Leiodes ohtai, Hoshina, 2012

Hoshina, Hideto, 2012, Review of the tribes Sogdini and Leiodini from Japan and North Chishima Islands. Part II. Genera Hydnobius and Leiodes (Coleoptera: Leiodidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl. 1) 52, pp. 1-168 : 126-129

29. Leiodes ohtai sp. nov.

Japanese name: Ôta-ô-tamakinokomushi ( Figs. 85–86 )

Type locality. Japan, Ryukyus, Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa Island, Kunigami Village, Hentona, Forest Park.

Type material. JAPAN: RYUKYUS: HOLOTYPE: ♀, Okinawa Pref., Okinawa Is., Kunigami Village, Hentona, Forest Park , 8.iii.2003, H. Hoshina leg. ( TA) ( MNHAH).

Examined specimens of related species. L. matthiasi Švec, 1999 : PARATYPES: 1♂, 1♀, Kazakhstan,Taldy-KurganGeb., Lli-Tal, Altyn-Emel National park, 5.–13.v.1995, V. Lukhtanov leg. ( FUFJ).

Diagnosis. Body 2.4 mm long, ca. 1.7× as long as wide, relatively convex. Dorsum brown. Antennae relatively slender and antennomere 11 sharply curved in lateral view. Each elytron with nine distinct rows of punctures, subhumeral row reduced. Mesoventrite without distinct excavations between median carina and transverse carina. Median carina of mesoventrite low. Female abdominal sternite 8 with a spiculum ventrale.

Description. Measurements of holotype: Body length 2.4 mm; head 0.30 mm in length and 0.60 mm in width; pronotum 0.70 mm in length and 1.2 mm in width; elytra 1.5 mm in length and 1.4 mm in width.

Coloration. Dorsum shining, almost unicolor, brown; antennae brownish; antennomeres 1–6, 8, and apical 2/5 of antennomere 11 light brown; remaining antennomeres brown; legs brownish; all femora and tarsi light brown; remaining parts of legs brown; mesoventrite and metaventrite brown; abdominal ventrites light brown.

Body relatively convex ( Fig. 85B ).

Head almost impunctate, bearing two unpaired large shallow punctures near vertex ( Fig. 85A ); antennae relatively slender ( Fig. 85C ); antennomeres 1–4 each longer than wide; antennomeres 5 and 11 each about as long as wide; remaining antennomeres each wider than long; antennomere 11 round in ventral or dorsal view ( Fig. 85C ) but distinctly curved dorsally ca. at apical 2/5 and narrowed from about apical 2/5 towards apex in lateral view ( Fig. 85D ); relative lengths of antennomeres 2 to 11 – 3.8: 4.6: 3.0: 2.3: 1.8: 3.6: 1.0: 3.9: 3.9: 5.1.

Pronotum simply and very feebly curved at posterior margin, almost impunctate, widest at base.

Scutellum almost impunctate.

Elytra widest ca. at basal 1/4 ( Fig. 85A ), not transversely strigose, almost impunctate except for some additional discal punctures between rows of punctures ( Fig. 85E ); each elytron with nine rows of punctures, row 9 invisible in dorsal view, subhumeral row reduced ( Fig. 85B ); sutural stria fine, reaching from apex to ca. apical 2/5 of the elytral length.

Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Mesoventrite strongly microreticulate, impunctate, almost glabrous, without distinct excavation between median carina and transverse carina ( Fig. 85F ); median carina of mesoventrite low ( Fig. 85F ); metaventrite impunctate, almost glabrous, microreticulate except for almost smooth middle portion.

All tarsi slender; protibiae almost parallel at both sides ( Fig. 86C ); metafemur robust, with small dorsal projection posteroapically ( Fig. 86D ); metatibiae almost straight ( Fig. 86B ).

Abdominal sternite 8 with a spiculum ventrale at central point of anterior margin ( Fig. 86E ); coxites and stylus as shown in Fig. 86F .

Male. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Although it is custom to base the descirption of Leiodes species on males, L. ohtai sp. nov. is based only on one female specimen as it is very characteristic, having antennomere 11 distinctly curved dorsally in the lateral view ( Fig. 85D ), unlike all other Japanese species of the genus. Among Asian Leiodes species, L. matthiasi Švec, 1999 inhabiting Kazakhstan and China has similar antennae ( ŠVEC 1999, 2008). Leiodes ohtai sp. nov. can be distinguished from it by having a relatively slender and moderately convex body, almost impunctate pronotum, and relatively strong punctures comprising rows of the elytra. In contrast, L. matthiasi has a relatively robust and strongly convex body, sparsely punctate pronotum, and relatively fine punctures of the elytra. Leiodes ohtai sp. nov. also resembles L. badia (Sturm, 1807) in having a small body size, but can be separated from it by having a low median carina of the mesoventrite ( Fig. 85F ), whereas the median carina is highly raised in L. badia .

Etymology. This species is dedicated to Minoru Ôta (1891–1945) a famous admiral who acted in the Okinawa Island on which the type locality of this species is situated.

Distribution. Japan: Ryukyus (Okinawa Island).

Figures

Fig. 85. Leiodes ohtai sp. nov. A – body, dorsal view; B – ditto, lateral view; C – antenna; D – antennomere 11, lateral view; E – elytral punctures; F – mesoventrite, lateral view. Scale I: 1 mm for A and B; II: 0.2 mm for C, and 0.1 mm for D; III: 0.2 mm for F.

Fig. 86. Leiodes ohtai sp. nov. A – female fore leg, ventral view; B – female hind leg, ventral view; C – female protibia, dorsal view; D – female metafemur, dorsal view; E – female abdominal sternite 8; F – coxite and stylus. Scale I: 0.5 mm for A; II: 0.5 mm for B and D; III: 0.2 mm for C; IV: 0.5 mm for E; V: 0.1 mm for F.