Review of the New World Notomicrus Sharp (Coleoptera, Noteridae) I: Circumscription of species groups and review of the josiahi group with description of a new species from Brazil Author Baca, Stephen M. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0957-302X University of Kansas, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Lawrence KS, USA baca@ku.edu Author Short, Andrew Edward Z. University of Kansas, Biodiversity Institute, Division of Entomology, Lawrence KS, USA text ZooKeys 2021 2021-03-22 1025 177 201 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1025.60442 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1025.60442 1313-2970-1025-177 C9D007A023854104816CF9177473ABBC C8FE1C6EAC0E5958BA9C3BDDB72419B0 4. Notomicrus traili species group Diagnosis. Non-teneral specimens of this group tend to have the following combination of characters: (1) lacking triangular pigmented area on the medial base of the elytra (Fig. 1d-f ), lacking maculae; elytra with uniform shades of tan or brown; (2) irregular setose punctures in posterior half of elytral surface with density variable, increasingly coarse if extending on to anterior half of elytron; (3) microreticulation variably impressed, consisting of fine mesh-like reticulation; matte to shiny; elytral surface sometimes somewhat iridescent; (4) posterior lobes of noterid platform with angles acute (Fig. 4k, l ); (5) protibia as in Fig. 2e , with robust seta of outer margin at ca. 2/3 length of margin, distance between robust seta and dorsoapical angle distinctly less than distance between robust seta and first seta from protibial insertion. Composition. N. gracilipes Sharp, 1882; N. petrareptans Baca & Short, 2018; N. reticulatus Sharp, 1882; N. sabrouxi Manuel, 2015; N. traili Sharp, 1882. Identification resources. Young (1978) ; Manuel (2015) ; Baca and Short (2018) . Remarks. Species of the Notomicrus traili group are difficult to discern and constitute a widespread species complex (see Baca and Short 2020 ). Personal observations coupled with the phylogenetic reconstructions of Baca and Short (2020) show that the diagnostic power of the dorsal punctation (see Young 1978 ) is unreliable, with multiple clades within the complex sharing similar patterns of punctation; for example, the pattern of punctation attributed to N. gracilipes by Young (1978) arises in multiple places within the complex. The group will require careful taxonomic investigation. The members of the Notomicrus traili group can be difficult to distinguish from those of the Notomicrus meizon group, but mature members lack a pigmented triangular area at the base of the elytra and most males of the Notomicrus traili group have similarly-shaped median lobes of the aedeagus, distinct from the Notomicrus meizon group. See notes in remarks of Notomicrus meizon group above. 5. Insertae sedis species These species present characters combinations not found in other species groups. Both by presented character combination and even general gestalt , these are difficult to place with certainty. Molecular sequence data were unavailable for these species in the phylogenetic reconstruction of Baca and Short (2020) . In particular, the species listed here both exhibit body shape, color, microsculpture and sparse punctation that would place them in the N. nanulus species group. However, in comparison with the N. tenellus species group, the sister to all New World taxa, several of these characters appear plesiomorphic in Notomicrus , making it difficult to discern their likely relatives from morphology alone.