Poophylax falklandica Champion, 1916

Anderson, Roy & Fuller, Jennifer, 2005, Poophylax villosa, a New Species of Salpinginae (Coleoptera: Salpingidae) from the Falkland Islands, The Coleopterists Bulletin (London, England) 59 (4), pp. 423-432 : 423-432

Poophylax falklandica Champion

( Figs. 4–6 )

Poophylax falklandica Champion 1916:312 ; Blair 1928:15; Blackwelder 1945:453

Specimens Examined. East Falkland , Port Harriet peninsula (57 8 53 9 W, 51 8 14 9 S) ,

J. Fuller (2 exx.); West Falkland , Coastal Ridge, east side of Fox Bay (59 8 59 9 W,

51 8 59 9 S), J. Fuller (4 exx.); Isla de Los Estados, Bahia Colnett , Republic of Argentina ,

O. S. Flint and G. F. Hevel (7 exx.).

Redescription. Body elongate but convex with stout forebody and cordiform, transverse pronotum. Hind body narrowing from base to apex in the male when viewed from beneath, but more evenly rounded in the female, giving the female a more parallel-sided appearance. Body surface smooth and sparsely microsculptured ( Fig. 5 ). Punctures setate with very short hairs, visible at magnifications greater than 3 20, in the centre of the elytra ( Fig. 6 ). Hairs offset on the anterior flanks of punctures. Color of the dorsum yellow to reddish-yellow but a darker, brownishyellow shade predominates ventrally. Puncturation of both dorsum and venter strong and deep but generally diffuse. Legs stout and reddish-yellow. Body length 4.5–5.5 mm.

Head capsule broad in relation to the hind body and strongly transverse with eyes strongly convex and laterally protruding and neck massive and broad. Labrum heart-shaped and slightly transverse with anterior margin shallowly concave. Maxillary palps with obliquely truncate terminal joints. Antennal segments quadrate with segments 3–8 longer than broad. Frons with two unconnected lateral depressions rather than a u-shaped groove. Fronto-clypeal suture poorly developed but an impression is always evident. Centrally, frons with a low raised boss, sparsely punctured on margins but smooth in the middle. Puncturation of head strong but diffuse, except laterally where it is moderately close (interpunctal distances approximately equal to puncture diameters).

Pronotum cordiform and stout, slightly transverse (length to breadth ratio ¼ 0.87–0.91). Basal sinuation deep with distinct latero-basal incisions or carinae. Pronotum as wide as elytra at shoulders but narrower than maximum breadth of the elytra. Apical margin with a fine bead, but bead of basal margin more developed and sides immarginate. Puncturation strong but diffuse. Procoxal cavities open behind, but closed in front by a narrow sinuous ridge which is slightly offset and raised. Prosternal process narrowed between the coxae then widening to a small projecting point.

Downloaded From: https://bioone.org/journals/The-Coleopterists-Bulletin on 26 Aug 2021

Terms of Use: https://bioone.org/terms-of-use Access provided by The Coleopterists Society Elytral striae regular and seto-punctate although hairs are very short except in the outer two

intervals ( Fig. 6 ). Close to centre of elytra hairs 0.01–0.02 mm long but up to 0.04 mm near apex.

Elytral intervals broad and flat, much broader than diameter of the strial punctures. Striae well

developed and regular to the elytral apex. Ventral puncturation variable but mostly strong, though

Downloaded From: https://bioone.org/journals/The-Coleopterists-Bulletin on 26 Aug 2021

Terms of Use: https://bioone.org/terms-of-use Access provided by The Coleopterists Society

430 shallow and diffuse in places with moderately long (0.04–0.06 mm) but sparse, adpressed pubescence. Scutellum much reduced and transverse, about three times broader than long. Elytral epipleura short, disappearing two-thirds the distance to the sutural angles. Apterous. Ratio of elytral length to pronotal length 2.93:1.

Tarsi with formula 5:5:4. Pro and mesotarsi with three broad and excavate, ventrally pilose basal joints and metatarsi with two. Penultimate tarsal joints are of simple construction. Antepenultimate joints very broad and prominently bilobate. First joint of metatarsus elongate and substantially longer than the second joint, and metatarsal claw joint shorter than joints 1–3 combined.

Aedeagus including tegmen large in proportion to body size, 1.2 mm long (n ¼ 4). Parameres fused and tapering strongly to apex with nearly acute ‘shoulders’, and sides above these strongly concave ( Fig. 4 ). Median lobe lying on the ventral side of these. Tegmen lacks parameral (lateral) lobes.

Figures

Figs. 3–4. Median lobes of the aedeagi. 3) A paratype of Poophylax villosa from Port Harriet, East Falkland; 4) An example of Poophylax falklandica from the Coastal Ridge, West Falkland. Pa ¼ parameres, Me ¼ median lobe, Bp ¼ basal piece. Scale bar ¼ 0.25 mm.

Fig. 5. Whole body SEM of a female specimen of Poophylax falklandica from the Coastal Ridge, Fox Bay, West Falkland.

Fig. 6. Close-up of the shoulder region of Poophylax falklandica, Coastal Ridge,West Falkland.