Pinoritus Fagel, 1963

Struyve, Tim, 2024, Revision of the Afrotropical Pinophilina (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae) Part 1: genera, Pinachenium, Pinoplanus, Pinobelus and Pinocolis, Belgian Journal of Entomology 152, pp. 1-75 : 8

Genus Pinoritus Fagel, 1963

TYPE SPECIES: Pinoritus brachycerus (Eppelsheim, 1885) , by original designation

Pinoritus FAGEL, 1963: 75

Here some comments about the generic limits of Phinopilus Blackwelder, 1952 and Pinoritus Fagel, 1963 . For the Afrotropical species, both genera are easy to separate without intermediate forms:

- Phinopilus : parameres completely fused with the median lobe of the aedeagus, often recognizable as a darker line. Punctation on the head without or with short setae. Punctation on the pronotum in many species with rows of bigger punctures with longer erect setae, those sometimes irregular; or punctation on the pronotum simple with short setae. Labrum mostly without median incision, sometimes with a small incision.

- Pinoritus : parameres only at the basal half fused with the median lobe or completely free. The parameres can be placed close to the median lobe and thus less visible. Punctation on the head and pronotum with long setae, never with bigger punctures. Some species from Madagascar have intermediate long setae on the head. Labrum mostly with a clear median incision.

The body of the species of the genus Pinoritus are more often more elongate than Phinopilus , but there are many exceptions, thus this is not reliable as is the key of FAGEL (1963). ASSING (2022) recognized for the Oriental material only the genus Phinopilus . Based on the pictures and descriptions, the diagnostic characteristics for the Afrotropical fauna don’t work well for the Oriental fauna. For stability and because the African material can be separated well, I keep both genera separated.