A new possibility of sex determination in alleculine specimens (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Alleculinae) of the Palaearctic and the Oriental genera.

Differences between numbers of teeth in protarsal claws of males and those of females were determined for 85 genera of Alleculinae Laporte, 1840 from the Oriental and the Palaearctic regions which are inhabited by a total of 114 genera. Males of more than 72 % of the genera studied possess more numerous teeth on protarsal claws compared to females. This character makes it possible to differentiate males from females without dissecting the genitalia.