Taxonomic History of Elaphidiini
Thomson (1864) proposed the "Division" Elaphidionitae to include ten genera. Of these, only two are currently placed in the tribe (Orion Guérin-Méneville and Elaphidion Audinet-Serville). The others are currently distributed among other tribes including Hesperophanini, Callidiopini, and Methiini. Thomson further characterized the tribe Eburitae, originally proposed by Blanchard (1845), as including many other currently recognized elaphidiine taxa including Atylostagma White, Centrocerum Chevrolat, Ambonus Gistel, Sphaerion Audinet-Serville, Periboeum Thomson, Appula Thomson, Stizocera Audinet-Serville, Mallocera Audinet-Serville, and Eurysthea Thomson. Thomson (1864) defined the Elaphidiini as having body convex, eyes coarsely faceted, femora slightly clavate, and elytral apices spinose. These characters separated Elaphidionitae from his Eburitae which had body subdepressed, elytra without apical spines, and femora clavate. Lacordaire (1869) proposed the groups Hespérophanides (including taxa which are currently in Elaphidiini and Hesperophanini, characterized by the non-globose anterior coxae, externally open intermediate coxal cavities, and generally unspined antennae), Éburiides (mainly consisting of taxa with eburneous elytral calli but identified primarily on the basis of externally-closed intermediate coxal cavities, globose anterior coxae, and unspined antennae), Phoracanthides (including taxa currently in Elaphidiini and Phoracanthini, characterized by spined but non-carinate antennae, intermediate coxal cavities open externally, procoxal cavities not angulate externally), and Sphérionides (including nearly all of Thomson's Eburitae, characterized by spines and carinae on antennae, anterior coxal cavities angulate externally, and intermediate coxal cavities open externally).
The variability of the characters above (antennal carinae, open/closed intermediate coxal cavities, procoxal cavities angulate/not angulate, and antennal spines) was acknowledged by Linsley (1936). He noted that the distinction of Sphaerionini from Phoracanthini (including Elaphidiini) was not satisfactory. In typical Phoracanthini (including Elaphidiini), he indicated that the anterior coxal cavities may be either closed or open in closely related species of the same genus, and therefore was not a useful character. He felt that the most reliable characters were the non-carinate antennae and tibiae in Phoracanthini, but recognized that even those characters were not consistent in species of Elaphidion Audinet-Serville. Linsley (1963) included the sphaerionine and phoracanthine genera in his new concept of Elaphidiini, rendering Phoracanthini and Sphaerionini as junior synonyms.
