Philharmostes fereocellatus, Ballerio, 2021

Ballerio, Alberto, 2021, The Ceratocanthinae of Madagascar and Comoro Islands: a revision of the genera Synarmostes and Goudotostes, and of the flightless Philharmostes, with description of 64 new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea, Hybosoridae), Fragmenta entomologica 53 (2), pp. 105-282 : 250-252

Philharmostes fereocellatus sp. nov.

( Figs 79 e-h, 85 i, 89) http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:13A694B2-5BE9-4709-B223-DBCCAD119222

Type series. Holotype, ♀, deposited in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA, labelled as follows: / CASTYPE 20290 / CASENT 8135330 / Madagascar: Fianarantsoa, forêt de Vevembe 66.6 km 293° WNW Farafangana elev 600 m 23 April 2006 22° 47’ 28” S 047° 10’ 55” E / California Acad. of Sciences coll. B. L. Fisher et al. maxi litter winkler extraction rainforest transitioning to montane forest code: BLF 14120/ Philharmostes fereocellatus n. sp. det. A. Ballerio 2020 Holotypus /. Paratypes: 2 ♀♀ (1 in CASC and 1 in ABCB), same collecting data as holotype .

Diagnosis. Philharmostes fereocellatus sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Philharmostes by the following combination of characters: a) flightlessness, b) dorsal ocular area small, c) head with clypeal disc covered by dense impressed short comma-shaped punctation, d) dorsum with brown colour, without metallic sheen, e) pronotal fore angles broadly truncate, f) pronotum with disc slightly raised with respect to sides, g) pronotal disc covered by sparse large almost ocellate punctation, h) elytral lateral carina complete, h) elytral lateral carina sharp, i) elytral punctation formed by ocellate punctures.

Description. HL: 0.8 mm; HW: 1.1 mm; PL: 1.0 mm; PW: 1.8 mm; EL: 2.2 mm; EW 2.0; overall morphology as in generic diagnosis. Small flightless Ceratocanthinae . Body convex. Brown, shiny, dorsum with setigerous punctures bearing a very short simple seta (40×), underside, tarsi and antennae reddish-brown, setation yellowish. Head: W/L ratio = 1.42; apical margin triangular with angle blunt and obtuse and sides weakly curved; genae distinctly produced outwards, acute; genal canthus complete, fused with the occipital portion of head; dorsal ocular area medium-sized, interocular distance about nine times the maximum width of dorsal ocular area, head dorsal surface covered by strongly impressed simple punctation mixed to some very fine simple setigerous puntures. Strongly impressed punctures simple on disc becoming then comma shaped centripetally, fore margin with some transverse large comma-shaped punctures. Interpunctural distance of simple and comma-shaped strongly impressed punctures once orv twice larger than the punctural diameter. Pronotum: short and transverse (W/L ratio = 1.92), convex, surface irregular with one shallow basal transverse impression at each side generating a thick raised basal bead; base and sides broadly rounded (dorsal view); fore margin complete, fore angles distinctly truncate, surface completely covered by dense medium-sized relatively shallow horseshoe-shaped punctures, with a short opening oriented centripetally. Each puncture bearing in the middle a very short simple seta. Interpunctural distance shorter than punctural diameter. Scutellum : covered by several small impressed horseshoe-shaped or ocellate punctures. Elytra: longer than wide (W/L ratio = 0.93); subrectangular (dorsal view); humeral callus visible; elytral surface convex, covered by dense (interpunctural distance much shorter than punctural diameter) impressed punctation. Punctures horseshoe-shaped with a narrow opening directed backwards mixed to few ocellate punctures especially on the distal third. Lateral carina distinct, thick, sharp and complete, broadly S-shaped (lateral view). Pseudoepileura covered by dense horseshoe-shaped shallow punctures with a broad opening directed towards lateral carina. Wings: flightless.

Etymology. Fusion of Latin adverb “fere” (=almost) and Latin adjective in the nominative singular “ocellatus” (= ocellate), due to the shape of the elytral punctures.

Distribution and habitat. Known only from the type locality in Eastern Madagascar. The type series was collected by sifting leaf litter in a transition forest between lowland and montane forest. The vegetation cover consists of “medium altitude moist evergreen forest” ( Goodman et al. 2018) also known as “humid forest” ( Moat & Smith 2007). The collecting locality falls within the protected area “Paysage harmonieux protegé du corridor forestier Ambositra-Vondrozo”.

Philharmostes indri sp. nov.

( Figs 81 a-d, 85 n, 86 a-c, 89) http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A10CCE43-E391-47A3-9380-0B8FDAD60818

Type series. Holotype, ♂, deposited in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA, labelled as follows: / CASTYPE 20291 / CASENT 8135273 / Madagascar: Toamasina Ambatovy 21 March 2004 18° 51’ 03” S 048° 19’ 17” E California Acad. of Sciences / colls: Malagasy ant team sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood) montane rainforest, elev. 1075 BLF 10501/ Philharmostes indri n. sp. det. A. Ballerio 2020 Holotypus /. Paratypes: 12 exx (sex unstated) (8 in CASC and 4 in ABCB), same collecting data as holotype. 4 exx. (sex unstated) (3 in CASC and 1 in ABCB): / Madagascar: Toamasina Ambatovy 12.4 km NE Moramanga elev. 1010 m, sifted litter, 3-6 March 2007 / 18° 50’ 59” S 048° 17’ 41” E California Acad. of Sciences coll. B. L. Fisher et al. montane rainforest BLF 16914 /. 1 ex. ( CASC): / Madagascar: Toamasina Ambatovy 12.4 km NE Moramanga elev. 1080 m, sifted litter, 4-7 March 2007 / 18° 50’ 22” S 048° 18’ 30” E California Acad. of Sciences coll. B. L. Fisher et al. montane rainforest BLF 16916 /. 4 exx. (sex unstated) (3 in CASC and 1 in ABCB): / Madagascar: Toamasina Ambatovy 12.4 km NE Moramanga elev. 1080 m, sifted litter, 4-7 March 2007 / 18° 50’ 22” S 048° 18’ 30” E California Acad. of Sciences coll. B. L. Fisher et al. montane rainforest BLF 16916 /. 2 exx. (sex unstated) ( CASC): / Madagascar: Toamasina Torotorofotsy. 24 Mar 2004 18° 52’ 15” S 048° 20’ 51” E California Acad. of Sciences / colls: Malagasy ant team sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood) mash edge, montane rainforest, elev. 1070 BLF 10627/. Futher material examined (excluded from the type series): 3 exx. (sex unstated) (2 in CASC and 1 in ABCB): / Madagascar: Toamasina Analamay 21 March 2004 18° 48’ 22” S 048° 20’ 13” E California Acad. of Sciences / colls: Malagasy ant team sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood) montane rainforest, elev. 1068 BLF 10502 /.

Diagnosis. Philharmostes indri sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Philharmostes by the following combination of characters: a) flightlessness, b) dorsal ocular area small, c) head with clypeal disc covered by dense impressed large simple punctation, d) dorsum with brown colour, without metallic sheen, e) pronotal fore angles broadly truncate, f) pronotum with disc slightly raised with respect to sides, g) pronotal disc covered by dense transverse impressed short comma-shaped punctation, h) elytral lateral carina interrupted twice or thrice, h) elytral lateral carina sharp, i) elytral basal third with parasutural area covered by dense comma-shaped punctures.

Description. HL: 0.6 mm; HW: 1.1 mm; PL: 0.9 mm; PW: 1.7 mm; EL: 1.7 mm; EW: 1.7; overall morphology as in generic diagnosis. Small flightless Ceratocanthinae . Body moderately convex. Dark brown, shiny, dorsum glabrous (40×), fore margin of clypeus, sides of pronotum, underside, tarsi and antennae reddish-brown. Head: W/L ratio = 1.37; apical margin triangular with angle blunt and obtuse and sides weakly curved; genae distinctly produced outwards, acute; genal canthus complete, fused with the occipital portion of head; dorsal ocular area medium-sized, interocular distance about eleven times the maximum width of dorsal ocular area, disc uniformly covered by strongly impressed simple punctation, fore margin with some transverse large comma-shaped punctures and a few irregular impressed transverse short lines. Interpunctural distance of simple punctures one or two times larger than the punctural diameter. Interpunctural distance of large comma-shaped punctures sorter than their width. Pronotum: short and transverse (W/L ratio = 1.85), weakly convex, surface irregular; base and sides broadly rounded (dorsal view); fore margin thick and limited to the median portion, not reaching the fore angles, fore angles truncate, base of disc embossed with two longitudinal depressions, disc covered by impressed comma-shaped puncturessurface completely covered by dense small-sized relatively shallow transverse comma-shaped punctures, becoming larger and horseshoe-shaped on sides, each puncture bearing in the middle a very short simple seta. Interpunctural distance shorter than punctural diameter. Scutellum : covered by several small impressed horseshoe-shaped or ocellate punctures. Elytra: as long as wide (W/L ratio = 1.00); distinctly rounded (dorsal view) with maximum width around one quarter of elytral length; humeral callus indistinct but marked by the thick starting point of lateral carina; elytral surface convex, covered by dense (interpunctural distance much shorter than punctural diameter) relatively shallow punctation. Punctures on proximal third horseshoe-shaped with a broad opening directed outwards. A narrow portion of disc, near elytral suture, where horseshoe-shaped punctures are replaced by sparser comma-shaped punctures with opening directed towards elytral suture; the remaining surface covered by dense horseshoe-shaped punctures with a short opening directed backwards. Lateral carina distinct, thick, sharp and interrupted twice or thrice, broadly S-shaped (lateral view). Pseudoepileura covered by dense broad horseshoe-shaped shallow punctures with a broad opening directed towards lateral carina. Wings: flightless. Male genitalia: aedeagus (L = 0.7 mm) with parameres as in Figs 86 a-b, spiculum gastrale (L = 0.6 mm) as in Fig. 86 c .

Etymology. Noun in apposition. Referring to the Indri ( Indri indri Gmelin, (1788)) , the largest living lemur, whose distribution P. indri sp. nov. shares at least partly.

Distribution and habitat. Known from three different collecting sites close to each other and located in the rainforests about 10 km north of Moramanga (Toamasina) in Eastern Madagascar. The type series was collected by sifting leaf litter in montane rainforest. The vegetation cover of all those areas consists of “medium altitude moist evergreen forest” ( Goodman et al. 2018) also known as “humid forest” ( Moat & Smith 2007). One of the collecting localities falls within the protected area “Aire Protégée de Torotorofotsy”.

Figures

Fig. 79 – Philharmostes apterus sp. nov., paratype, a, pronotum. b, ventral view of rolled up specimen; c, dorsal view of rolled up specimen; d, lateral view of rolled up specimen; Philharmostes fereocellatus sp. nov., holotype, e, dorsal view of distended specimen; f, ventral view of rolled up specimen; g, dorsal view of rolled up specimen; h, lateral view of rolled up specimen.

Fig. 81 – Philharmostes indri sp. nov., a, dorsal view of distended paratype; b, ventral view of rolled up paratype; c, dorsal view of rolled up paratype; d, lateral view of rolled up paratype; Philharmostes manomboensis sp. nov., e, dorsal view of distended paratype; f, ventral view of rolled up paratype; g, dorsal view of rolled up paratype; h, lateral view of rolled up paratype.

Fig. 86 – Aedeagi and spicula gastrales, a–c, Philharmostes indri sp. nov.; d–f, Philharmostes centralis sp. nov.; g–i, Philharmostes manomboensis sp. nov.