Thysanarthria cardamona, Fikáček & Liu, 2019

Fikáček, Martin & Liu, Hsing-Che, 2019, A review of Thysanarthria with description of seven new species and comments on its relationship to Chaetarthria (Hydrophilidae: Chaetarthriini), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 59 (1), pp. 229-252 : 240

Thysanarthria cardamona sp. nov.

( Figs 5 F–J, 11 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂ ( NHMW), INDIA: KERALA: Cardamon Hills, 50 km NW of Pathanamthitta, Pambaiyar river , at light, 6.–9.v.1994, lgt. Z. Kejval. PARATYPES: 9 specimens ( NHMW, NMPC): same data as the holotype.

Description. Body length 1.4–1.7 mm (holotype 1.4 mm), maximum body width 0.8–1.0 mm (holotype 0.8 mm). Head and labrum black, pronotum and elytra uniformly yellowish; legs reddish to yellowish. Head with weak microsculpture on interstices; punctation sparse, each puncture bearing pointed seta. Eyes separated by 3.5× the width of one eye in dorsal view. Pronotum with sparse setiferous punctation similar to that on head; interstices with weak microsculpture. Elytra with 10 striae sharply impressed except anteromedially (near scutellar shield) where neither striae nor serial punctures are visible; intervals flat at midlength, weakly convex near apex; interval punctation sparse, setiferous; interstices without microsculpture. Aedeagus 0.5 mm long. Phallobase wide at base of parameres (but narrower than bases of parameres combined), strongly constricted at c. midlength into narrowly tubular base, in lateral view slightly bent shortly below parameral bases. Paramere wide basally, strongly narrowing up to the apical third, apical half membranous on outer face; apical part projecting into sharp tooth laterally and narrow rounded lobe mesally. Median lobe membranous, rounded apically, not widening subapically; subapically with a pair of rounded projections; apex not reaching the level of apex of parameres; gonopore transversely oval, situated below the base of paired projections.

Differential diagnosis. Thysanarthria cardamona is easy to distinguish by its very characteristic aedeagus which only slightly resembles that of T. brincki ; see under the latter species for the differences.

Etymology. The species name refers to the Cardamon Hills where the type locality of the species is situated.Adjective.

Biology. The type series was collected at light, no more information is available.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality.

Figures

Fig. 5. Male genitalia of Thysanarthria species, holotypes.A–E – T.brincki Hebauer, 2001 (A–C – whole aedeagus in dorsal, lateral and ventral view; D–E – detail of median lobe and parameres in dorsal and ventral view); F–J – T. cardamona sp. nov. (F–H – whole aedeagus in dorsal, lateral and ventral view; I–J – detail of median lobe and parameres in dorsal and ventral view); K–M – T. bengalensis Hebauer, 2001 (K – photo of the aedeagus before re-mounting; L – whole aedeagus in ventral view; M – whole aedeagus in lateral view).

Fig. 11. Distribution of Thysanarthria and American Chaetarthria in Asia (A–B) and Near East (C), and examples of habitats of Thysanarthria (D–F). Localities: D – India, Madhya Pradesh, Bhadhua Chora stream ca. 10 km E of Matkuli Jhir, habitat of T. ceylonensis Hebauer, 2001; E – Republic of South Africa, Western Cape, 8 km NEE of Stanford, habitat of T. atriceps (Régimber, 1903), collecting spot marked by an arrow; F–G – Taiwan, Wufeng distr., 4.3 km SEE of Chaoyang University of Technology, habitat of T. chui sp. nov. (G – detail of sandy shore with one alive beetle). Photo D by M. Jäch, photo E by M. Fikáček, F–G by H.-C. Liu.