Language: French
An annotated catalogue of the genera and species of Coleoptera Elateridae occuring in Africa, south of the Sahara, is presented. The 75 genera and 945 species identified in this work are distributed in ten of the eleven subfamilies that are recognized in Africa.
According to the nomenclature used here, the species diversity in these ten subfamilies is as follow: Agrypninae (24 genera, 348 species), Oxynopterinae (1 genus, 6 species), Tetralobinae (5 genera, 44 species), Elaterinae (30 genera, 488 species), Melanotinae (1 genus, 1 species), Hypnoidinae (2 genera, 5 species), Negastrinae (1 genus, 8 species), Denticollinae (7 genera, 23 species), Aplastinae (3 genera, 11 species), Oestodinae (1 genus, 1 species).
Genera and species of the subfamily Cardiophorinae, whose study was planned by another specialist in this family, are not inventoried here. For subfamilies and genera, afier a review of the main bibliographic references that situate them properly in the nomenclature of Elateridae, their most singular features or those who are still most ofien used to recognize them are given. As far as species are concemed, they are listed alphabetically with, in chronological order, bibliographic references that track eventually their various movements in the nomenclature of the family. Details are given about type-specimens which were located and, for many, examined. On this occasion, when it was necessary, lectotypes have been designated. National or local museums, universities and private collections that ensure their conservation are indicated. At last, the presentation of the species is provided with a list of locations where it was collected to allow a first outline of their geographical distribution in the different territories of Africa.
Three new genera are described: Paraheteroderes n. gen. (Oophorini), Similipsephus n. gen. (Dicrepidiini) and Coboselater n. gen. (Megapenthini). This last name is proposed to accommodate the species previously included in the genus Megapenthoides Cobos, 1970, as this name was not available and is now preoccupied by Megapenthoides Gurjeva & Dolin, 1972. Two new subspecies are described: Tetralobus scutellaris namibiensis n. ssp. from Namibia and Propsephus valens meridionalis n. ssp. from Central African Republic.
New names are proposed: Calais bertolonii nom. nov. for C. marmoratus (Bertoloni, 1864) , Prosephus iturienris nom. nov. for P. burgeoni Basilewsky, 1958, P. Iualabanus nom. nov. for P. seydeli Basilewsky, 1958, and P. separatus nom. nov. for P. rubidus (Fleutiaux, 1919). Several new combinations and synonymies are given in the genera Sulcilacon, Lobotarsus, Elasmosomus, Lanelater, Aeolus, Paraheteroderes, Aeoloderma, Aeoloides, Drasterius, Calais, Ctenicera, Neocalais, Aliteus, Tetralobus, Odontonychus, Catalamprus, Olophoeus, Pseudolophoeus, Propsephus, Rhinopsephus, Similipsephus, Dayakus, Megapenthes, Coboselater, Melanoxus, Elater, Mulsanteus, Aphanobius, Pseudonomopleus, Doualarhinus, Podeonius, Melanotus, Melanthoides, Telesus, Pseudopristilophus, Alyctelater and Cardiophorus.