Mesoceration littlekarroo, Perkins, 2008

Perkins, Philip D., 2008, Facial affect recognition in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis, Zootaxa 1864, pp. 1-124 : 56

Mesoceration littlekarroo new species

( Figs. 77 , 80 , 104 )

Type Material. Holotype (male): South Africa: Western Cape Province, Little Karroo , Rus­en­vredewaterf, from waterfall, 33° 24' S, 22° 22' E, 22 October 1993, Endrödy­Younga (#2896). Deposited in the TMSA . Paratypes: Same data as holotype (10 TMSA) .

Differential Diagnosis. M. littlekarroo individuals are similar to those of M. endroedyi in dorsal habitus and in the rough, rugulose sculpture of the pronotum and elytra ( Fig. 77 ); distinguished therefrom by the smaller size (ca. 1.52 vs. 1.72 mm), the less strongly granulate pronotum and elytra, the less convex elytra, and the differently shaped metaventral impression. Additionally, the shape of the thickened apical margin of the 5th ventrite of females differs in the two species. The aedeagi differ quite distinctively ( Fig. 80 ).

Description. Size (length/width, mm) holotype: body (length to elytral apices) 1.52/0.59; head 0.28/ 0.35; pronotum 0.36/0.44; elytra 0.88/0.59. Dorsum and venter black or piceous, maxillary palpi and legs dark brown.

Head dull, entirely strongly microreticulate, punctation obscured. Eyes small, quite convex, in dorsal aspect five convex facets in longest series. Frons transversely quite convex on disc, anteocellar depressions deep, wide. Ocelli very distinct. Labrum apicomedially angulately emarginate to almost 1/2 of labrum length. Submentum and mentum dull, strongly microreticulate.

Pronotum rugulose, dull, subcordate, widest near midlength, anterior angles rounded, posterior angles obtuse; anterior margin shallowly arcuate over median 2/3, without hyaline border; sides finely crenulate; 10 dorsal foveae as follow: elongate anterior obsoletely joined with smaller posterior median; oval anterior and oval posterior admedian; and large deep anterior and deep posterior adlateral on each side.

Elytra rugulose, dull, widest at about midlength; widening abruptly from humerus to about 1/10 of length, then nearly parallel­sided to midlength, behind midlength strongly attenuate to sharply rounded apices; sides weakly explanate. Serial punctures in basal 1/2 moderately large, about 2xpd largest pronotal punctures, some punctures on disc with minute granule at anterior margin, punctures becoming obsolete beyond summit of posterior declivity. Each puncture with fine, moderately long, decumbent seta. Series 2–4 on disc angled toward suture; series 5–6 confluent in basal 1/3. Shining round granules on discal intervals, largest granules only slightly smaller than eye­facet. Interval 8 strongly costate from shoulder. Female elytral apices markedly more produced than males, with sutural margins dehiscent, tips sharply pointed.

Metaventral disc rather flat, with deep subbasal fovea. Thoracic ventrites and abdominal ventrites 1–4 clothed with dense setae except glabrous midlongitudinal prosternal ridge, glabrous dull mesoventral plaques and small glabrous strongly shining inverted V­shaped basomedian area on mesoventrite in front of intercoxal sternite. Ventrite 1 with sublateral and submedial basal carina on each side, concave between carinae. Males 5th ventrite similarly clothed except for semilunulate distal glabrous shining area, 6th shining, laterally sparsely pubescent. Females 5th ventrite with large rectangular glabrous area, posteriorly thickened on each side; 6th ventrite largely held beneath 5th, apical setose margin.

Legs of male with two spiniform setae on apical protarsomere. Femora weakly shining, tibiae alutaceous.

Wings reduced to small lobes, each slightly larger than an eye.

Aedeagus length ca. 0.39 mm; main­piece straight in ventral view, with very small acute apical process on left side; main­piece dorsal surface, in lateral view, with small transverse ridges in distal 1/4; distal process markedly sinuate in lateral view, gonopore large; parameres extended beyond apex of main­piece ( Fig. 80 ). Etymology. Named in reference to geographical distribution. Distribution. Currently known only from the type locality in the Little Karroo, Western Cape Province ( Fig. 104 ).

Figures

FIGURE 77. Mesoceration littlekarroo, dorsal and lateral habitus of holotype.

FIGURES 78–81. Mesoceration, aedeagi of holotypes. —78. M. concessum. —79. M. tabulare. —80. M. littlekarroo. —81. M. piceum.

FIGURES 103–104. Geographical distributions of Mesoceration species.