Eucurtiopsis penaoru, 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 : 682-686

Eucurtiopsis penaoru n. sp.

( Figs 14 ; 15 )

HOLOTYPE. — “ VANUATU: Santo, Cumberland Peninsula, lower Penaoru River at 14.9611°S 166.6331°E. 100 m.

Flight intercept F1D-4. 10-11 Nov 2006. A.K.Tishechkin AT646 / HOLOTYPE Eucurtiopsis penaoru sp. n. A. Tishechkin des. 2008”, ♂ point-mounted ( MNHN).

PARATYPES (10). — Same locality as the holotype, flight intercept trap, 7-19.XI.2006, A. K. Tishechkin, also bears the following label “Caterino DNA Voucher Extraction: MSC-1229 Species: Eucurtiopsis Extraction Date : ii.2.2007”, 2 spec. ( MNHN) ; 1 spec. (coll. AKT [voucher]). — Saratsi Range , 14.9626°S, 166.6485°E, 300 m, flight intercept trap, 17-29.XI.2006, A. K. Tishechkin coll., 1 spec. ( MNHN) ; 2 spec. (coll. AKT).— Saratsi Range , 14.9638°S, 166.6362°E, 500 m, flight intercept trap, 27.XI-1.XII.2006, A. K. Tishechkin coll., 2 spec. ( MNHN) ; 1 spec. (coll. AKT). — Saratsi Range , 14.9657°S, 166.6521°E, 700 m, flight intercept trap, 27-28.XI.2006, A. K. Tishechkin coll., 1 spec. ( AKT) .

ETYMOLOGY. — The specific epithet is a noun in apposition referring to the name of the species type locality and honouring the hospitality of the Penaoru village people.

DESCRIPTION

L: 1.35; W: 0.85; E/Pn L: 1.84; E/Pn W: 1.35; Pn W/L: 1.27; E L/W: 1.07; Pr/Py: 0.93; Sterna: 0.42, 0.07, 0.37;Tibiae: 0.36, 0.42, 0.44.Body ( Fig. 14A ) elongate, rufescent brown, with antennae and legs somewhat paler, prothorax substantially narrower than elytra. Frons ( Fig. 14D ) 1.3 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 four irregular blunt tubercles arranged into indistinct ridges, each of tubercles with a cluster of short branched setae; labrum weakly convex, semicircular, with few setae, primarily near tip, and small punctures and reticulate background microsculpture; mandibles strongly bent, with long narrow tips, outer edges with few branched setae and reticulate microsculpture, impunctate; maxillar palpi with three palpomeres, labial palpi with two palpomeres, mentum partially fused to submentum; antennal scape elongate triangular, 2.2 times longer than wide, with inner edge weakly inwardly arcuate, outer edge strongly angulate, surface more or less flat, with apical angle bluntly rounded, disc densely punctate throughout with oval punctures, with several clusters of long branched setae; antennal funicle and club about three-quaters and two-thirds length of scape, respectively, no sexual dimorphism in size and shape of antennae is apparent.

Pronotum ( Fig. 14A, C ) with posterior margin shallowly arcuate, 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, shallowly arcuate; marginal striae visible from above only near base, then abruptly descend downwards to meet supracoxal striae, ascend again anteriorly towards antennal sockets; pronotal dorsum strongly convex, densely and deeply reticulopunctate throughout, elevated intervals between punctures with clusters of short, inconspicuous branched setae. Prosternum ( Fig. 14B ) with anterior margin weakly concave, marginal stria more or less distinct, at least laterally; prosternal disc evenly convex, keel on the same plane as anterior half of prothorax, flattened, slightly expanded posteriorly, emarginate at apex, disc of prosternum densely punctate throughout, punctures variable in shape, from narrowly elongate on keel base to larger circular in anterolateral angles, short inconspicuous branched setae scattered throughout the prothorax surface.

Scutellum ( Fig. 14A ) tiny, sunk below the elytralpronotal plane, but distinctly visible.Elytra( Fig.14A, C ) with sides nearly parallel in anterior half, then weakly arcuately descending towards apices, widest around anterior trichome process; humeral trichome prominent, elevated, longitudinally oriented, anterior process relatively low, rising obliquely towards apex, its surfaces relatively flat, except transverse keel running obliquely from anterolateral corner of elytra, its inner part being more elevated; posterior process only slightly less robust, evenly rising towards anterior one, its surface flat; trichome with setae only along apical edges of processes, shallowly excavate beneath setose fringe, width of the fringe less than one-third of elytral width, trichome gap wide, about one-sixth of elytra length, fringe setae long and densely packed; dorsum of elytral disc with punctation occupying most of surface, no punctures present on tips of trichome elevations, their inner sides and cavities beneath trichomes, punctured areas almost continuous between elevations along the suture; punctures deep and elongate, densely spaced, intervals raised creating reticulate pattern; branched setae present throughout, but short and inconspicuous; sutural stria deeply impressed, complete; epipleuron smooth and glabrous, with sparsely scattered short-branched setae; marginal epipleural stria distinct, elevated above metafemur, continuous with complete marginal elytral stria; short notch (fragment of accessory epipleural stria) present near angle of marginal stria above mesofemur.

Mesoventrite ( Fig.14B ) wide,short, weakly convex, bluntly projecting at middle, no traces of marginal stria present, surface with dense, deep, elongate punctures; mesometaventral suture well impressed, complete, median suture of metaventrite fine, inconspicuous, narrowly abbreviated anteriorly, lateral stiae of metaventrite present, elevated, enclosing largely impunctate depression for mesotibiae in repose; disc of metaventrite punctate throughout with sparse circular punctures, being distinctly denser along anterior and lateral margins, fragment of transverse stria of metaventrite present along anterior edges of metafemora; first abdominal ventrite similarly punctate, punctures being on average larger and denser than on disc of metaventrite, 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. Femora ( Fig. 14B, C ) with deep, large punctures, covering most of profemora and situated along edges on meso- and metafemora; profemora with posterior margins obtusely angular in basal one-third, meso- and metafemora with 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, punctated sulci along outer edges; 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 figured ( Fig. 15 ).

Figures

FIG. 14. — Eucurtiopsis penaoru n. sp., habitus: A, dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, lateral view; D, frontal view. Scale bar: A, B, 0.5 mm.

FIG. 15. — Eucurtiopsis penaoru n. sp., male genitalia: A, aedeagus, dorsal view; B, same, lateral view; C, eighth sternite-tergite complex; D, ninth sternite (spiculum gastrale) and tergite.