Revision of the genus Paratropus Gerstaecker (Coleoptera: Histeridae)

The myrmecophilous and termitophilous genus Paratropus Gerstaecker is revised and figured. A key to the species is given. The number of species in this genus has been brought up to 80, of which 31 species are described as new: P. arriagadai (Tanzania), P. bakxi (Zaire), P. baloghi (Congo, Zaire, Ruanda, Gabon), P. basquinianus (Central African Republic), P. cavatus (Central African Rep.), P. cavifrons (Gabon), P. erbelingi (Botswana), P. gomyi (Congo, Cameroon, Gabon), P. hervei (Central African Rep., Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Ivory Coast), P. kapleri (Cameroon), P. keukelaari (Zambia), P. khandalensis (India), P. kovariki (Ghana), P. kryzhanovskii (Congo, Gabon, Nigeria), P. lamotteorum (Tanzania), P. legionarius (Central African Rep.), P. oculofoveatus (Thailand), P. oharai (Congo, Zaire, Gabon), P. olexai (Congo, Zaire), P. penatii (Ghana, Congo), P. pescheli (Zaire), P. roggemani (Central African Rep.), P. salgadoi (Liberia, Zaire, Zambia), P. tishechkini (Central African Rep., Zambia, Congo), P. vallenduuki (Central African Rep., Togo), P. verityi (Zaire), P. walteri (Congo, Zaire), P. wenzeli (India), P. wibbechienae (Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Angola), P. yelamosi (Zaire) and P. zicsii (Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Cameroon). One species, P. assmuthi Reichensperger, 1925, could not be examined. Lectotypes of the following species are designated: P. altilis Lewis, P. boleti Lewis, P. caswelli (Thérond), P. chelonitis Lewis, P. congonis Lewis, P. fungorum Lewis, P. nigrellus (Schmidt), P. nimbaensis (Thérond), P. orbicularis (Olliff), P. saegeri Thérond, P. strigatus (Schmidt), P. termitophilus (Desbordes) and P. verschureni (Thérond). The genus Spathochinus Desbordes is put into the synonymy of Paratropus. The following synonymies are reported: P. aptistrius Lewis (1907) = P. ovides (Marseul, 1862); P. decellei Thérond (1968) = P. ovides (Marseul, 1862); P. nudilatera Vienna (1985) = P. maynei (Desbordes, 1919); P. difficilis Vienna (1987) = P. orientis Thérond (1975); Coelocraera basquini Dégallier (1983) = C. sigillata (Thérond, 1968).