Anaxius meletsensis, Kamiński & Schoeman, 2018

Kamiński, Marcin J. & Schoeman, Colin S., 2018, Taxonomic revision of a darkling beetles genus Anaxius (Tenebrionidae: Pedinini: Helopinina), Zootaxa 4455 (3), pp. 471-485 : 478-479

Anaxius meletsensis sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:79A5A46A-8614-410A-A322-AC3CF9933242

( Figs. 1D , 2G, I , 3D , 5 )

Type data. Holotype, male ( TMSA): “ S. Afr.; Limpopo Prov. / Meletse Reserve 1003m / 24.36 S – 27.39 E ”, “ 27.11.2014; E-Y:3954 / on ground, bushveld / leg. Ruth Müller ” . Paratypes, 2 males and female ( TMSA) and male ( MIZ PAN): same data as holotype . Other material, female ( TMSA): “ S. Afr.: Waterberg / Geelhoutbush farm / 24.22S – 27.33 E ”, “ 3.10.1955; E-Y:3143 / singled / Endrödy & Bellamy ”.

Etymology. The name refers to the type locality, Meletse Reserve (Limpopo, South Africa).

Diagnosis. This species is similar to A. obesus by having, inter alia, protibia with deep metian cavity (visible laterally) ( Fig. 2G ), widened protarsus, with subsequent tarsomeres slightly narrower, and not apically depressed intercoxal process of prostenum (lateral view). Anaxius meletsensis can be easily distinguished by having simple mesofemora (with preapical denticle in obesus ) and metafemora (with fringe of bristles on underside in obesus ). Moreover, some differences might be observed in the structure of the metatibae of both species, which are curved in the middle in meletsensis ( Fig. 1D ), and more basally in obesus ( Fig. 1E ).

Description. Body—length = 7.0– 7.5 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1D .

Dorsal side of head covered with confluent punctures. Frontoclypeal suture smooth. Canthus rounded at base; narrower than head at level of eyes. Clypeal emargination shallow (clypeal emargination width: depth ratio ca. 9.0). Labrum wide (width: length ratio ca. 1.9); slightly emarginate medially; with basal membrane exposed. Ligula exposed, not covered by mentum. Mentum widest in apical part; with well-developed medial keel; with exposed lateral lobes; not covering cardo or basistipes; apically with median indentation. Submentum pentagonal; short. Apical segment of maxillary palpus trapezoidal; with sensory field occupying whole proximal edge. Second segment of maxillary palpus elongate (length: width ratio ca. 2.6). Palpifer located laterally on basistipes. Anterior tentorial pit circular. Eye not dorsally shielded by any keel. Margin between maxillary fossa and antenna insertion well marked. Antenna relatively long (antenna: pronotum length ratio ca. 1.7); third antennomere short (3rd: 2nd antennomere length ratio ca. 3.0); fifth antennomere elongated (length: width ratio ca. 2.0).

Pronotum slightly narrower than elytra (elytra: pronotum width ratio ca. 1.2); relatively narrow (length: width ratio of pronotal disc ca. 0.9); disc shiny, covered with fine punctures (0.5–1.0 diameters apart). Lateral sides of pronotal disc straight at basal half. Disc without apophyseal depressions. Basal, anterior, and lateral emargination of pronotal disc present. Base of pronotum straight. Posterior angles not protruding beyond base. Pronotal hypomeron dull; covered with very fine longitudinal rugosities; without submarginal indentation. Intercoxal process of prosternum not depressed apically (lateral view); apically with oval depression on ventral surface; slightly protruding towards first abdominal segment. Procoxae narrowly separated (procoxa: intercoxal process width ratio ca. 2.0).

Five elytral intervals finely marked; remaining ones indistinguishable. Elytron covered by fine punctures (0.1 diameters apart; sometimes confluent). Elytral base straight; not emarginate. Elytral humerus rounded. Epipleuron slightly narrowing apically, then of constant width; basally covering all elytral intervals (ventral view). Scutellum relatively large; triangular. Metathoracic wings absent.

Metaventrite extremely short (metacoxal cavity: metaventrite (between insertions of meso- and metacoxae) length ratio ca. 10.0); with longitudinal process at middle in males ( Fig. 2I ). Process of first abdominal ventrite wide (distances between mesocoxae: metacoxae ratio ca. 0.9). Fifth abdominal ventrite without submarginal sulcus; covered with fine punctures (4–5 diameters apart).

Male protarsus widened, with subsequent tarsomeres slightly narrower. Protibia with deep longitudinal cavity. Mesotibiae, profemora, mesofemora, and metafemora simple. Metafemora similar to that of A. obesus . Female legs simple. First tarsomere of metatarsi elongated (1.7× longer than 4th one). Length of metatarsus equal to 0.75 of metatibial length.

Aedeagal tegmen widest in middle; unipartite; with wide basal gap. Apical part slightly divided (up to 0.10 of whole tegmen length). Clava straight. Penis of even width along most of its length; with apical part not covered by tegmen, exposed dorsally. Basal apophyses of penis relatively short (ca. 0.4 of whole tegmen length).

Ovipositor relatively short (body: ovipositor length ratio ca. 3.0). Paraproct much longer than coxites (paraproct: coxites length ratio ca. 1.8); triangular, not shielding valvifer or any other lobes of coxites. Valvifer and second lobe slightly transverse, while third one triangular. Fourth lobe rounded, situated dorsally. Gonostylus located on dorsal side of fourth lobe. Vagina and bursa copulatrix without sclerites. Spermatheca sac-like. Proctiger covering nearly whole ventral side of ovipositor.

Distribution. This species has been collected in the following ecoregion of South Africa ( Fig. 5 ): Southern Africa bushveld.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus images of the studied species. Anaxius bloubergensis (A), A. campbellae (B), A. limpopoensis (C), A. meletsensis (D), A. obesus (E), A. prozeskyi (F), and A. pseudoloensus (G).

FIGURE 2. Diagnostic characters proposed for Anaxius: mentum (A), proleg (B, G), mesoleg (C, F), metaleg (D), metaventrite (H, I). Anaxius bloubergensis (E, F), A. campbellae (A, H), A. meletsensis (G, I), and A. prozeskyi (B, C, D). Abbreviations: d—denticles, ld—surface between labial palpi, lk—longitudinal keel, lw—lateral wing, p—palpifer, t—apical denticle, tub—tubercles.

FIGURE 3. Aedeagal tegmen morphology. Anaxius bloubergensis (A), A. campbellae (B), A. limpopoensis (C), A. meletsensis (D), and A. pseudoloensus (G).

FIGURE 5. Distribution of the species representing Anaxius.