Pseudamblyopus sinicus Liu & Li, 2021

Liu, Jing, Lu, Weicheng, Zang, Haoming & Li, Jing, 2021, First record of the genus Pseudamblyopus (Coleoptera, Erotylidae) in China, with description of a new species, ZooKeys 1040, pp. 25-31 : 25

Pseudamblyopus sinicus Liu & Li sp. nov. Figures 1 , 2-14

Material examined.

Holotype (MHBU), ♂: China; Guangdong Province, Nankun Mountain ; 23°09'1.47"N, 113°20'42.70"E; VII/30/2010; Hao Yu Liu, leg. Paratype (MHBU), (1 ♀). 1 ♀: same data as holotype .

Diagnosis.

Body oval, distinctly convex dorsally, smooth and glossy; general color reddish brown. Pronotum with basal border of pronotum slightly infuscate and one black semicircular spot at basal middle, scutellar shield, elytra, basal border of prosternum, mesoventrite, metaventrite and abdominal ventrites black. Antennomere III slightly longer than antennomeres IV and V combined. Terminal maxillary palpomere triangular, about 1.8 × as wide as long. Pronotum nearly trapezoidal, convex dorsally; 1.6 × as wide as long, finely and closely punctured. Tibiae strongly expanding at apex.

Comparison.

This species is similar to Pseudamblyopus similis due to the shape and color of the body. The new species can be identified using the above key to species. It is distinguished by its pronotum having the black semicircular spot at the basal border; scutellar shield subangulate posteriorly; basal border of prosternum, mesoventrite, metaventrite, and abdominal ventrites black. In contrast to the new species, P. similis has its pronotum without black spot; scutellar shield rounded posteriorly; basal border of prosternum, mesoventrite, metaventrite, and abdominal ventrites reddish brown.

Description.

Body length: 4.6-5.1, width: 3.0-3.2mm. Body oval, distinctly convex dorsally, smooth and glossy, general color reddish brown, basal border of pronotum slightly infuscated, with one black semicircular spot at basal middle, scutellar shield, elytra and basal border of prosternum, mesoventrite, metaventrite and abdominal ventrites black (Fig. 1 ).

Head (Fig. 2 ) large, with and dense punctures. Labrum semicircular, with golden pubescence at anterior border; mandibles protruding; clypeus with narrow border and lateral continuations nearly reaching eyes, feebly emarginate in middle, with one fovea on each side of base; frontoclypeal suture incomplete. Compound eye large, moderately prominent, finely faceted; interocular distance 0.62 × width of head. Antennae (Fig. 3 ) short, extending to basal half of pronotum, with golden setae; antennomere I (scape) rather large; antennomere II subtriangular; antennomere III slightly longer than antennomere IV and V combined; antennomeres VI-VIII nearly equal; antennomere VII and VIII somewhat expanding; antennomeres IX and X bowl-shaped and much wider than long, antennomere XI (width: length = 1.67:1) irregularly rounded; relative lengths of antennomeres II-XI: 1.1: 2.9: 1.1: 1.4: 1.0: 1.0: 1.1: 2.0: 2.3: 2.3. Maxillary terminal palpomere (Fig. 4 ) triangular, sides rounded, nearly 1.8 × as wide as long. Labial terminal palpomere (Fig. 5 ) subcylindrical. Mentum (Fig. 6 ) with subtriangular plate, both sides with marginal border, middle area depressed; submentum (Fig. 6 ) finely and sparsely punctured, with few setae.

Pronotum (Fig. 7 ) nearly trapezoidal, widest at basal, convex dorsally; finely and densely punctured. Anterior margin shallowly bisinuate, with narrow and complete marginal border; lateral margins broadly rounded, with expressed border; basal margin weakly bisinuate, with border at both sides, but not along median antescullar part. Anterior and posterior angles rounded, each with one pore. Prosternum (Fig. 8 ) almost impunctate laterally, with fine and sparse punctures medially, with golden setae; anterior border produced to short point in middle, with narrow and complete marginal border; prosternal process with subtriangular depression at apical emargination, surface with golden pubescence; prosternal lines extending anterior margin of procoxal cavities. Scutellar shield large, subpentagonal, transverse, with fine and dense punctures, subangulate posteriorly. Elytra with eight striae bearing distinct and rather coarse punctures.

Mesoventrite (Fig. 9 ) wide, each side with one shallow depression. Metaventrite coarsely punctured at sides and finely punctured in middle; postmesocoxal lines long, extenging to basal 3/5 of metaventrite. Abdomen with coarse and dense punctures laterally and slightly finer ones medially; postmetacoxal lines extending to basal 3/4 of ventrite I.

Legs short, femora dilated medially; tibiae (Fig. 10 ) subtriangular.

Male genitalia (Fig. 11 ): median lobe weakly curved, gradually narrow from base to apex; median strut long, with apex dilated and about as long as median lobe. Flagellum present and without sclerite at base.

Female genitalia (Figs 12 , 13 ): ovipositor with narrow styli at apex of coxite, covered with long setae; spermatheca (Fig. 14 ) nearly oval.

Distribution.

China (Guangdong Province).

Etymology.

The species epithet means Chinese.

Figures

Figure 1. Dorsal habitus of Pseudamblyopus sinicus sp. nov. Scale bar: 1.00 mm.

Figures 2 - 14. Pseudamblyopus sinicus sp. nov. 2 head 3 antenna 4 maxillary palpus 5 labial palpus 6 mentum and submentum 7 pronotum 8 prosternum 9 mesoventrite 10 protibia and protarsus 11 aedeagus, lateral view 12, 13 ovipositor, ventral, and dorsal views 14 female spermatheca. Scale bars: 0.25 mm (a), 0.5 mm (b).