Cyphocoleus prolixus, Liebherr, 2016

Liebherr, James K., 2016, Cyphocoleus Chaudoir (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Odacanthini): descriptive taxonomy, phylogenetic relationships, and the Cenozoic history of New Caledonia, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 63 (2), pp. 211-270 : 227-229

2. Cyphocoleus prolixus sp. n. Figures 48 , 52 , 61 , 67 , 77

Diagnosis.

These remarkable beetles are uniquely diagnosed by the extremely elongate head and prothorax combined with broad, ovoid elytra (Fig. 48 ). In keeping with the elongate forebody, the mandibles are exceedingly long, their length 3.2 × distance from anterior margin of antennal articulatory socket to anterolateral margin of labrum, and the antennae are also very elongate: scape length 3.6 × maximum breadth. In stark contrast to Cyphocoleus lissus (Fig. 47 ), the head is broadest just posterad the mandibular articulation, and evenly reduced in width posteriorly to meet the narrow pronotum. The eyes are very small and oriented upward laterad the smooth, broadly convex frons. The elytral setation is also unique within Cyphocoleus ; only the middle of three dorsal elytral setae present, whereas setae are absent from the anterior and posterior positions. Standardized body length among the largest for Cyphocoleus spp.; 11.7-13.1 mm.

Description

(n = 3). Head capsule broadest anteriorly, a broad flange extended laterally laterad the antennal articulation and before the eye, the posterior articulatory condyle of mandible defining broadest portion of head; neck impression broad and shallow just before juncture of head and prothorax; eyes small though little convex, 17 ommatidia across horizontal diameter of eye; frons broad relative to eyes, ocular ratio 1.23-1.36; supraorbital setae absent; gena setose, a large macroseta present just laterad gula at position slightly posterad hind margin of eye. Pronotum elongate, parallel sided, MPW/PL = 0.44-0.50, broadest near basal third of length; proepimeron bulging outward, visible in dorsal view just laterad and posterad broadest portion of notum; pronotal front angle rounded, not protruded at all; lateral margin of pronotum defined by marginal bead from front angle to just inside subangulate hind angle, median base margined by low, broadly concave ridge; median longitudinal impression very shallow, finely incised; anterior transverse impression shallow, perpendicular to median impression, defining broad, slightly elevated anterior callosity; prosternal process with medially depressed anterior and ventral surfaces, the posterior surface between procoxae convex. Elytra broadly ovoid, the disc relatively flat and sides steeply sloped; discal elytral intervals broadly convex, the associated striae deep, impunctate; parascutellar seta present, articulatory socket not upraised above surface; elytral humeri narrow, humerus distinctly angulate just mesad base of fifth stria; elytral lateral margin distinctly concave laterad anterior series of lateral setae; lateral elytral setae arranged as 6 + 1 + (7)8; subapical and apical elytral setae present; subapical sinuation broadly, shallowly concave, meeting lateral margin at rounded-obtuse angle; elytral apices acutely rounded, slightly separated from each other laterad fused suture. Mesepisternum impunctate; metepisternum subquadrate, dorsal length 1.08 × diagonal width. Legs extremely elongate, femora very thin, mt1 length/tibial length = 0.27; metacoxa bisetose; dorsum of tarsomeres covered with extremely short, sparsely distributed microsetae; mt4 outer lobe 1.56 × median length, 3-4 ventrolateral setae each side. Abdomen with apical margin of apical ventrite broadly and very shallowly excavated to evenly convex; apical ventrite of male with one seta each side, of female with two setae each side. Microsculpture of frons very transverse, densely packed lines only loosely connected into a mesh; pronotal and elytral discs covered with dense transverse lines causing silvery and cupreous iridescence; dorsal body surface bearing a sparse distribution of extremely short microsetae; pro- meso- and metasternum with pelage of longer, more densely distributed setae, abdominal ventrites apparently glabrous except for fixed macrosetae. Coloration of head capsule rufopiceous anterad eyes, piceous toward pronotum; antennae rufobrunneous, palps and maxillae slightly paler, brunneous; pronotum, proepipleuron and proepimeron piceous; elytral disc rufopiceous, elytral epipleura rufopiceous, metepisternum piceous; abdominal ventrites rufobrunneous, apical ventrite 6 narrow rufoflavous apically; femora and tibiae rufobrunneous, tarsi rufoflavous.

Male genitalia (n = 1). Male aedeagal median lobe robust, broadest near parameral articulations, slightly narrowed toward distal margin of ostial opening, dorsoventral breadth at midlength ̴0.3 × distance from tip to base of closed basal bulb (Fig. 52 ); lobe shaft slightly melanized, the internal sac visible through lobe wall in uneverted position; lobe apex parallel-sided, evenly downcurved to narrowly rounded tip, length distad ostial opening 4 × dorsoventral breadth.

Female reproductive tract (n = 1). Bursa copulatrix elongate, columnar, distance from base of gonocoxites to spermathecal basal sclerite 4.5 × maximum breadth (dissection compressed under cover slip) (Fig. 61 ); bursal walls thin, translucent, densely wrinkled in distal half of bursa; basal gonocoxite with apical fringe of five to six setae (sixth seta smaller) (Fig. 67 )

Types.

Holotype male (QMB deposited in MNHN): NEW CALEDONIA 11138 / 21°53 ’Sx166°24’.1400m. / Mt Humboldt, moss forest. / 6-7Nov2002. Monteith & / Burwell.pyreth, trees&logs // QUEENSLAND / MUSEUM LOAN / DATE: Nov. 2003 / No. LEN 1688 (green label) // male habitus photo / J.K. Liebherr 2015 // Cyphocoleus revision / measured specimen 2 / J.K. Liebherr 2015 // HOLOTYPE / Cyphocoleus / prolixus / J.K. Liebherr 2016 (black-bordered red label).

Paratypes (2 specimens). NEW CALEDONIA: Mt. Humboldt, moss forest, 1400 m el., pyrethrum trees & logs, 21°53'S, 166°24'E, 06-07-xi- 2002, Monteith & Burwell (QMB, 2; lot 11138).

Etymology.

The elongate prothorax exhibited by beetles of this species (Fig. 48 ) supports use of the adjectival species epithet prolixus ; i.e. stretched out, long ( Brown 1956).

Distribution and habitat.

This species is known only from Mt. Humboldt at 1400 m el. (Fig. 77 ). The three specimens were collected from pyrethrin fog samples of trees and logs within moss forest.

Figures

Figures 47 - 50. Dorsal habitus photographs of Cyphocoleus spp.: 47, Cyphocoleus lissus female, Mt. Humboldt; 48, Cyphocoleus prolixus male, Mt. Humboldt; 49, Cyphocoleus heterogenus male, Yahoue; 50, Cyphocoleus parovicollis male, Pic d'Amoa.

Figures 51 - 59. Male aedeagal median lobe and associated parameres of Cyphocoleus spp., dextral view: 51, Cyphocoleus lissus, Mt. Humboldt; 52, Cyphocoleus prolixus, Mt. Humboldt; 53, Cyphocoleus heterogenus, Yahoue; 54, Cyphocoleus heterogenus, internal sac everted, La Foa; 55, Cyphocoleus parovicollis, Me Maoya; 56, Cyphocoleus parovicollis, internal sac everted, Me Maoya; 57, Cyphocoleus ovicollis, Ningua Res.; 58 - 59, Cyphocoleus ovicollis, internal sac everted, Mt. Do; 58, laevoventral view; 59, dextrodorsal view. Scale bars, 1.0 mm: horizontal scale for figures with transverse orientation; vertical scale for figures with vertical orientation.

Figures 60 - 65. Female reproductive tract, ventral view, for Cyphocoleus spp.; 60, Cyphocoleus lissus, Mt. Humboldt; 61, Cyphocoleus prolixus, Mt. Humboldt; 62, Cyphocoleus heterogenus, Yahoue; 63, Cyphocoleus parovicollis, Mandjelia; 64, Cyphocoleus monteithi, Mt. Mou; 65, Cyphocoleus miricollis, Foret Nord. For abbreviations see Table 1.

Figures 66 - 75. Female right gonocoxae, ventral view, for Cyphocoleus spp. illustrating apical fringe setae of basal gonocoxite 1, and two or three lateral ensiform setae, one dorsal ensiform seta, and two apical nematiform setae on apical gonocoxite 2; 66, Cyphocoleus lissus, Mt. Humboldt; 67, Cyphocoleus prolixus, Mt. Humboldt; 68, Cyphocoleus heterogenus, Yahoue; 69, Cyphocoleus parovicollis, Mandjelia; 70, Cyphocoleus ovicollis, Ningua Res.; 71, Cyphocoleus burwelli, Mt. Humboldt; 72, Cyphocoleus monteithi, Mt. Mou; 73, Cyphocoleus miricollis, Foret Nord; 74, Cyphocoleus mirabilis, Mt. Koghi; 75, Cyphocoleus lescheni, apical gonocoxite damaged, Aoupinie. Scale bar, 0.10 mm.

Figures 76 - 81. Distribution maps of Cyphocoleus spp.: 76, Cyphocoleus lissus; 77, Cyphocoleus heterogenus, Cyphocoleus prolixus; 78, Cyphocoleus parovicollis, Cyphocoleus ovicollis; 79, Cyphocoleus burwelli, Cyphocoleus angustatus, Cyphocoleus monteithi; 80, Cyphocoleus miricollis, Cyphocoleus fasciatus; 81, Cyphocoleus mirabilis, Cyphocoleus moorei, Cyphocoleus lescheni.