Ptomaphagus (s. str.) haba, Wang, Cheng-Bin, Perreau, Michel, Ruzicka, Jan & Nishikawa, Masaaki, 2017

Wang, Cheng-Bin, Perreau, Michel, Ruzicka, Jan & Nishikawa, Masaaki, 2017, Revision of the genus Ptomaphagus Hellwig from eastern Asia (Coleoptera, Leiodidae, Cholevinae), ZooKeys 715, pp. 69-92 : 83-85

Ptomaphagus (s. str.) haba sp. n. Figs 1 H–I; 8 A–J; 9 A–G

Type material.

Holotype. ♂, CHINA - YUNNAN / HABASHAN [哈巴山] - Habashan Mts. / 12.-16.6.2004, 3500- / 4000 m, 27°19'N, 100°08'E / lgt. Fouquè R.+H. (WGS 84) (NMPC). Paratypes. 9♂♂, 10♀♀, same data as holotype (1♀ in NMPC, 1♂1♀in BMNH, 1♂1♀ in CCBW, 5♂♂5♀♀ in CJRZ, 1♂1♀ in CMNE, 1♂1♀ in CMPR).

Diagnosis.

Aedeagus (Fig. 9A) long and slender, with median lobe gradually narrowing towards a lanceolate apex and terminated to an obtusely rounded knob in dorsal view (Fig. 9B). In lateral view (Fig. 9C), median lobe slender, regularly bent ventrally but abruptly stronger in apical part, and gradually tapering towards a thin apex.

Description.

Male. EBL: 3.9-4.1 mm (4.0 mm in holotype). Length of different body parts: HL: AL: PL: ELL = 0.6: 1.1: 1.0: 2.2 mm; width: HW: EW: PW: ELW = 1.0: 0.1: 1.5: 1.6 mm. Proportion of antennomeres from base to tip in μm (length × width): 176 × 74, 130 × 75, 88 × 77, 58 × 89, 64 × 101, 38 × 118, 80 × 142, 28 × 136, 84 × 162, 98 × 158, 186 × 140.

Habitus (Fig. 1H) elongated oval, regularly convex and sublustrous. Well pigmented: mostly dark brown to blackish brown; mouthparts, basal two or three antennomeres and apical half of ultimate antennomere, protarsi, and apex of meso- and metatarsi brownish. Dorsum continually clothed with fine, recumbent, yellowish pubescence. Insertions of pubescence on dorsal surfaces of pronotum, elytra and femora aligned along transverse striolations; interspace between two striolations glabrous.

Head quite transverse, HW/HL = 1.6. Clypeofrontal suture absent. Clypeus with round anterior margin. Compound eyes well developed, EW/HW = 0.1. Antennae (Fig. 8A) slender, AL/HW = 1.1; antennomere III shorter than II; VI with length/width = 0.3; XI pear-shape.

Pronotum (Fig. 8B) transverse, widest at hind angles, PW/PL = 1.5. Sides gently arched, narrowing from posterior to anterior, and sensibly constricted above hind angles; hind angles slightly projected backwards and obtusely subrounded. Posterior margin widely protruded in middle part, emarginate near hind angles.

Elytra oval, widest at about basal 1/5, ELL/EW = 1.4. Sides weakly arched, gradually narrowing from widest part to apices; apices (Fig. 8G) rounded. Sutural striae present. Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Prolegs relatively slender, with basal three protarsomeres (Fig. 8C) expanded: TW/BTW = 1.2. Protibiae expanded towards apex. Profemora broad. Mesotibiae arcuate, mesotarsi simply linear. Metatibiae slender and slightly arcuate.

Abdominal ventrite VIII (Fig. 8I) distinctly emarginate at posterior edge. Spiculum gastrale of genital segment (Fig. 8J) with about 1/3 of length protruding beyond anterior edge of epipleurite IX.

Aedeagus (Fig. 9A) long and slender, with median lobe gradually narrowing towards a lanceolate apex and terminated to an obtusely rounded knob in dorsal view (Fig. 9B); opening of genital orifice situated on dorsal surface, deeply cut inwards on preapical left margin of median lobe. Ventral surface of the apex of the median lobe (Fig. 9D) inserted with 6 ventrally oriented setae on both sides; parameres narrow, reaching about apical 1/5 of median lobe, each apex (Fig. 9E) with 2 lateral setae and 1 shorter apical seta. In lateral view (Fig. 9C), median lobe slender, regularly bent ventrally but abruptly stronger in apical part, and gradually tapering towards a thin apex. Endophallus with stylus quite slender, a subelliptical nodule in middle region, a cheliform complex just below base of stylus, and a circular complex in the basal region.

Female. Similar to male in general appearance (Fig. 1I), including elytral apices (Fig. 8H), but distinguished by the following characteristics: protarsi (Fig. 8D) simply linear; protibiae (Fig. 8F) narrower; abdominal ventrite VIII (Fig. 9F) almost rounded at posterior edge and slightly protruded at median; genital segment and ovipositor as shown in Fig. 9G; spermatheca (Fig. 9G) curved in distal part, coiled in proximal part, and stem gently arcuate.

Distribution.

China (Haba Mts. in Yunnan).

Etymology.

The specific epithet is from the Chinese name (in Pinyin) of the type locality “Habashan”, and means "flower of gold" in the Naxi language.

Other undescribed species of group sibiricus

Certain female specimens of Ptomaphagus from eastern Asia are possibly assigned to the right species group, but they cannot be identified at species level without the corresponding male individuals; this problem concerns especially females from the group sibiricus . The male aedeagus is the most crucial character for separating species.

The following Ptomaphagus species numbered as spp. 1, 2 and 3 have similar spermathecae, all curved in distal part and coiled in proximal part. Ptomaphagus spp. 4-8 with only one or two specimens respectively. What is surprising is the syntopic occurrence of four species (spp. 5-8) on a single mountain, Micang Shan (part of the Qinling Mountain Range), even at the same collecting point. For female specimens from the same region, their spermathecae are all curved in the distal part and coiled in the proximal part, similar to each other but with slight differences. Therefore, in consideration of limited specimens and the uncertainly of matching female and male specimens, we refrain from describing these species here and only provide illustrations of their aedeagi in Fig. 10, until such time as more specimens become available from this region.