Eucurtiopsis degallieri, 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 : 670-674

Eucurtiopsis degallieri n. sp.

( Figs 6 ; 7 )

HOLOTYPE. — “ VANUATU: Santo I., Cumberland Peninsula , Saratsi Range at 14.9667°S 166.6560°E. 900 m Flight intercept FL9C-7. 16-17 Nov 2006. A.K.Tishechkin AT717 / DNA Extraction TAK-0003. May 2009 Baton Rouge / HOLOTYPE Eucurtiopsis degallieri sp. n. A. Tishechkin des. 2008”, ♂ point-mounted ( MNHN).

PARATYPE. — Saratsi Range, 14.9641°S, 166.6479°E, 600 m, flight intercept trap, 20-21.XI.2006, A. K. Tishechkin coll., 1 ♂ ( MNHN).

ETYMOLOGY. — Th e species is named after my colleague and friend Nicolas Dégallier of Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, in recognition of his contributions to the taxonomy of myrmecophilous and termitophilous Histeridae and Chlamydopsinae in particular.

DESCRIPTION

L: 1.64; W: 1.11; E/Pn L: 1.83; E/Pn W: 1.41; Pn W/L: 1.24; E L/W: 1.04; Pr/Py: 0.99; sterna: 0.47, 0.10, 0.41; tibiae: 0.41, 0.47, 0.49. Body ( Fig. 6A ) oval, rufescent brown, with antennae and legs somewhat paler, prothorax substantially narrower than elytra. Frons ( Fig. 6D ) 1.4 times longer than wide, sides weakly arcuate, incised at antennal bases, narrowed anteriorly, covered with shallow, sparse, circular punctures, with two parallel, longitudinal rows consisting of four irregular blunt tubercles arranged into indistinct ridges, each tubercle with a cluster of long branched setae; labrum weakly convex, semicircular, with few setae near tip, punctation similar to that on frons;mandibles strongly bent, with long narrow tips, with few setae and large shallow punctures on smooth outer edges; maxillar palpi with three palpomeres, labial palpi with two palpomeres, mentum apparently fused with submentum, with deep notches at laterobasal areas, separating suture not apparent; antennal scape elongate triangular, twice longer than wide, with inner edge weakly inwardly arcuate, its surface more or less flat, with apical angle bluntly rounded, disc smooth, with a row of sparse shallow punctures along inner edge, with scattered long branched setae; antennal funicle and club (of male) about 0.6 times and three-quarters length of scape, respectively.

Pronotum ( Fig. 6A, C ) with posterior margin shallowly obtusely angular, with sides unmargined, straight, faintly 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 one-fourth, then abruptly descend downwards to meet supracoxal striae, ascend again anteriorly towards antennal sockets; pronotal dorsum strongly convex, punctation consists of shallow sparse punctures being larger and somewhat denser along margins, especially lateral ones, mediobasal part of disc free of punctures; pronotal disc with 10 parallel, longitudinal rows of blunt separate tubercles, three outer rows on each side much less regularly linearly arranged than discal ridges, each ridge consisting of 5-8 tubercles, clumps of elongate branched setae present on every tubercle, no other seta present on pronotal dorsum. Prosternum with anterior margin broadly concave, marginal stria present medially, indistinct near antelateral angles; prosternal disc evenly convex, keel elevated between procoxae, flattened, slightly expanded posteriorly, emarginate at apex, disc sparsely punctate throughout with shallow circular punctures, clusters of long branched setae scattered sparsely throughout the prothorax surface, replaced by single shorter setae on prosternal keel.

Scutellum ( Fig. 6A ) tiny, sunk below the elytralpronotal plane, poorly visible. Elytra ( Fig. 6A, C ) with sides arcuate in general outline, nearly parallel in median third, widest just posteriad of trichomes; humeral trichome prominent, moderately elevated, longitudinally oriented, anterior process rising obliquely, unmodified, its surface flat; posterior process of similar size and structure, somewhat shorter; trichome with setae only along apical edges of processes, shallowly excavate beneath setose fringe, width of the fringe about one-fourth of elytral width, trichome gap is rather narrow, about one-tenth of elytra length, fringe setae long and densely packed; dorsum of elytral disc strongly evenly convex, free of punctation except of few shallow sparse circular punctures in mediobasal corners; thin, inconspicuous, mostly unbranched setae sparsely cover most of elytra, being somewhat denser and longer in prescutellar area, where few branched setae occur; sutural stria thin, but distinct, complete; epipleuron smooth and glabrous, with sparsely scattered short unbranched setae; marginal epipleural stria distinct, elevated above metafemur, continuous with complete marginal elytral stria; no traces of accessory epipleural stria present.

Mesoventrite ( Fig. 6B ) wide, short, flat, bluntly projecting at middle, marginal stria complete, surface with few shallow sparse circular punctures on disc and rows of elongate punctures along anterior and posterior margins; mesometaventral suture and median suture of metaventrite finely impressed, former one complete, latter abbreviated in anterior fourth, lateral striae of metaventrite present, elevated, enclosing largely impunctate depression for mesotibiae in repose; disc of metaventrite smoth, only few shallow, sparse, circular punctures present along anterior and lateral margins, shallow longitudinal impression present (in males) along longitudinal suture in posterior half; first abdominal ventrite similarly punctate, punctures being on average larger and denser than on disc of metaventrite, covering anterior half, 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, appressed, inconspicuous branched setae. Profemora ( Fig. 6B, C ) with dense punctures in basal two-thirds, becoming impunctate toward apex, with posterior margins obtusely angular in basal one-third, meso- and metafemora impunctate, their margins arcuate, metafemora much more robust than mesofemora; protibia with obtuse angle around midpoint of outer margins, meso- and metatibiae with outer margins more bluntly angulate, around basal one third in meso-, around midpoint in metatibia; all tibiae longitudinally convex, meso- and metatibia with longitudinal sulci along inner edge; tarsi weakly compressed laterally, about 0.6-0.7 times length of corresponding tibiae; tarsal claws simple, divergent, almost straight, about 0.4 times length of corresponding apical tarsomere.

Propygidium twice as wide as midline length, weakly convex; pygidium nearly as long as wide, weakly convex; both with punctures and setae as on the posterior half of elytral disc. Male genitalia as on Figure 7 .

Figures

FIG. 6. — Eucurtiopsis degallieri n. sp., habitus: A, dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, lateral view; D, frontal view. Scale bar: A, B, 0.5 mm.

FIG. 7.— Eucurtiopsis degallieri n. sp., male genitalia:A, aedeagus,dorsal view;B, same,lateral view;C, eighth sternite-tergite complex; D, ninth sternite (spiculum gastrale) and tergite.