Eucurtiopsis ibisca, Tishechkin, 2009

Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2009, Discovery of Chlamydopsinae (Insecta, Coleoptera, Histeridae) in Vanuatu with the description of eight new species from Espiritu Santo Island, Zoosystema 31 (3), pp. 661-690 : 674-676

Eucurtiopsis ibisca n. sp.

( Figs 8 ; 9 )

HOLOTYPE. — “ VANUATU:Espiritu Santo I., Cumberland Peninsula , Saratsi Range at 14.9626°S 166.6485°E. 300 m Flight intercept FL3A-1. 8-9 Nov 2006. A. K.Tishechkin AT634 / HOLOTYPE Eucurtiopsis ibisca sp. n. A. Tishechkin des. 2008”, ♂ point-mounted ( MNHN).

PARATYPE. — Saratsi Range, 14.9667°S, 166.6560°E, 900 m, flight intercept trap, 6-7.XI.2006, A.K.Tishechkin, also bears the following label “DNA Extraction TAK- 0004. May 2009 Baton Rouge”, 1 ♀ (damaged specimen, missing both elytra) ( MNHN).

ETYMOLOGY. — The specific epithet is a noun in apposition referring to IBISCA (Investigating BIodiversity from Soil to CAnopy, http://www.natuurwetenschappen. be/cb/ants/projects/ibisca_main.htm) program and team, an international group of researchers, which has been conducting insect inventory at Penaoru transect, in recognition of its great team spirit shaped during several expeditions and contributions to the knowledge of tropical insect diversity.

DESCRIPTION

L: 1.23; W: 0.83; E/Pn L: 1.79; E/Pn W: 1.63; Pn W/L: 1.08; E L/W: 1.01; Pr/Py: 0.89; sterna: 0.42, 0.08, 0.34; tibiae: 0.33, 0.42, 0.44. Body ( Fig. 8A ) elongate, pale rufescent brown, with funicle and antennae scape pale yellowish, body surface glabrous and shiny, prothorax substantially narrower than elytra. Frons 1.7 times longer than wide, sides weakly arcuate, incised at antennal bases, narrowed anteriorly, covered with deep, dense, mostly elongate punctures, with two parallel, longitudinal rows consisting of three irregular blunt tubercles arranged into indistinct ridges, each tubercle with a cluster of long branched setae; labrum weakly convex, semicircular, with few setae and punctures similar to that on frons; mandibles strongly bent, with long narrow tips, with few setae and no punctures on smooth outer edges; maxillar palpi with three palpomeres, labial palpi with two palpomeres, mentum apparently present as separate sclerite; antennal scape elongate triangular, 1.5 times longer than wide, with inner edge weakly inwardly arcuate, its surface more or less flat, with apical angle bluntly rounded, disc with few punctures and branched setae; antennal funicle and club about 0.6 and 0.7 times length of scape, respectively, no sexual dimorphism in size and shape of antennae is apparent.

Pronotum ( Fig. 8A, C ) with posterior margin shallowly arcuate, with sides unmargined, shallowly concave, not narrowed anteriorly; antennal cavities partially visible from above, with pronotal margin not elevated above; medial portion of pronotal margin unelevated, weakly arcuate; marginal striae visible from above in basal fourth, then abruptly descending downwards to meet supracoxal striae, ascending again anteriorly towards antennal sockets; pronotal dorsum strongly convex, densely and deeply punctate throughout with deep elongate punctures, with eight parallel, longitudinal rows of blunt tubercles arranged into indistinct ridges, two outer ridges on each side much less regularly linearly arranged than discal ridges, each ridge consisting of 4-6 tubercles, clumps of elongate branched setae present on every tubercle.Prosternum ( Fig. 8B ) with anterior margin shallowly bisinuate, marginal stria thin, but distinct; prosternal disc evenly convex, keel elevated between procoxae, flattened, slightly expanded posteriorly, emarginate at apex, disc densely punctate throughout, areas in anterolateral angles free of punctuation, punctures primarily elongate, short branched setae scattered throughout the prosternum surface.

Scutellum ( Fig. 8A ) tiny, sunk below the elytralpronotal plane, poorly visible. Elytra ( Fig. 8A, C ) with sides arcuate, widest around anterior trichome process; humeral trichome prominent, elevated, longitudinally oriented, anterior process rising almost vertically at base till weak transverse ridge, weakly obliquely rising thereafter, surface of its posterior part slightly concave; posterior process less robust, evenly rising towards anterior one, its surface evenly convex; trichome with setae only along apical edges of processes, shallowly excavate beneath setose fringe, width of the fringe more than one-third of elytral width, trichome gap wide, about one-seventh of elytra length, fringe setae long and densely packed; dorsum of elytral disc strongly convex, with punctuation limited to middle of posterior half; punctures deep and elongate, sparsely spaced, branched setae present in clusters along suture (pair of clusters near scutellum, four pairs in posterior half), between trichomes (two pairs of clusters) and on disc in posterior half (two longitudinal rows of two and three clusters parallel to suture), posterior halves of anterior trichome elevation with scattered, appressed, short branched setae; sutural stria thin, but distinct, abbreviate in anterior half; epipleuron smooth and glabrous, with sparsely scattered, short branched setae; marginal epipleural stria distinct, elevated above metafemur, continuous with complete marginal elytral stria; traces of accessory epipleural stria present above mesofemur.

Mesoventrite ( Fig. 8B ) wide, short, weakly convex, bluntly projecting at middle, no traces of marginal stria present, surface with few deep, large, circular punctures in male and no punctation in female; mesometaventral suture and median suture of metaventrite finely impressed, complete, lateral striae of metaventrite present, elevated, enclosing largely impunctate depression for mesotibiae in repose; disc of metaventrite with some large, deep, circular punctures along anterior and lateral margins in males and no punctation in females; first abdominal ventrite similarly punctate throughout in males, impunctate in females, with postmetacoxal line originating at metacoxa, extended directly posteriorly close to edge of sternite, curving laterad, terminating freely just before reaching epipleuron; surfaces of meso- and metaventrite and first abdominal ventrite with scattered, short, inconspicuous branched setae. Profemora ( Fig. 8B, C ) with few punctures in basal two-thirds, with posterior margins obtusely angular in basal third, meso- and metafemora impunctate, their margins arcuate, metafemora much more robust than mesofemora; protibia with prominent angle at basal third of outer margins, meso- and metatibiae with outer margins more bluntly angulate, around midpoint; all tibiae longitudinally convex, meso- and metatibia with longitudinal sulci along inner edge; tarsi weakly compressed laterally about 0.5-0.6 times length of corresponding tibiae; tarsal claws simple, divergent, almost straight, about 0.3 times length of corresponding apical tarsomere.

Propygidium twice as wide as midline length, weakly convex; pygidium nearly as long as wide, weakly convex; both impunctate and with scattered clusters of branched long setae. Male genitalia as on Figure 9 .

Figures

FIG. 8. — Eucurtiopsis ibisca n. sp., habitus: A, dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, lateral view. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIG. 9. — Eucurtiopsis ibisca n. sp., male genitalia: A, aedeagus,dorsal view; B, same, lateral view; C, eighth sternite-tergite complex; D, ninth sternite (spiculum gastrale) and tergite.