, the lateral margins are not distinctly denticulatedenticulate:
set with little teeth or notches.
and antennal segment 3 is not distinctly elongate. The dorsal pubescencepubescence:
short, fine, soft, erect hair or down.
consists of short, bristle-like, unicolored setaeseta:
a sclerotized, hairlike (or scalelike) projection of cuticula arising from a single trichogen cell and surrounded at the base by a small cuticular ring.
except in former Microsicus species, which have strongly curved, flattened, multi-colored elytral setaeseta:
a sclerotized, hairlike (or scalelike) projection of cuticula arising from a single trichogen cell and surrounded at the base by a small cuticular ring.
.
Synchita fuliginosa Melsheimer, 1846Melsheimer, 1846:
Melsheimer FE. 1846. Descriptions of new species of Coleoptera of the United States. Proceedings of the Academy of National Science of Philadelphia. 2:98–118., S. lecontei Ivie, Lord, Foley, and Ślipiński, 2016, S. obscura Horn, 1885Horn, 1885:
Horn GH. 1885. Contributions to the coleopterology of the United States. No.4. Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 12:128–162, illus., S. parvula Guérin-Méneville, 1829Guérin-Méneville, 1829:
Guérin-Méneville FE. 1829. Iconographie du regne animal de G. Cuvier, Vol. 7, Insectes, 1829–1838 (1844), 576 p., 104 pls. Paris.
Northeast (DC, DE, NH, NJ, ME, MD, PA, VA, WV), North Central (IL, IN, MO, OH), Southeast (FL, GA, NC, SC), South Central (AR, OK, TX), Southwest (AZ, CA) USA; Ontario, Canada.
Synchita has been collected at MV/UV lights but can commonly be found under the bark of various dead trees, including cottonwood, oak, hickory, elm, maple, and pecan.
Abundance: Moderately common.
Synchita fuliginosa: Elytraelytron:
the fore wing in Coleoptera, which is more or less uniformly sclerotized and in resting position is longitudinally oriented, usually meeting the opposite elytron along the midline.
unicolored. Dorsal pubescencepubescence:
short, fine, soft, erect hair or down.
consists of short, bristle-like, unicolored setaeseta:
a sclerotized, hairlike (or scalelike) projection of cuticula arising from a single trichogen cell and surrounded at the base by a small cuticular ring.
. Distribution: Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Washington D.C., West Virginia, USA; Ontario, Canada
Synchita lecontei: Elytraelytron:
the fore wing in Coleoptera, which is more or less uniformly sclerotized and in resting position is longitudinally oriented, usually meeting the opposite elytron along the midline.
variegated, with weak carinaecarina:
an elevated ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute.
, west of 100th meridian. Distribution: Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon, USA.
Synchita parvula: Elytraelytron:
the fore wing in Coleoptera, which is more or less uniformly sclerotized and in resting position is longitudinally oriented, usually meeting the opposite elytron along the midline.
without carinaecarina:
an elevated ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute.
, eyes large, elongate, head without templestemple:
the lateral portion of the head between the posterior edge of the eye and an abrupt narrowing of the head to form a posterior neck.
, east of 100th meridian. Distribution: Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, and Oklahoma, USA.
Synchita obscura: Elytraelytron:
the fore wing in Coleoptera, which is more or less uniformly sclerotized and in resting position is longitudinally oriented, usually meeting the opposite elytron along the midline.
without carinaecarina:
an elevated ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute.
, eyes smaller, round, protruding, head with templestemple:
the lateral portion of the head between the posterior edge of the eye and an abrupt narrowing of the head to form a posterior neck.
, east of 100th meridian. Distribution: Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Oklahoma, USA. The true distribution of this species is probably much larger than records indicate.
Guérin-Méneville (1829), Horn (1885)Horn (1885):
Horn GH. 1885. Contributions to the coleopterology of the United States. No.4. Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 12:128–162, illus., Ivie (2002a)Ivie (2002a):
Ivie MA. 2002a. 127. Colydiidae. In: Arnett RH Jr, Thomas MC, editors. American beetles. CRC Press, Gainesville, Florida. p 445–453., Ivie et al. (2016)Ivie et al. (2016):
Ivie MA, Lord NP, Foley IA, Ślipiński SA. 2016. Colydiine genera (Coleoptera: Zopheridae: Colydiinae) of the New World: A key and nomenclatural acts 30 years in the making. The Coleopterists Bulletin 70(4):755–788., LeConte (1858)LeConte (1858):
LeConte JL. 1858. Description of new species of Coleoptera, chiefly collected by the United States and Mexican Boundary Commission, under Major W. H. Emory, U.S.A. Proceedings of the Academy of National Science of Philadelphia. 10:59–89., Melsheimer (1846)Melsheimer (1846):
Melsheimer FE. 1846. Descriptions of new species of Coleoptera of the United States. Proceedings of the Academy of National Science of Philadelphia. 2:98–118., Stephan (1989)Stephan (1989):
Stephan KH. 1989. The Bothrideridae and Colydiidae of America north of Mexico (Coleoptera: Clavicornia and Heteromera). Occasional Papers of the Florida State Collection of Arthropods. 6: xii + 65 pp.
Authors: Lord NP, Nearns EH, Miller KB. 2011–2015.
Content updated Apr 2015; taxonomy updated Feb 2026
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