Anthelephila maharani, Kejval & Cz, 2010

Kejval, Zbyněk & Cz, Domažlice, 2010, Studies on the genus Anthelephila (Coleoptera: Anthicidae) 11. New species and records from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Oman, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50 (1), pp. 189-234 : 213-215

Anthelephila maharani sp. nov.

( Figs. 53–58 , 102 )

Type locality. India, Maharashtra state, east of Panchgani, 17°55′N, 73°49′E, ca. 1300 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ INDIA, Maharashtra, ca. 15 km E of Mahabaleshwar , E of PANCHGANI, table land env., 17°55′N 73°49′E, ca. 1300 m, 3.–6.vi.2006, Z. Kejval lgt.’ ( NMPC) . PARATYPES: 9 JJ 4 ♀♀, same data as holotype ( ZKDC, 1 specimen each in BMNH, DCDC, HNHM and NHMW).

Description (male, holotype). Body length 4.3 mm. Head and pronotum dark reddish; elytra black with reddish base, suture in basal third/fourth and lateral margins in about basal half, and with narrow, rather sharply outlined transverse yellowish band in basal third, vaguely interrupted medially (nearly fused with reddish suture); antennae reddish brown; legs reddish brown, meso- and profemora moderately paler.

Head 1.2 times as long as wide, nearly evenly rounded, semicircular posteriorly, its base clearly differentiated from short neck; tempora distinctly narrowing posteriad, posterior angles absent. Eyes medium-sized, less convex and protruding. Surface somewhat less glossy, punctate and corrugated dorsally; dorsal punctures largely somewhat concealed by corrugation, rather distinct near base. Setation dark, generally rather short, subdecumbent to appressed, with scattered and inconspicuous erect setae. Antennae distinctly enlarged in terminal third; antennomere X nearly as long as wide, antennomere XI 1.5 times as long as wide.

Pronotum 1.3 times as long as wide, moderately narrower than head across eyes, unevenly, nearly widely rounded anteriorly, distinctly impressed and constricted postero-laterally shortly before base; pronotal disc rather evenly shaped with slight median impressions before base, its outline more or less convex to posteriorly flattened in lateral view. Surface distinctly punctate and longitudinally corrugated dorsally except smooth median area before base, at most finely and sparsely punctate, smooth and glossy laterally near procoxal cavities; posterolateral impressions shortly wrinkled; dorsal punctures rather densely spaced. Setation as that on head, distinctly denser dorsally; erect setae very short and inconspicuous.

Mesosternum and metasternum simple.

Elytra 1.7 times as long as wide, conjointly rounded apically; humeri distinct; postscutellar impression slightly indicated. Surface smooth and glossy, distinctly punctate; punctation clearly double, coarser punctures with setae similar to those on head, only distinctly sparser. Setation pale, moderately longer than that on head, subdecumbent to appressed, with a few inconspicuous erect setae scattered in apical third.

Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Fore legs modified ( Fig. 53 ); profemora with conspicuous pointed process, with sharp outer edge reaching as far as basal constriction; protibiae with moderate dilatation/lobule on inner side distally; penultimate tarsomere flattened and widened with terminal tarsomere articulated dorsally at midlength in all tarsi.

Abdominal characters as in Figs. 54–58 ; median process of sternum VII projecting dorsally shortly before posterior margin and curved ventrad, with narrowed and bluntly pointed apex; apical portion of tegmen 0.9 times as long as basal piece, trilobed apically.

Female. Externally differing from male by simple fore legs and sternum VII and simply rounded apex of tergum VII.

Variation. Body length (J ♀) 3.6–4.3 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Anthelephila maharani sp. nov. resembles the sympatric A. topali by its colouration (reddish head and pronotum, darker elytra with yellowish posthumeral band) and the form of the male profemoral process but differs clearly by a more robust appearance, reddish brown antennae (darkened in terminal third in A. topali ), larger and globose head with smaller eyes (head distinctly narrowing posteriorly in A. topali ), shallowly notched apex of male tergum VII (produced and deeply incised, bifurcate apex in A. topali ) and the form of male sternite VIII (quite dissimilar in A. topali ).

Etymology. The Sanskrit word Maharani means the queen or the wife of ruler. It is the female equivalent of the male title Maharaja. Noun in apposition.

Biology. All specimens were caught using a net with long telescopic handle on fruit trees scattered in cultivated area (pastures, small fields) near the upper margin of a table land.

Distribution. India (Maharashtra).

Figures

Figs. 53–58.Anthelephila maharani sp.nov., holotype (male). 53 – profemur and tibia; 54 – sternum VII; 55 – tergum VII; 56 – sternite VIII in dorsal view (one half); 57 – tergite VIII; 58 – apical portion of tegmen of aedeagus. Scale = 0.5 mm: A – Fig. 55; 0.2 mm: A – Figs. 56, 58; B – Fig. 54; C – Figs. 53, 57.

Figs. 101–108. Anthelephila spp., body in dorsal view (males; holotypes in new species). 101 – A. lubopetra sp. nov.; 102 – A. maharani sp. nov.; 103 – A. pateva sp. nov.; 104 – A. sevciki sp. nov.; 105 – A. triungula sp. nov.; 106 – A. tryznai sp. nov.; 107 – A. umbratilis (Krekich–Strassoldo, 1928), Uttarakhand, Juido env. (ZKDC); 108 – A. vishnumati sp. nov.