Afrocyrona volatilis, Kolibáč, 2014

Kolibáč, Jiří, 2014, Two new species of Afrocyrona from Socotra Island (Coleoptera: Trogossitidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54, pp. 197-210 : 199-205

Afrocyrona volatilis sp. nov.

( Figs 1– 3 , 4E, 4F , 5E )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀, ‘ YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island / Hagher Mts. , SCAND Mt. env. / broad-leaved evergreen woodland / 16.–18.vi.2012 / 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E, 1450 m’; ‘Socotra expedition 2012 / J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula / P. Kment, I. Malenovský / J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’ ( NMPC) . PARATYPE: ♀, ‘ YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island, 18.vi. / Hagher Mts. , WADI MADAR, 2012 / montane shrubland with / Cephalocroton socotranus / 12°33.2′N, 54°00.4′E, 1170 m’ ; ‘ Socotra expedition 2012 / J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula / P. Kment, I. Malenovský / J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’ ( MMBC) .

Description. Body length (from elytral apex to clypeus): Holotype 2.7 mm, paratype 3.2 mm. For other measurements see Table 1.

Coloration and sculpture ( Figs 2C–E , 4E–F ): Body oval, moderately convex; all dorsal surface dark brown to black but yellow-brown lateral margins of pronotum, margins of elytra, two transverse patches in each elytron, legs, and antennomeres 1–6 (i.e., excepting club). Head finely, sparsely punctate (interspaces larger than diameter of punctures); punctures with thick decumbent whitish setae. Pronotum densely punctate (interspaces less than diameter of punctures), punctures larger than those on head; pronotum covered with thick semi-erect whitish setae; lateral margins finely punctate, with sparser pubescence. Each elytron with light L-shaped patch in humeral third and transverse patch in apical quarter, the latter not touching suture and side margin; elytral punctation regular, composed of about 14 rows, interspaces among rows inconspicuously elevated; pubescence similar to that on pronotum – composed of thick, semi-erect setae which are whitish in area of light patches and dark on brown-black background. Ventral surface sparsely punctate, punctures relatively large and distinctly separated (interspaces larger than diameter of punctures); anterior and posterior margins of cranium, hypomeral area of prothorax and basal margin of metaventrite without punctation. Pubescence of ventral surface scarce, conspicuous only on metaventrite, formed by short, sparse, decumbent pale setae. Legs without sculpture, sparsely pubescent in same way as metaventrite.

Head ( Fig. 2A ): almost hypognathous (position in picture artificial), frons distinctly flat; gular sutures widely separated at base, extending to approximately midpoint of cranium, strongly convergent; frontoclypeal suture inconspicuous or weak, not arcuate or emarginate; antennal grooves on ventral side of cranium short, shallow; antennal sockets not visible from above; eyes relatively small (space between them more than nine times as wide as eye diameter), distinctly elevated, not emarginate, elliptic, their greater part situated ventrally; epicranial acumination inconspicuous; cervical sclerites well-developed.

Maxilla ( Figs 1C , 5E ): lacinia relatively robust, with seemingly three spines at apex in pattern 2+1 (two apical spines are part of body of lacinia while spine beneath them is modified seta), and with several thin and soft setae; basigalea relatively large, pigmented; galea weakly clavate, without spines and ciliate setae; with numerous thick and rigid elongate setae and thin soft setae among them; mediostipes perfectly free, not fused with lacinia, quadrangular in shape; basistipes probably fused with lacinia; palpifer relatively small, trapezoidal, not denticulate along outer margin; maxillary palps tetramerous, terminal palpomere conical, elongate.

Mandible ( Fig. 1B ): with two apical teeth situated side by side (in horizontal axis); medial tooth absent; mola absent; prostheca situated along cutting edge, formed by tuft of long, robust setae; transparent appendage (not pubescent) situated beneath cutting edge (cf. Trichocateres, KOLIBÁČ 2010: 39 ); basal notch weakly developed.

Labrum ( Fig. 1D ): free (not fused with cranium); oval, emarginate in apical part; epipharynx without distinct sclerites; (lateral) tormal processes not separated from body of labrum and not connected in middle; labral (dorsal) sclerite with several thick setae along lateral margins, epipharynx with transverse row of stout sensillae.

Labium ( Figs 1A , 3F ): submentum without ctenidium; mentum trapezoidal, anterior corners extended, anterior margin emarginate, lateral margins rounded; prementum not perfectly divided into two parts; ligula transparent but rigid, weakly emarginate, without ciliate setae, with long pale setae; ‘mental apodeme’ (sclerites beneath mentum or between mentum and prementum) composed of two trapezoidal sclerites; hypopharyngeal sclerite(s) (frequent cleroid structure on hypopharyngeal membrane between mentum and submentum) absent; hypopharynx without longitudinal strip(s) of sensillae; labial palps trimerous, terminal palpomere shorter than labial one, less conical.

Antennae ( Fig. 2B ): with nine antennomeres; antennal club trimerous, relatively loose; antennomeres 1–6 symmetrical, 7–9 very weakly asymmetrical, without conspicuous sensorial fields, with sparse pubescence; scape robust, pedicel smaller, shorter than antennomere 3, antennomeres 4–6 also shorter than 3; antennae relatively short, extending backwards to midway along pronotum.

Prothorax ( Figs 2C , 4E–F ): pronotum transverse; anterior margin weakly emarginate (arcuate) or nearly straight, anterior corners not projecting, rounded; lateral margins rounded, excavate; lateral edge present, finely denticulate; prosternal process distinctly dilated at apex, with sharp side corners; procoxal cavities externally narrowly open, closed to halfway by postcoxal projections, internally open; trochantin slender and small; inner part of hypomeron without longitudinal line; anterior margin with long pubescence.

Mesothorax ( Fig. 2D ): prepectus present in anterior part of mesepisternum only, absent above mesoventrite; mesocoxal cavities narrowly separated, externally widely open; mesoventral process shorter than coxal diameter; projection of metaventrite reaches approximately towards basal quarter of mesocoxae; mesotrochantin minute; scutum relatively wide, scutellum oval.

Hind wing ( Fig. 3A ): well-developed; radial cell open, moved downwards; r4 missing; pigmented fleck (below Rc) small, pale, not complete; medial field with all four veins, cross-veins between MP3–MP4 and MP4–AA1+2 missing (wedge cell absent); MP3 short (reduced in size); wing weakly pigmented above remnant of vein Rp2.

Metathorax ( Fig. 2D ): metaventrite flat and wide, distinctly narrowed towards anterior portion, widely bordered along lateral margins; discriminal line (discrimen) inconspicuous; paracoxal sutures well-demarcated, parallel with coxae, narrowly separated from base of metaventrite; metepisternum distinctly triangular; metanotum rectangular, wide.

Elytra ( Figs 2E , 4E–F ): regularly punctate, with moderately wide epipleura conspicuous along whole length of elytra; interlocking mechanism not developed; elytra without distinct longitudinal carinae; lateral margins of elytra narrowly explanate.

Legs ( Figs 1E–F , 2C–D ): procoxae not projecting, transverse; mesocoxae oval, metacoxae extended to lateral margin of metathorax; trochanters relatively small, triangular; femora weakly clavate; tibiae with row of small spines along outer margin; tibial apical spur pattern 1(2)-2-2 (2 nd spur of protibiae reduced in size); large protibial spur distinctly hooked; apices of meso- and metatibiae with row of ca. 3 spines; tarsomere 1 in all pairs of legs conspicuous, approximately as long as tarsomere 2; tarsomere 5 as long as, or slightly longer than, 1–4 combined; tarsal lobes absent; claws without denticles; empodium large, projecting, bisetose; tarsal formula 5-5-5.

Abdomen ( Figs 3B–E ): six ventrites distinctly visible; female sternite VIII weakly emarginate at apical margin, with setae along apical margin and in centre; female tergite VIII straight or rounded at apex, with long spiculum; ovipositor relatively short, reaching posteriorly beyond base of sternite VI; coxitae with row of setae along concave apex; coxital styli relatively large, truncate at apex; vagina and bursa copulatrix connected into single membranous sac; spermatheca not observed, only (spermathecal) gland extending from apex of membranous sac. Differential diagnosis. See Table 2.

Etymology. The species name is Latin adjective volatilis (- is, - e) = flying, able to fly, winged.

Biology. Both specimens were knocked down from shrub branches in mountainous forest (see the section on biology of the next species). See BATELKA (2012) for details on the species habitat.

Gut contents of the dissected paratype consisted of abundant remnants of detritus and perhaps mould spores. No fragments of insect cuticle were observed. Unlike advanced lophocaterines ( Ancyrona ), the species is probably not exclusively predaceous but maybe fungivorous/herbivorous and partially predaceous. Such way of life is also supposed in some other lophocaterines, including South African species of Afrocyrona .

Figures

Fig. 1. Afrocyrona volatilis sp. nov., female paratype:A – labium (mentum removed); B – right mandible ventrally; C – maxilla; D – labrum; E – protarsus; F – procoxa with trochanter. Scale bars = 0.1 mm. For abbreviations see Material and methods.

Fig. 2. Afrocyrona volatilis sp. nov., female paratype:A – cranium ventrally (with one maxilla, mandible and mentum); B – antenna, detail; C – prothorax ventrally; D – meso- and metathorax ventrally; E – right elytron, ventral view. For abbreviations see Material and methods.

Fig. 3. Afrocyrona volatilis sp. nov., female paratype: A – wing; B – sternite VIII; C – tergite VIII; D – internal copulatory organs; E – ovipositor, apical part; F – labium. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 4. A–D – Afrocyrona pedestris sp. nov., male holotype:A – aedeagus ventrally; B – aedeagus laterally; C – rudimentary wing; D – protarsus. E – A. volatilis sp. nov., paratype; F – A. volatilis sp. nov., holotype; G – A. pedestris sp. nov., holotype.

Fig. 5. A–D – Afrocyrona pedestris sp. nov., male holotype: A – abdominal segment IX with spiculum of sternite IX (‘spicular fork’); B – tegmen ventrally; C – sternite VIII; D – tergite VIII. E–H – A. volatilis sp. nov., female paratype: E – lacinia (incl. basistipes) and galea (incl. basigalea). Scale bars = 0.1 mm.