Genus: Aspathines

• Description: Body small, convex, round to oval, size under 3 mm. Antennae 11-segmented with a 2-segmented club. Antennal setation sparse. Eyes well-developed, elongate-oval, somewhat reniform, coarsely faceted, extending well onto dorsal portion of head. Groove around dorsal edge of eye paralleling eye facets for entire length. Lateral margins of pronotum arcuate. Pronotal disc simple. Hypomeron with deep antennal cavities. Antennal groove and cavity recurved dorsally, meeting or nearly meeting lateral margin of hypomeron. Antennal cavity not concealed by prothoracic leg when retracted. Procoxal cavities open. Metacoxae widely separated, separation as wide or wider than metacoxal length. Scutellum small, triangular, visible. Abdominal ventrite 5 simple. Tarsal formula 5-5-4. Dorsal surface punctate, glabrous, shiny.

• Similar genera: The genus Aspathines is similar to the monommatine genera Hyporhagus and Spinhyporhagus, can immediately be distinguished by the smaller size and more oval body, the 2-segmented antennal club, the antennal groove and cavity strongly recurved dorsally and ending near lateral margin of hypomeron, and the antennal cavity not concealed by the prothoracic leg when retracted.

• Southeast (FL) USA.

• Members of the Monommatini are associated with rotting vegetable matter and are suspected to feed on fungus (Ivie, 2002).
  
  
• Abundance: rare.

• Aspathines aenus ovatus: This is the only member of the genus thought to occur in North America. The description and differentiation from similar genera above serve to distinguish this species from all other North American monommatines. Distribution: Florida Keys, Florida, USA.

• This predominantly occurs from Paraguay to Mexico, and it is possible it may be found in the border states.

• If correctly identified to Zopheridae, the small size and antennal characters will easily separate this species from all others.

• Champion (1888)
• Freude (1993)
• Ivie (2002)