Physciolagria smithi, Telnov, 2022

Telnov, Dmitry, 2022, Redefinition of Physciolagria Pic, 1930 (Coleoptera: Mycteridae) with a new family placement, genus-rank synonymy, new description, and a key, Zootaxa 5219 (2), pp. 121-138 : 128-136

Physciolagria smithi sp. nov.

( Figs 15–19 , 24–25, 27 , 33–35 , 42–44 )

https://zoobank.org/ 68B79D0D-502D-4536-9B65-CD90D7C41031

Holotype ♂ BMNH: SENEGAL 200m Dindéfelo Camp 12°22′43′′N, 12°19′27′′W 27.v-2.vi.2019 Actinic Light [printed] // Aristophanous,M., Moretto,P., Mulvaney, L., leg. ANHRT:2019.14, BMNH {E} 2022-15 [printed] // NHMUK014663759 [printed, provided with QR code].

Paratypes 18 specimens, all BMNH : 1♂ —same labels as holotype but NHMUK014663758 ; 1♂ —same labels but NHMUK014663760 ; 1♂ —same labels but NHMUK014663761 ; 1♂ —same labels but NHMUK014663762 ; 1♀ —same labels but NHMUK015018299 ; 1♂ — SENEGAL 30m Mare de Simenti , Niokolo-Koba NP 13°1′33′′N, 13°17′4′′W 3-16.vi.2019 Actinic Light [printed] // Aristophanous,M., Moretto,P., Mulvaney, L., leg. ANHRT :2019.14, BMNH{ E} 2020-19 [printed] // NHMUK015013409 [printed, provided with QR code]; 1♂ —same labels but NHMUK015013394 ; 1♂ —same labels but NHMUK015013395 ; 1♂ —same labels but NHMUK015013396 ; 1♂ — SENEGAL 30m Simenti , Niokolo-Koba NP 13°1′33′′N, 13°17′4′′W 3-16.vi.2019 MV LightTrap [printed] // Aristo phanous,M., Moretto,P., Mulvaney, L., leg. ANHRT :2019.14, BMNH{ E} 2020-19 [printed] // NHMUK015013603 ; 1♀ —same labels but NHMUK015013604 ; 1♂ —same labels but NHMUK015013605 ; 1♂ —same labels but NHMUK015018300 ; 1♀ — SENEGAL 30m Simenti , Niokolo-Koba NP 13°1′33′′N, 13°17′4′′W 3-16.vi.2019 LepiLED [printed] // Aristophanous,M., Moretto,P., Mulvaney, L., leg. ANHRT :2019.14, BMNH{ E} 2020-19 [printed] // NHMUK015010042 [printed, provided with QR code]; 1♂ —same labels but NHMUK015010041 ; 1♀ —same labels but NHMUK015010043 ; 1♂ —same labels but NHMUK015010044 ; 1♂ —same labels but NHMUK015010045 .

Derivatio nominis. Patronymic.This species is named for Richard Smith (The African Natural History Research Trust, Kingsland, United Kingdom) to commemorate his investment in the study of African insects.

Measurements. Holotype ♂ ( Figs 15–17 ), total body length 3.7 mm; head length 0.6 mm, head width across eyes 0.9 mm, pronotal length 0.6 mm, maximum pronotal width 0.8 mm, minimum pronotal width 0.7 mm, elytral length 2.5 mm, combined maximum elytral width in apical third 1.3 mm. Selected ♂♂ paratypes 3.5–4.3 mm, selected ♀♀ paratypes 4.9–5.2 mm long.

Description, ♂: Dorsal forebody black, pronotal basal area narrowly paler, clypeus and labrum dirty yellow to yellowish brown. Elytra ochre with black, strongly elongate sutural spot in apical third leaving suture and apex of elytra narrowly yellow. Antennae black. Maxillary palps pale brown. Legs black-brown to brown, tarsi yellowish brown, trochanters yellowish brown. Venter generally brown, ventral and posterolateral parts of prothoracic hypomeron yellow to yellowish brown. Head ( Figs 15–17 ) transverse, glossy dorsally, flattened, with extremely large and globose hemispherical compound eyes which occupy most of head. Compound eye touching antennal insertion, with inconspicuous notch at point of contact. Interfacetal setae dense, rather long. Frontoclypeal suture or impression not indicated. Labrum broadly emarginate at anterior margin.Frons extremely narrow between compound eyes (at its narrowest point frons is narrower than length of basal antennomere), widens posteriad.Antennal insertion free, not concealed by anterolateral margin of frons. Tempora not indicated, head base straight, not narrowed to a neck, hidden beneath anterior margin of pronotum. Dorsal cranial punctures large, dense and rather coarse, irregular. Intervening spaces glossy on frons. Occiput more regularly punctate, punctures circular, intervening spaces glossy. Head dorsal setation yellowish, inconspicuous, suberect.Antenna ( Figs 15, 17 ) extending slightly beyond mesocoxa when directed backwards. Basal antennomere short, about 1.2–1.3× as long as wide. Antennomere three about 1.5–1.7× as long as antennomere two. Antennomeres 5–8 distinctly asymmetrical, 4–10 strongly shortened, of them 5–10 strongly transverse. Terminal antennomere greatly elongated, flattened dorso-ventrally and somewhat shallowly impressed on whole ventral surface, densely rugulose, rounded apically, at anterior margin slightly narrowed apicad from about midlength where there is an obtuse angulation, about 1.4–1.5× as long as combined length of antennomeres 1–10. Terminal maxillary palpomere slightly fusiform, narrow. Pronotum ( Figs 15–17 ) glossy dorsally, transverse, markedly narrower than head across compound eyes, subtruncate to broadly rounded at anterior margin. Lateral margins subparallel. Anterolateral angles obsolete, posterolateral angles broadly obtuse to rounded. Pronotal base broadly rounded, with narrow bead. Pronotal disc flattened dorsally. Punctures circular, regular, intervening spaces glossy, as wide as to 3× as wide as punctures. Pronotal dorsal pubescence yellow, moderately long, rather dense, erect to suberect. Scutellar shield triangular, rounded apically. Elytra ( Figs 15–16 ) elongate, nearly parallel-sided, moderately glossy, flattened dorsally, somewhat ‘malacoderm-like’ thin and flimsy. Humerus broadly rounded. Punctures on elytral disc coarser and denser than those on pronotum, with irregular, glossy intervening spaces which are generally narrower than punctures; punctures not or hardly becoming more delicate in apical third. Elytral pubescence yellow, dense, suberect, moderately long, directed posteriad. Sutural striae not indicated. Epipleuron short, moderately broad, present from humerus towards about posterior margin of mesocoxal cavity. Metathoracic wings fully developed.All legs of similar shape, sparsely setose. Femora not clavate, tibiae nearly straight, rugulose. Pro- and mesothoracic tibia about as long as corresponding femur, metathoracic tibia distinctly longer than metathoracic femur. Tibial terminal spurs paired, inconspicuously short. Penultimate tarsomeres not bilobed, with truncate ventral pad. Basal metathoracic tarsomere shorter than the combined length of remaining metathoracic tarsomeres. Pretarsal claws short, curved, distinctly cleft. Tergite VII truncate at posterior margin ( Fig. 24 ), morphological sternite VII short and broad, subtruncate at posterior margin ( Fig. 25 ). Tergite VIII short and broad, subtruncate at posterior margin, morphological sternite VIII of two sclerites interconnected by narrow, transparent membrane, subtruncate at posterior margin, short and broad. Spiculum gastrale as in Fig. 27 . Aedeagus with median lobe longer than tegmen. Median lobe somewhat funnel-shaped, wide basally, gradually narrowed in apical half, broadly rounded apically, provided with irregular spines on its narrow part ( Figs 42–44 ). Gonopore armature of numerous long, parallel baculi and one thicker, median rod ( Fig. 44 ). Tegmen stout, with paramere externally curved in apical third only; paramere apex hook-like, rounded ( Figs 33–35 ). Ventral surface and external margin of paramere with several long setae most dense on apical area ( Fig. 35 ). Outer and inner margin of paramere broad ( Fig. 33 ).

Description, ♀. Female ( Figs 18–19 ) generally longer and slenderer than male (consider Measurements above). Frons comparatively wider between compound eyes. Antenna ( Figs 18–19 ) comparatively shorter than that of male. Antennomere three about as long as antennomere two. Antennomeres 4–8 distinctly asymmetrical, 5–10 strongly transverse, 9–10 distinctly broadly emarginate at posterior margin. Terminal antennomere of similar shape as of male but subtruncate apically, about as long as 4–4.5 preceding antennomeres. Terminal maxillary palpomere subtriangular, slightly widened apically. Basal metathoracic tarsomere longer than combined length of remaining metathoracic tarsomeres. Tergite VII and morphological sternite VII subtruncate at posterior margin.

Intraspecific variability. Colour of pronotum varies from entirely black to yellowish-brown. Colour of venter vary from yellowish brown to dark brown. Pronotal disc shallowly concave dorsally in one ♂ paratype.

Differential diagnosis. The new species is readily distinguished from other congeners primarily in the shape of the male genital organs (see Key below).

Ecology. Savannah with patches or gully forest. All available specimens were attracted to various light sources (actinic, LED, MV) at ~ 30–300 m elevation. The type locality is within the Western African Mesic Woodland & Grassland vegetation type ( Sayre et al. 2013) .

Distribution. Only known from type locality—Niokolo-Koba National Park in SE Senegal.

Figures

FIGURES 15–17. Physciolagria smithi sp. nov., holotype ♂. 15—Habitus, dorsal view; 16—ditto, lateral view; 17—Forebody, anterodorsal view [not to scale].

FIGURES 18–19. Physciolagria smithi sp. nov., paratype ♀. 18—Habitus, dorsal view; 19—Forebody, anterodorsal view [not to scale].

FIGURES 20–27. Male terminalia of Physciolagria Pic, 1930. 20—P. liturata Pic, 1930, tergite VII, dorsal view; 21—ditto, morphological sternite VII, ventral view; 22—P. singularicornis (Pic, 1935), ♂ from Sebele, Botswana, tergite VII, dorsal view; 23—ditto, morphological sternite VII, ventral view; 24—P. smithi sp. nov., paratype, tergite VII, dorsal view; 25—ditto, morphological sternite VII, ventral view; 26—P. singularicornis (Pic, 1935), ♂ from Sebele, Botswana, spiculum gastrale; 27—P. smithi sp. nov., paratype, spiculum gastrale [not to scale].

FIGURES 28–35. Tegmen of Physciolagria Pic, 1930. 28—P. liturata Pic, 1930; 29—ditto, parameres, apical portion (note moderately long apical setation); 30—P. singularicornis (Pic, 1935), ♂ from Sebele, Botswana; 31—ditto, paramere, apical portion, apical setation removed; 32—ditto, parameres, apical portion (note long apical setation); 33—P. smithi sp. nov., paratype; 34—ditto, paramere, apical portion, apical setation removed; 35—ditto, parameres, apical portion (note long apical setation) [not to scale].

FIGURES 36–44. Median lobe of Physciolagria Pic, 1930. 36—P. liturata Pic, 1930; 37—ditto, apical portion (note apical pores); 38—ditto, gonopore armature; 39—P. singularicornis (Pic, 1935), ♂ from Sebele, Botswana; 40—ditto, apical portion (note apical spines); 41—ditto, gonopore armature; 42—P. smithi sp. nov., paratype; 43—ditto, apical portion (note apical spines); 44—gonopore armature [not to scale].