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We identified a high diversity in the net-winged beetles of the genus Cautires in Peninsular Malaysia. Fourteen new species are described: Cautires alexae sp. nov., C. andujari sp. nov., C. arribasae sp. nov., C. berembanensis sp. nov., C. campestris sp. nov., C. communis sp. nov., C. jasarensis sp. nov., C. katarinae sp. nov., C. kirstenae sp. nov., C. kotatinggensis sp. nov., C. linardi sp. nov., C. maseki sp. nov., C. pahangensis sp. nov. and C. renatae sp. nov. Seven previously described species are discussed, illustrated and differential diagnoses provided; all species are keyed. The Cautires species differ in a limited number of diagnostic characters, namely in the shape of male antennae, the relative size of eyes and in the shape of the male genitalia. The females are difficult to assign to a conspecific male due to high intraspecific variability. The characteristically low dispersal propensity of net-winged beetles lead to the evolution of the unique fauna in the Malay mountains and despite an extensive study of the type material we recorded only a single species of Cautires occurring simultaneously in Sumatra. We suggest that the Malay mountain fauna is highly endemic and evolved in situ.
We simultaneously considered morphology and molecular phylogeny to modify the generic classification of the ‘pyropterine clade’ (Lycidae, Erotinae, Dictyopterini). To place species previously included in Benibotarus Kôno, 1932 in reciprocally monophyletic genera, we propose Gomezzuritus gen. nov. with the type-species Dictyopterus alternatus Fairmaire, 1856. Further, we transfer Gomezzuritus alternatus (Fairmaire, 1856) comb. nov., G. longicornis (Reiche, 1878) comb. nov., and G. rubripes (Pic, 1897) comb. nov. from Benibotarus to Gomezzuritus gen. nov. The pyropterine clade contains five genera in the Palaearctic region: Pyropterus Mulsant, 1838, Gomezzuritus gen. nov., Helcophorus Fairmaire, 1891, Greenarus Kazantsev, 1995, and Benibotarus Kôno, 1932. The arrangement of longitudinal elytral costae proved misleading for consideration of relationships. Two genera in distant positions share only four primary costae (Pyropterus and Helcophorus), and three similarly distant genera share the shortened primary costa 3, resulting in three primary and four secondary longitudinal costae (Gomezzuritus, Greenarus, and Benibotarus). The larva of Gomezzuritus alternatus is described in detail, and it is compared with the larvae of other Dictyopterini, including the presumed larva of G. longicornis.
