Maechidius bintang, Telnov, 2020

Telnov, Dmitry, 2020, A revision of the Maechidiini Burmeister, 1855 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from the Indo-Australian transition zone, and the first record of the tribe west of Wallace’s Line, European Journal of Taxonomy 721, pp. 1-210 : 29-30

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2020.721.1127

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:89E62EF8-2E45-4C59-94B7-6A5603E8939B

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4344327

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/D31E9842-D637-451B-A79A-8E4E188EEF7F

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:D31E9842-D637-451B-A79A-8E4E188EEF7F

treatment provided by

Valdenar

scientific name

Maechidius bintang
status

sp. nov.

Maechidius bintang View in CoL sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D31E9842-D637-451B-A79A-8E4E188EEF7F

Figs 26–27 View Figs 25–27 , 102 View Figs 97–108 , 204 View Figs 193–207 , 294 View Figs 286–301 , 366, 460, 568, 586–588

Differential diagnosis

This new species strongly resembles Maechidius pauxillus Heller, 1910 comb. rest. and M. speciosus ( Frey, 1969) comb. nov. (both from Finisterre Mts., NE New Guinea), distinguishable primarily by the structure of the male genitalia (laterally dentate parameres, in particular), lateral margins of pronotum hardly converging anteriad in anterior third (constricted in most specimens of M. pauxillus comb. rest. and in holotype of M. speciosus comb. nov., Figs 41 View Figs 38–41 , 46 View Figs 46–49 ), less strong transverse pronotum which is about 1.3 × as broad as long (1.8–1.9 × in M. pauxillus comb. rest., 1.7 × in M. speciosus comb. nov.), absence of lateral median tooth-like angulation on pronotum (widest part of pronotum is on acute median angulations in M. speciosus comb. nov., Fig. 46 View Figs 46–49 ), pronotal disc coarser and denser punctured, and the opaque surface of the elytra (elytra smooth in M. speciosus comb. nov.).

Etymology

Toponymic. The name derives from Penugungan Bintang, an Indonesian name for the Star Mountains, on the southern foothills of which this species was first collected. Noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype INDONESIA • ♂; “INDONESIA E, New Guinea , Papua Prov. , Star Mountains , Oksibil 22-27 km SSE, 5 km around Beringin vill. (05°05’01”S, 140°43’27”E), 320-250 m, 12-14.III.2018, primary & secondary lowland rainforest”; NME. GoogleMaps

Description

MEASUREMENTS. Holotype, total body length 7.95 mm. Head 1.50 mm long, across eyes 1.86 mm wide. Pronotum 1.80 mm long, maximum width 2.35 mm. Elytral length 4.55 mm, maximum combined width 3.40 mm.

Dorsum dark brown to black, elytra with irregular slightly paler markings, especially along carinae. Dorsal colouration covered by numerous paler scale-like setae (see below). Venter uniformly dark brown. Head transverse, subopaque dorsally and ventrally, with large slightly prominent compound eyes occupying over half side of head. Frons with large obtuse hump at inner margin of each eye. Male labroclypeus ( Fig. 102 View Figs 97–108 ) with broad shallow emargination, its lateral margins sinuous in dorsal, nearly straight in lateral view. Anterolateral angles acute, protruding anteriad and raised up at angle of nearly 90° to frons in lateral view. Anterior margin of labroclypeus smooth and with dense round punctures. Canthus nearly straight in dorsal view. Punctures of frons deep, of irregular oblong shape, small to large. Intervening spaces vary strongly in size, in part glossy and glabrous, in part covered with microscopical velvety pubescence. Except on anterior margin of labroclypeus, suberect dirty yellowish scale-like seta rising from each puncture. Setae smaller and more rounded on anterior and basal parts of head dorsum, becoming elongate clavate and smaller along frons midline (therefore midline looks sparser setose), but becoming very large and strongly clavate, in part suberect, on dorsal humps and along inner margins of eyes ( Fig. 102 View Figs 97–108 ). Anterior margin of labroclypeus with row of long cilia-like setae, lateral margins with elongate-clavate scales. Male antenna 9-segmented, club 3-lamellate. Scape large, strongly clavate-like widened and very densely microreticulate, provided with several long erect setae on posterior margin and with two very long erect setae in distal half of anterior margin. Antennomere 2 short and broad, transverse. Pronotum transverse, subopaque laterally but shiny on disc. Anterior margin of pronotum slightly sinuous with anterolateral angles and mesal portion slightly protruding anteriad. Basal margin of pronotum very broadly rounded. Lateral margins of pronotum almost parallel in anterior half, slightly constricted in basal third, up to constriction all along with weakly defined crenulae, constriction area nearly smooth ( Fig. 204 View Figs 193–207 ). Lateral margin of pronotum hardly sinuous in lateral view. Pronotal punctures coarse and deep, variably oblong on disc, becoming smaller and regularly circular but hardly shallower at lateral margins. Setae dirty yellowish, scale-like, generally tiny to very large seta rising from anterior margin of each puncture. Setae longer clavate and erect mesally on anterior margin, arranged in two longitudinal groups facing frons’ humps ( Figs 26 View Figs 25–27 , 204 View Figs 193–207 ). Between these two groups and posterior to them setae minute (not surpassing length of corresponding punctures), but again becoming larger and more elongate just before pronotal constriction (also arranged in two groups and separated medially). Between second group of longer setae and base only minute setae present. Two nearly straight lines of extremely enlarged clavate setae present on sides of pronotum and covering posterolateral angles. These setae becoming much smaller in anterior fourth of pronotum and expanding outwards reaching anterolateral angles. Lateral area between anterior and posterior angles of pronotum very minutely setose. Underside of anterolateral angles also with large elongate-clavate scales. Hypomeron flangelike, with short and shallow emargination opposite to eye (to receive canthus separating compound eye) provided with some very long and few shorter setae. Antennal pocket deep. Scutellar shield triangular, pointed apically. Elytra rather slender cylindrical, maximum width across median third, opaque and convex dorsally, with prominent rounded humeri. Large hump near apex on each elytron, provided with obtuse glossy glabrous notch at base. Tracks of two longitudinal carinae on each elytron additionally to glabrous glossy and almost complete juxtasutural carina. Punctures deep, of irregular oblong shape, irregular in size ( Fig. 294 View Figs 286–301 ). Intervening spaces subopaque, in part covered with microscopical velvety pubescence. Dorsal setae scale-like. Generally, tiny to very large seta rising from anterior margin of each puncture. Longer setae elongate clavate and sparse, minute setae elongate ovoid, not surpassing length of corresponding punctures. Epipleuron densely covered by rather small clavate scales. Male pygidium densely and deeply punctured, except for margins covered with large strongly clavate setae all pointing obliquely to middle ( Fig. 460 View Figs 451–468 ); intervening spaces subopaque. Anterior margin with minor scale-like setae not surpassing length of corresponding punctures. Along distal margin with longer and stronger elongate clavate setae. Abdominal ventrites much less coarse punctured than dorsum, laterally with small scale-like clavate setae. Abdominal ventrites with no track of lateral longitudinal ridge. Legs long and slender, femora and tibiae covered with minute scale-like setae. Protibia straight, meso- and metatibia stouter than protibiae and gradually thickened distally, on inner margin each provided with row of ordinary setae. Protibia with track of inconspicuous and interrupted carina on dorsal surface. Two teeth on external margin of male protibia: one pointed distal and other broad obtuse inconspicuous basal short distance from distal one (Fig. 366). Tibial spurs not paired, those of pro- and mesotibiae strongly curved. Tarsal claws strong, strongly curved, provided with large pulvilli (in males only?). Spiculum gastrale as in Fig. 568 View Figs 545–569 . Male aedeagus as in Figs 586–588 View Figs 586–600 .

Sexual dimorphism

Female is unknown.

Ecology

Occurs in primary lowland rainforests at ~ 250–359 m altitude. Possible diurnal.

Distribution

Hitherto only known from the southern foothills of the Star Mountains, Central Cordillera of New Guinea.

NME

Sammlung des Naturkundemseum Erfurt

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Scarabaeidae

SubFamily

Melolonthinae

Tribe

Maechidiini

Genus

Maechidius

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