Prionocyphon babai, Yoshitomi, 2010

Yoshitomi, Hiroyuki, 2010, A new species of Prionocyphon from Taiwan (Coleoptera: Scirtidae: Scirtinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50 (2), pp. 529-533 : 529-532

Prionocyphon babai sp. nov.

(Figs. 1–9)

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J (EUM),‘Pa Lon, Tao Yuen Hsien, N-Taiwan 28. V. 1989 Col. K. Baba’.

Description. Male. Body (Fig. 1) oval, strongly convex dorsally, strongly shiny, closely covered with easily removable setae. Coloration of head, pronotum, scutellum, and ventral surface of thorax blackish-brown; antennae, abdomen and legs pale brown; elytra pale

Habitus of Prionocyphon babai sp. nov.,, male.

brown, with five black maculations; humeral ones oval and small; median one large and oval, situated around the scutellum; posterior ones large, protruding from basal 2/5 to near apex.

Head large, slightly convex dorsally, finely punctuate; eyes large, strongly prominent; distance between eyes about 2.8 times as long as the maximum diameter of an eye. Clypeus relatively long, subparallel-sided, with front margin straight. Labrum transverse, gently arcuate in front margin. Antennae ( Fig. 2 ) long and slender, reaching about proximal 2/5 of elytra, antennomeres IV–X pectinate; scape large, strongly arcuate in anterior margins; pedicel ovate, smaller than scape; antennomeres III smallest, with diagonal distal margins; antennomeres IV–X shorter than those of respective rami which are arising from base; antennomeres XI longest; approximate ratio of each segment (n = 1, each ramus in parentheses) as 5.1: 2.1: 1.0: 3.6 (6.1): 2.9 (5.7): 2.4 (9.7): 3.0 (10.4): 3.3 (10.0): 3.6 (10.0): 4.9 (7.1): 7.1. Pronotum strongly convex dorsally in mesal portion, finely punctate; anterior margin bisinuate; lateral and posterior margins gently arcuate; antero-lateral corners rectangular, slightly projecting anteriorly; postero-lateral corners about 120°; PW/PL 2.26. Scutellum subtriangular, about 1.2 times as long as wide, punctation as on pronotum. Elytra oval, strongly convex dorsally, closely and strongly punctate, widest at the middle; humeri distinctly elevated; EL/EW 1.20; EL/PL 3.79; EW/PW 1.39; TL/EW 1.52.

Caudal margin of sternite VIII ( Fig. 3 ) gently arcuate. Tergite VIII ( Fig. 4 ) moderately sclerotized, trapezoidal, bearing short spines along caudal margin, sparsely covered with short setae in caudal portion, with a pair of long apodemes. Tergite IX ( Fig. 6 ) slightly sclerotized, trapezoidal, bearing short spines in caudal portion, bearing short setae in lateral portions, with a pair of long apodemes. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 5 ) moderately sclerotized, V-shaped, bearing short setae in apical portions. Sternite IX ( Fig. 7 ) slightly sclerotized, U-shaped, expanded apically, bearing short setae in apical portions. Tegmen ( Fig. 8 ) well sclerotized; basal portion subtrapezoidal; parameres long, pointed at apices, closely covered with short setae. Penis ( Fig. 9 ) long, 1.2 times as long as tegmen; pala wide, subtrapezoidal, straight in basal margin; parameroids long, sparsely punctate, pointed at apices; trigonium subtriangular, wide, 0.5 times as long as parameroids, pointed at apex.

Female unknown.

Measurements. Male (n = 1): TL 3.35 mm; PW 1.58 mm; PL 0.70 mm; EL 2.65 mm; EW 2.20 mm.

Remarks. This species is similar to the European and Near East species, Prionocyphon ornatus Abeille de Perrin, 1881 in having pectinate antennae and reddish yellow coloration with black spots on elytra, and distinguished from the latter by the following characteristics: 1) each antennomere having longer rami; 2) formation of elytral maculations ( P. ornatus has four maculations); 3) penis with wide and subtrapezoidal pala (subparallel-sided in P. ornatus ); 4) trigonium subtriangular, distinctly shorter than parameroids (elongate and slightly shorter than parameroids in P. ornatus ). This species is also distinguished from the other Taiwanese species by the following key.

Etymology. The species is dedicated to late Dr. K. Baba, who was the collector of the holotype.

Figures

Figs. 2–9. Prionocyphon babai sp. nov. 2 – antennomeres I–XI; 3 – sternites V–VII; 4 – tergite VIII; 5 – sternite VIII; 6 – tergite IX; 7 – sternite IX; 8 – tegmen in ventral view; 9 – penis in ventral view.