Dityloidea Fairmaire and Germain, 1863

Dityloidea Fairmaire and Germain, 1863: 277.

Type species: Dityloidea janthina Fairmaire and Germain, 1863, by monotypy.

Redescription. Male. Body moderately convex in cross section; coloration predominantly metallic. Both mandibles bifid at the apex, last maxillomere long, securiform. Eyes slightly prominent, entire, head across eyes subequal in width to pronotum. Antennae slightly thickened, reaching near elytral midlength, last antennomere narrowed from its midlength onwards, tapered apically. Pronotum moderately wider than long, cordiform, anterior depressions not developed. Coxae without projections, claws simple. Elytra very slightly dilated posteriorly, venation very slight. Pygidium moderately exceeding last sternite, narrowly incised apically, last sternite widely emarginate apically, projections of urite VIII visible. Tegmen semitubular, with long, slender basal projections directed ventrobasally, parameres without apical teeth, apex of aedeagus slender. Female not available for study.

Differential diagnosis. After the examination of types species of this genus, I refer it to the tribe Ditylini. It is closely related to the genus Diasclera, with which it shares the following synapomorphies: medium size but not gracile body, front between eyes wider than between antennal pits and partially also occurrence of apical teeth of the parameres; from which it differs in presence of basal projections of the tegmen and in the entire eyes. Dityloidea is very probably the sister group of Diasclera, developed during the isolation in the western part of South America.

Distribution. The only known species occurs in Chile.