Madrasostes mirificum, Alberto Ballerio & Munetoshi Maruyama, 2010

Alberto Ballerio & Munetoshi Maruyama, 2010, The Ceratocanthinae of Ulu Gombak: high species richness at a single site, with descriptions of three new species and an annotated checklist of the Ceratocanthinae of Western Malaysia and Singapore (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Hybosoridae), Zookeys 34, pp. 77-104 : 85-88

Madrasostes mirificum sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:903EBB4B-72C9-4463-9784-10F08C856EBC ( Fig. 2 F, G, H, I, J)

Type locality. West Malaysia: Ulu Gombak (Selangor), 3°19 ' N 101°45 ' E.

Material examined. Holotype, male: West Malaysia, Selangor, Ulu Gombak, 250 mt., 17.IV.2007, Leg. M. Maruyama / Madrasostes mirificum sp. n. det. Ballerio & Maruyama 2009 Holotypus (KUM) [distended specimen, glued on a card, dissected, genitalia mounted in DMHF resin on a separate card, same pin]. Paratypes [three males dissected]: same locality as holotype but: 15 IV 2007, M. Maruyama et al. (1 male and 1 female); 16 IV 2007, M. Maruyama et al. (1 male); 19 IV 2007, M. Maruyama (3 males); 20 IV 2007, M. Maruyama (2 males and 1 female); 26 IV 2007, M. Maruyama (3 males and 2 females); 28 IV 2007, M. Maruyama (1 male and 2 females); 30 IV 2007, M. Maruyama (1 male); 1 V 2007, M. Maruyama (3 females); 3 V 2007, M. Maruyama (5 males and 2 females), 7.III.2009, M. Maruyama (2 males); 10.III.2009, M. Maruyama (1 male).(20 KUM, 2 MHNG, 6 ABCB); 5 males and 9 females [two males and one female dissected]: West Malaysia, Perak, 25 km NE of Ipoh, Banjaran Titi Wangsa Mounts, Gunung Korbu, 1400–1800 mt., 11–31.I.1999, leg. P. Cechovsky (ABCB).

Description. HL = 0.58 mm; HW = 1.16 mm; PL = 1.53 mm; PW = 1.93 mm; EL = 2.32 mm; EW = 1.88 mm.

Small Ceratocanthinae, body shiny, setose; “rolling up” coaptations perfect; volant.

Dorsum black, setation yellow/whitish, sternum reddish, antennae reddish.

Head: wide (W/L ratio = 2), subpentagonal, sexually dimorphic, fore portion triangular, apex forming an obtuse angle (about 120°), both sides of the angle rectilinear, irregularly serrated, not reflexed upward, tip of triangle blunt; genae aligned with fore margin, acutely protruding outwards, genal canthus present, reaching the occipital area of head, dorsal ocular area small, dorsal interocular area about 18 times the maximum width of the dorsal ocular area, ventral ocular area small; head dorsal surface with dense impressed fine comma-shaped punctures, fore margin with a few very fine shallow transverse striae. Near each comma-shaped puncture a very short erect simple seta.

Pronotum: subrectangular, wider than long (W/L ratio = 1.25), wider than elytra; fore margin feebly bisinuate; fore angles gently subtruncate at apex; fore edge continuously finely margined, edges of sides without any visible margin (dorsal view), base continuously strongly margined; base at middle not protruding backwards; pronotal surface regularly convex without paradiscal depressions. Shiny, smooth, with dense impressed horseshoe-shaped punctures, with opening centrifugally oriented, their distance from each other being inferior than their diameter, two smooth areas with sparser puncturation near base at each side of disc. Each puncture bearing in the middle a short erect simple seta, about as long as the puncture diameter.

Scutellum: about as wide as long, sides proximally subparallel and distinctly notched by elytral articular process, then convergent to form a triangle with elongate acute apex and sides slightly curved inward. Surface slightly depressed in the middle, covered by dense impressed horseshoe-shaped punctures, with opening dierected backwards. Apical portion of mesepisterna visible from above.

Elytra: longer than wide (W/L ratio = 0.81), apical fourth regularly rounded (dorsal view), apex slightly re-entering inward (lateral view); elytra regularly convex, although slightly flattened at disc; elytral suture not or very finely raised; inferior sutural stria present, ending just before humeral area; marginal area with sparse irregualr puncturation, articular area with striation, not visible in lateral view; humeral callus small; elytral articular process large, smooth and shiny. Elytra smooth, shiny, with four longitudinal, weakly raised, blunt carinae, the first carina corresponding to the sutural stria, starting at medial third, the second one more raised apically, starting near elytral base, the third and fourth ones starting at apical third. Elytral puncturation made of irregular longitudinal rows of medium sized impressed elongate horseshoe-shaped punctures (each one bearing in the middle a simple erect seta), with opening backwards, their distance from each other being inferior to their diameter, mixed with simple impressed punctures. Between sutural carina and the second carina in the distal third of elytra punctures often merging into three longitudinal impressed lines.

Clypeopleuron short and transversely slightly grooved at each side. Apex of head forming a thick protrudent process, more developed in males. Labrum wide and short, semicircular, bearing six long semierect setae and distally fringed by long fine setae directed forward. Distal epipharynx ( Fig. 5 G) semicircular, longitudinally divided by a strong anterior median process; pariae distinctly raised with respect to the haptolachus; median brush and corypha absent; apical fringe made of long fine setae, absent in the middle. Mentum ( Fig. 5 F) ventrally flat, widely emarginated in the middle, emargination regularly wide-U-shaped; labial palpi (including palpiger) two jointed, first joint short and transverse, joint two longer and plumper than preceeding one, joint four flattened, apically bearing some short sensilla, all joints, apart from the last one, fringed with long setae. Maxillae ( Fig. 5 J) with an elongate single membranous lacinia, covered with fine long setae, monolobed galea proximally sclerotized and distally clothed with very coarse long fine setae with distinctive comb-like tip (galeal brush) ( Fig. 5 I), maxillary palpi (including palpiger) four jointed, palpiger very small, joint two wide and relatively short, joint three relatively short, joint four long and subconical, about as long as preceding two together, apically bearing some short sensilla. Mandibles ( Fig.5 H) short, regularly curved, apicalis with very short and blunt apical tooth, not protruding over mesal brush, lateral sclerite of apicalis bearing a distinct large pore, conjunctive present, mesal brush wide and well developed, basalis with molar lobe relatively strong. Antennae 10-segmented, scape long (about half the total length of antenna), distally securiform, pedicellus plump and rounded, flagellum short and thin, distinctly wider than long short articles, antennal club with three articles, articles uniformly setose.

Ventral areas of prothorax slightly alutaceous, setigerously punctured, with setae fine and long. Procoxae transversely oriented, apices nearly touching each other; fore trochanters relatively wide, with fore tips bearing a tuft of long setae; profemora slender, fore margin slightly curved inwards, surface almost smooth with few recumbent setae; protibiae straight, sexually dimorphic, apical spur relatively long, sharp, distally curved downward, protarsi with first article longer than the following three articles together, articles two to four relatively plump, article five slightly longer than four, bearing two short curved claws, each tarsomere, except tarsomere five, ventrally bearing a tuft of fine setae. Mesosternum narrow, short and plump. Mesocoxae large, almost adjacent to each other, transversely oriented. Trochanters narrow, with hind tip acute. Mesofemora slender, surface smooth, with hind edge emarginated at distal third. Mesotibiae slender, thick, inner angle of apex with one straight apical spur, mesotarsi inserted near the inner angle of apical edge, slightly longer than apical edge of tibia, with first four articles plump and subequal, fifth slightly longer than the preceding one, bearing two small curved claws; each tarsomere, except the last one, ventrally bearing a tuft of coarse setae; trochanters of metafemora narrow, with hind tip acute, metafemora plumper than mesofemora, surface hairy, hind edge distally with a small emargination, metatibiae triangular, elongate, flat, inner side not sinuated, ending with two straight and sharp fine spurs paired at the inner angle of the tibia, metatarsi almost as long as the apical edge of tibia, first article almost as long as the following two together, articles two to four short and plump, fifth longer than the fourth, wich ends with two claws small and feebly curved; each tarsomere, with the exception of the last one, ventrally bearing a tuft of coarse setae. Outer face of meso- and metatibiae with longitudinal striae along inner margin.

Wings: normally developed.

Sexual dimorphism: males with strongly modified head and pro- and mesotibiae. Male head with distal portion, before fore margin, lowered compared to median and proxinal portions of head, tip truncated swollen (nose-like) and directed upwards, overall head shape more subrectangular than subpentagonal. Male protibiae thicker than female protibiae, twisted, median and distal third disaligned compared to basal third, median and distal third arched in lateral view, outer margin ending with two strong teeth, other three outer teeth present medially and basally, protibia ending with an apical spur plumper than in females and with distal third more dramatically bent downwards, ventral side fringed by rows of thick setae. Male mesotibiae ending with a straight apical spur and with the inner apical angle with an acute expansion (false spur) replacing the hooked apical spur usually present in other genera of Ceratocanthinae. Females with head normally shaped ( Fig. 2 H) protibiae normally developed, with two apical teeth and a row of four denticles, apical spur of protibiae slender and more gently bent downwards, mesotibiae ending with a straight apical spur, lacking any false transverse spur.

Male genitalia: genital segment fairly sclerotized, Y-shaped ( Fig. 8 A), with manubrium about as long as basal triangle. Aedeagus with basal piece distally curled ( Fig. 8 B), about six times longer than parameres; parameres slightly asymmetrical, dorsally flattened ( Fig. 8 C).

Variability. The type series shows a strong variability in the development of the smooth areas near the base of pronotum as well as in the microsculpturing of elytra, especially in the shape and density of punctures between carinae and in the development of the longitudinal striae.

Identification. Easily identifiable among all other Madrasostes because of the very thick pro- and mesotibiae and the sexually dimorphic characters (male shape of protibia and nose-like process on head head), which are unique among all other known Ceratocanthidae .

Etymology. Mirificum, Latin adjective meaning wonderful, due to the striking morphological features that characterize this species.

Distribution and habitat. This species occurs in Perak and Selangor in both lowland and submontane rainforest. The paratypes from Gunung Korbu were collected in a termite nest (Petr Checovsky, pers. comm.). For more details on the Ulu Gombak series see the introductory paragraphs.

Remarks. Madrasostes mirificum sp. n. displays a series of unique characters (most of which likely to be autoapomorphic), which place this species in a very isolated position within the genus Madrasostes and which would represent good points for the erection of a distinct genus in the framwork of a complete revision of the Perignamptus genus group: a) male’s apex of head modified, b) male protibiae shaped as in Fig. 2 I, J, d) mesotibiae thick, e) male mesotibiae ending with only one apical spur.