Ithyphenes marinae Kirejtshuk et Kovalev, 2022

Kirejtshuk, Alexander G. & Kovalev, Alexey V., 2022, Monograph on the Cillaeinae (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) from the Australian Region with comments on the taxonomy of the subfamily, Zootaxa 5103 (1), pp. 1-133 : 97-100

38. Ithyphenes marinae Kirejtshuk et Kovalev , sp. nov.

Figs 29 , A–K

LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F3AFD105-09F5-4DF0-8EAC-C8C867676FFB

Type specimens examined. Australia, QLD: Holotype, male ( ANIC)—“Cape York Pen., NQ, Iron Range , 16 Oct. 1974 ”, “ M.S. & B.J. Moulds ”; paratypes: 1 ex, male ( ANIC)—“Cape York Pen., NQ, Iron Range, 20 May 1974 ”, “ Collr. M. Walford Huggins ”; 1 ex, male ( ZIN)—“ 12.43S 143.17E, 9 km ENE of Mt. Tozer, QLD, 5–10 July 1986 T. Weir & A. Calder ”; 1 ex, male ( QMB)—“McIlwraith Ra., NE Coen, Cape York Pen., 29.vi–5.vii 1976, N Q., J.F. Donaldson.”

Diagnosis. This new species differs from other Australian congeners ( Ithyphenes australiaensis sp. nov. and I. rectifrons sp. nov.) in the somewhat larger and wider body, with longer head (temples about 2.5× as long as long eye), frons with moderately long three processes (tridentate), slightly curved scape and less compact antennal club (antennomeres 9 and 10 rather separated), shorter pronotum (slightly longer than wide) with very narrowing posterior half, obliterated punctation on upper sclerites and unexpressed longitudinal rows on elytra, unexpressed antennal grooves, abdominal segments 5 and 6 almost 2.0 × wider than long, male pygidium about 1.3 × as long as wide, mentum about 4.0 × as long as wide (at median part between its median concavity) with moderately projecting anterior angles, apex of prosternal process about 3.0 × as wide as distance between procoxae, male hypopygidium slightly shorter than wide (clearly transverse—about 0.7 × as wide as long). Ithyphenes marinae sp. nov. by some separate characters is somewhat similar to some Indo-Malayan species which were proposed in composition of “ Ithyphenes ” sensu Murray, 1864 , although the elytra of this new species are markedly longer than in the species “ Ithyphenes ” sensu Murray, 1864 , and more similar to those in species of “ Platynema ” sensu Ritsema, 1885 . Ithyphenes marinae sp. nov. shows the most considerable similarity in the body shape with I. longiceps comb. nov. and I. sauteri with rather long elytra, however, this new species is distinct from both in the subunicolorous reddish or only slightly darkened (not blackish) elytral apices, markedly longer antennal club, widened anterior part of frons with tridentate anterior edge, somewhat longer elytra and lack of very long hairs along pterothorax and abdomen; and also the first of two lastly mentioned species in the lack of depression between head with very dense punctures, longer prothorax, shorter male pygidium with widely rounded (not angularly excised) apex; and also from the second in the slightly longer head and pronotum, traced short and almost inconspicuous hairs on elytra, longer male pygidium with narrower apex.

Besides, Ithyphenes marinae sp. nov. can be compared also with the species formerly included into “ Ithyphenes ” sensu Murray, 1864 , particularly, with the following species:

– with I. bakeri but this new species having the smaller, longer and narrower body with subunicolorous reddish or only slightly darkened (not blackish) elytral apices, elongate (not transverse) head and pronotum, clearly seriate elytral punctation, scape not enlarged apically, longer antennal club, widened anterior part of frons with tridentate anterior edge, markedly longer elytra, traced short hairs on elytra, wider abdominal segments, wider apex male pygidium, more stout subtriangular tibiae, comparatively narrower apex of prosternal process with much wider lateral projections;

– with I. bouchardi but this new species differing the smaller longer and narrower body with subunicolorous reddish or only slightly darkened elytral apices, elongate (not transverse) head and pronotum, widened anterior part of frons with tridentate anterior edge, markedly longer and subparallel-sided elytra, traced short hairs on elytra, narrower and longer male pygidium, subtruncate apex of male pygidium, much shorter mentum, not isolated median plate of prosternum;

– with I. cucujiformis but this new species demonstrating the smaller, longer and narrower body with subunicolorous reddish (not very darkened to blackish), elongate (not transverse) head, somewhat longer pronotum, slightly curved scape, somewhat longer antennal club with more separated antennomeres 9 and 10, widened anterior part of frons with tridentate anterior edge, somewhat longer elytra, traced short hairs on elytra, shorter and wider abdominal segments, shape of mentum, lack of distinct antennal grooves, much narrower femora (particularly metafemur);

– with I. gestroi but this new species possessing the smaller, longer and narrower body with subunicolorous or only slightly darkened (not blackish) elytral apices, elongate (not transverse) head and pronotum, head without depression with dense and very coarse punctures, shorter antennal club with separated antennomeres 9 and 10, widened anterior part of frons with tridentate anterior edge, markedly longer elytra, traced short hairs on elytra, wider abdominal segments, longer male pygidium.

Etymology. The epithet new species is formed the name of the wife of the first author of this monograph ( Marina Victorovna Kirejtshuk ).

Description of holotype (male). Length of body with abdomen 7.6, length without abdomen 5.0, width 1.1, height 0.7 mm. Elongate, subflattened dorsally and rather convex ventrally; subunicolorous reddish with somewhat darkened elytra; moderately shining; subglabrous, although elytra with very short and almost inconspicuous hairs (visible only at high magnification), posterior edge of pronotum with dense microsetae, abdominal sclerites with short and thin scarcely conspicuous yellowish setae, posterior edge of anal sclerire with rather thin and long hairs.

Head and pronotum with punctures, slightly coarser than eye facets, separated by 3.0–5.0 × greater than one puncture diameter, interspaces between them smooth to slightly alutaceous, but between eyes punctures markedly coarser; elytra only with weak and slightly oblique striae coordinated with shallow sparse punctures in bottom of striae traced along suture, and punctation along lateral edges becoming diffuse (punctures about as coarse as those on head and pronotum); exposed abdominal dorsal sclerites with punctures about as those on head and pronotum, and with interspaces smoothly microreticulate. Prosternum and metaventrite with rather fine and very sparse punctures along middle, interspaces between punctures smooth in middle and smoothly microreticulate at sides.

Head widest at eyes and slightly arcuately narrowing posteriorly, temples slightly more than 2.0 × as long as eye. Anterior part of frons widened anteriorly and flattened, its anterior edge with three comparable raised teeth (median one and one couple of lateral ones). Labrum slightly exposed from under frons (not extended beyond teeth of frons) and with truncate anterior edge of lobes. Mandibles moderately stout and with bidentate apex strongly curved downwards, their anterior and lateral edge gently rounded. Antennae 1.2 × as long as head wide, scape comparatively narrow and slightly curved, almost 3.0 × as long as each of antennomeres 2 and 3, antennomere 2 (pedicel) slightly thicker than antennomere 3, oblong club slightly more than 0.2 × of total antennal length, somewhat more than 1.5 × as long as wide and with antennomere 9 slightly smaller than antennomere 10 and these antennomeres somewhat separated from each other, antennomere 11 markedly smaller than antennomeres 9 and 10, its apex widely rounded.

Pronotum about 1.1 × as long as wide and arcuately narrowing posteriorly, anterior edge almost straight and posterior one evenly convex, posterior angles widely rounded. Scutellar shield subtriangular, about 2.5 × as wide as long. Elytra slightly widening posteriorly, nearly 1.2 × as long as their combined width, moderately steeply sloping at very narrowly explanate sides.Abdomen slightly wider than pronotum with segment 4 almost completely exposed dorsally and with laterosternites clearly widened posteriorly, segment 5 more than 2.0 × as wide as long, tergite VI somewhat longer than tergite V; postbasal lines of tergite V well expressed and its lateral ends not extended behind middle of tergite, postbasal lines of tergite VI well expressed and its lateral ends reaching middle of tergites. Pygidium nearly 1.3 × as long as wide, widely rounded to subtruncate at apex.

Pregenal processes comparatively narrow and at wide hypostomal sinuses subarcuately curved. Terminal maxillary palpomere about 4.0 × as long as thick and subfusiform. Terminal labial palpomere about 4.0 × as long as thick and subcylindrical. Mentum arcuately widening anteriorly and with strongly projecting anterior angles, sides of mentum nearly 4.0 × as long as its median part. Antennal grooves narrow somewhat expressed along inner edge of eye. Median plate of prosternum almost flatly widened anteriorly from prosternal process. Prosternal process strongly widened before subtruncate apex, its apex more than 3.0 × as wide as distance between procoxae. Distance between procoxae about 0.5 × as great as length of antennal club, and somewhat smaller than that between mesocoxae and almost subequal to that between metacoxae. Mesothoracic median plate distinctly isolated by lateral ridges not extending anteriorly from anterior edge of mesocoxae. Metaventrite subflattened and with clear discrimen in distal half. Metepisterna gradually narrowing posteriorly but emarginate at base and at base about as wide as mesotarsomere 1. Abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 subequal in length and each of them markedly shorter than ventrite 3, ventrite 4 longest. Hypopygidium somewhat transverse and with shallowly emarginate posterior edge.

Meso- and metafemora of nearly 3.0 × as wide as corresponding tibiae but metafemur considerably wider. Protibia somewhat narrower than antennal club, comparatively coarsely serrate along outer edge. Meso- and metatibiae somewhat narrower than protibia, with two distinct rows of short and stout spines along outer edge. Protibia with moderately long and stout spur, meso-and metatibiae with somewhat shorter and thiner spurs. Tarsi with widest tarsomere 1 (markedly wider than antennomere 2), following tarsomeres thinner, claws slightly dentate at base.

Anal sclerite with subtruncate and serrate apex bearing 10 teeth of different size. Aedeagus moderately sclerotized and comparatively small; tegmen somewhat arcuate to subtruncate at apex; penis trunk about as long as tegmen or somewhat longer and nearly widely rounded to subtruncate at apex; inner sac of penis with two very long and narrow sclerites approached to each other along entire length.

Variations. Body length 5.5–7.8 mm. The general body coloration in the paratypes is lighter than that in the holotype (straw yellowish to reddish); anterior part of head and mandible of one of the paratypes darkened to black; mandibles of all paratypes not so strongly curved. Some variability is observed also in punctation.

Distribution. This species is known only from Queensland (Cape York).

Figures

FIGURE 29. Ithyphenes marinae sp. nov., orig. A–G, I–K: holotype, male from QLD (“… Iron Range…”); H, J: paratype, male from QLD (“… 9 km ENE of Mt. Tozer…”); A: body, dorsal; B: head, dorsal; C: head, ventral; D: thorax, ventral; E: terminal abdominal segment, ventral; F: male anal sclerite and spiculum gastrale, ventral; G–H: tegmen, ventral; I–J: penis trunk, dorsal; K: proximal part of inner sac with armature. Scale bars: a = 1.0 mm to Fig. A; b = 1.0 mm to Figs B–E; с = 0.25 mm to Figs F–K.