Protopectinus Tshrernyshev, 2020

Tshernyshev, S. E., 2020, Protopectinus pseudoparatinus - a new genus and species of soft winged flower beetle of the tribe Apalochrini (Coleoptera: Malachiidae) from East Africa, Russian Entomological Journal 29 (1), pp. 69-72 : 70

Protopectinus Tshrernyshev , gen.n.

Type species: Protopectinus pseudoparatinus Tshrernyshev , sp.n., fixed by monotypy in the present paper.

DIAGNOSIS. Diagnosis is based on male special characters only. Size small to moderate (about 2.6–2.9 mm) soft-winged flower beetles with the body elongate, parallel and very weakly expanded posteriorly. Upper side metallic bluebronze and underside black-brown, antennae, tibiae and tarsi of anterior and intermediate legs, and bases of tibiae in posterior legs yellow-brown. Antennae filiform with dentate intermediate antennomeres, 5 th –10th antennomeres triangular with slightly elongate outer edges, 4th antennomere oval the same length and width as the 3rd, antennae long, 0.4 times as long as body, extending beyond the base of elytra. Head small and flat, narrower than pronotum, eyes simple, not large, slightly protruding. Pronotum transverse, with evenly rounded angles, slightly pronounced anteriorly and straight posteriorly and with distinct margination of sides; disc depressed at the base, with posterior margin elevated and swollen. Elytra parallel, very weakly expanded at apical fourth, densely and coarsely punctured, with small and weakly protruding shoulders, apices evenly rounded, simple, suture distinctly marginate and slightly elevated, curving over apices of elytra forming weak depression in a corner possessing short white adpressed hairs. Anterior tarsi with small transverse comb above the 2nd segments, 1 st and 2 nd tarsomeres in anterior and intermediate legs twice as large as those of posterior; intermediate tibiae widened distally, slightly swollen and with flattened area internally, anterior tibiae slightly widened distally, simple, femora in all legs simple, slightly flattened.

Metathorax evenly swollen and bituberculate, lacking appendage or tuft of hairs.Pygidium undivided, evenly rounded and narrowed distally, with straight distal side; lateral lobes of the 8th ultimate abdominal ventrite distinctly adjoined, narrowed distally, with round emargination in middle; aedeagus slightly curved dorsally, strongly widened at about the middle, with stretched elongate evenly narrowed and slighlty downwardly curved lamella; bristles or denticles are not visible in the inner sac. Tegumen narrow, elongate, with long thin parameres.

Species of the genus is similar to representatives of Protapalochrus and differs in the swollen and flattened inwardly intermediate tibiae, dentate antennae, and aedeagus widened at about middle and distally elongate.

ETYMOLOGY. The name of the genus is a combination of two words: Proto - is Greek πρώτος, the first, and Pectinus — is a name of the genus proposed by Evers to African species formerly attributed to Apalochrus , but possessing a comb in anterior tarsi.

NOTES. Species of the genus is distributed in East Africa and is known from Tanzania only.