Centeterus Wesmael, 1845
Centeterus is a small genus of 14 total species, three of which occur in the Nearctic. Only a fraction of the North American species have been described and there are approximately 8 undescribed species. However, due to seemingly overlapping variation in some characters, delimiting species is difficult.
Centeterus is most similar to Colpognathus and Eparces. It differs from Colpognathus in that the mandible is not enlarged (greatly enlarged in Colpognathus) and the female metasomal apex is oxypygous (amblypygous in Colpognathus). Eparces is essentially identical to Centeterus except that the body is overall elongated and the surface sculpture is entirely granulate, whereas most Centeterus species have at least some smooth areas.
Preliminary UCE phylogenomic results show that Colpognathus and Eparces are derived within Centeterus.
Diagnosis
- mandible bidentate
- mandible moderately narrow (not enlarged as in Colpognathus)
- gastrocoelus and thyridium absent
- female metasomal apex oxypygous
- surface sculpture not entirely granulate
- areola usually coffin-shaped (never heart-shaped as in Dicaelotus)