Stenothemus vulpecula, Hsiao, Yun, Okushima, Yûichi & Yang, Ping-Shih, 2016

Hsiao, Yun, Okushima, Yûichi & Yang, Ping-Shih, 2016, Review of the genus Stenothemus Bourgeois from Taiwan, with description of three new species (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) and additional distributional records of previously known species, Zootaxa 4117 (1), pp. 101-114 : 112-113

Stenothemus vulpecula sp. nov.

Figs. 42 , 49–51

Type material. Holotype Ƌ, Tahanshan, Pingtung, Taiwan, 25. X. 2013, Y.-T. Chung leg. ( TARI).

Description. Male ( Fig. 42 ). Length: 6.75 mm; width: 1.70 mm. Eyes black. Head and prothorax chestnut brown. Antennae dark brown, each antennomere light brown proximally; antennomere I–II yellowish brown, with antennomere I darker. Mandibles yellowish brown, with apices darker distally; maxillary and labial palpomeres yellowish brown. Coxae, trochanters and basal part of femora and tibiae yellowish brown; femora, tibiae and tarsi fuscous to brown. Elytra, meso-, metaventrites and abdomen dark brown. Body densely covered with fine yellowish pubescence; anterior margin of clypeus fringed with pale bristles; antennae, elytra and legs with some brownish bristles intermingled with primary pubescence.

Head as long as wide, eyes moderately protruding, ratio of eye diameter to interocular space 1.00:3.25; dorsum slightly swollen posteriorly, depressed along the anterior margin of clypeus and in lateral areas anterior to eyes; anterior margin of clypeus arcuate, slightly emarginate medially; surface densely and finely punctate, each side with rectangular impression posterior to antennal socket; antennae long, extending to apical third of elytra, antennomere I clavate, II short and expanded apically, III–XI subcylindrical, ratio of antennomere lengths as follows: 20:10:16:21:23:21:22:20:20:19:21.

Pronotum subquadrate, about 0.85 times as wide as head, about as long as wide; anterior margin almost straight; posterior margin arcuate, but feebly indented medially; lateral margins feebly arcuate, constricted anterior to posterior angles; anterior angles rounded; posterior angles slightly protruding and obtuse; disc swollen, with a pair of rounded elevations posterolaterally; antero-lateral areas hollowed; medio-longitudinal furrow distinct in center of disc; surface matted, finely and sparsely punctate. Scutellum triangular with rounded apex. Elytra collectively at maximal width about 1.7 times as wide as pronotum, about 2.8 times as long as wide, lateral margins subparallel in basal one-fifth, diverging posteriorly, reaching maximal width at apical fourth; surface densely and coarsely punctate, but fine and sparse anteriorly. Prosternal process concave apically. Mesoventrite obviously convex medially. Legs very slender; femora nearly straight; tibiae nearly straight but somewhat bent.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 49–51 ). Ventral process of each paramere clavate, slightly curved inwards apically; dorsal plate of each paramere broad, horn-shaped, moderately curved inwards, obtuse apically; each laterophyse considerably curved dorsad, apically acute, laterophyses globular, swollen basally.

Female. Unknown.

Diagnosis. This new species is somewhat similar to Stenothemus seediq Hsiao, 2015 and S. cou Hsiao, 2015 in appearance, and S. owadai Okushima & M. Satô, 1997 in the shape of the aedeagus. It can be distinguished from S. seediq and S. cou by: 1) its chestnut brown head and pronotum, elytra without maculae, which is darker, with numerous rounded fuscous maculae on elytra in S. seediq and S. cou ; and 2) the structure of aedeagus, especially the curved inwards dorsal plate of each paramere, which is long-triangular in S. seediq and curved outwards in S. cou . It can be distinguished from S. owadai by: 1) feebly arcuate lateral margins of pronotum, which is distinctly arcuate in S. owadai ; and 2) the structure of aedeagus, especially the curved inwards dorsal plate of each paramere, and more curved laterophyses, but in S. owadai , dorsal plate of each paramere is curved outwards and laterophyses is less curved.

Notes. The right ventral process of the paramere of the holotype was damaged.

Etymology. The specific epithet is named after the constellation “ Vulpecula ” which is Latin for “little fox”, also referring to the small-sized body and the chestnut brown coloration of individuals of this species.

Distribution. Taiwan (endemic).

Figures

FIGURES 39 – 42. Habitus, dorsal view. 39 – 40. Stenothemus lupus sp. nov.; 41. S. gemini sp. nov.; 42. S. vulpecula sp. nov. Male holotypes: 39, 41 – 42; Female paratypes: 40. Scale bars = 5.0 mm.

FIGURES 43 – 51. Aedeagus. 43 – 45. Stenothemus lupus sp. nov.; 46 – 48. S. gemini sp. nov.; 49 – 51. S. vulpecula sp. nov. Ventral view: 43, 46, 49; Lateral view: 44, 47, 50; Dorsal view: 45, 48, 51. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.