Arrowcryptus jucundus (Arrow, 1943)

Leschen, Richard A. B. & Wegrzynowicz, Piotr, 2008, Arrowcryptus, a new genus of Xenoscelinae of Erotylidae from Africa, Zootaxa 1968, pp. 45-57 : 47-51

Arrowcryptus jucundus (Arrow, 1943)

( Figs. 1–12, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35–39, 41, 4345, 47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 58, 61, 62, 64)

Diagnosis. Dorsal setae short and decumbent; head, legs, and ventrites black to dark red and prothorax dark red. Lateral carina of pronotum relatively smooth and weakly crenulated. Mesoventral process with apex truncate and notch rounded. Metaventrite lacking subcoxal lines with discrimen extending anteriorly beyond mid point of sclerite. Hind wing reduced (brachypterous). Apex of penis subacute, anterior strut 3x length of penis. Spermatheca with distal capsule elongate.

Description. Length 4.60–5.20 mm, x = 4.94 mm (n = 6). Body bicoloured with head dark-red to black (hidden posterior portions orange), antenna, mouthparts, and legs dark red to black with tibia and tarsus red to dark red, prothorax dark orange to dark red, abdomen black, elytron dark steal blue, moderately shining. Punctation dense and more or less regular, microsculpture absent. Body moderately convex with dorsal setae short, decumbent to partially erect, with average length shorter than greatest width of eye; tarsal setae poorly developed. Head moderately punctate, punctures of vertex separated by about 1–3 diameters. Eye prominent and rounded, moderately faceted, about 9–10 facets at greatest length, ocular setae present. Transverse groove moderately deep and almost obliterated at anterolateral corner and weakly connected to lateral groove. Antenna moderately short, not extending slightly beyond edge of pronotum; antennomeres 9 and 10 wide and transverse, 11 asymmetrical; antennomere relative lengths 5:3:5:4:4:4:4:4:5:5:6. Pronotum widest at middle, about 0.74 x as long as wide (pronotal length/maximum pronotal width = 0.72–0.75, x = 0.74); depth = 1.00- 1.20 mm, x = 1.10 mm; punctation dense, punctures of disc oval in shape, separated by about 1 diameter or less with a median apunctate narrow strip; lateral carina relatively smooth and weakly crenulated; strongly curved in posterior half in lateral view. Prosternal process slightly wider than procoxae, apex invaginated and lateral flanges not contacting postcoxal projections of the hypomera. Abdominal depth = 1.20–1.50 mm, x = 1.40 mm. Elytra about 1.45 x as long as wide (elytral length/maximum elytral width = 1.32-1.51, x = 1.45) and 2.25 x as long as pronotum (elytral length/pronotal length = 2.08–2.38, x = 2.25); punctation more or less regular, punctures oval and separated by 1.5–2 diameters or less; sutural stria present to basal 1/3. Mesoventral process with apex truncate and notch rounded. Metaventrite strongly transverse lacking subcoxal lines with discrimen extending anteriorly beyond mid point of sclerite; moderately punctuate. Scutellum more than 2x wide as long. Hind wing reduced (brachypterous). Abdominal punctation of ventrites well developed on disc, punctures on sides separated by about 1–2 diameters. Tarsi lacking well-developed tarsal pads. Male. Inside surfaces of metafemur and metatibia with tubercles. Aedeagus with apex of penis subacute, separated biflagellate anterior struts 3.02 x length of penis (median lobe), internal sac approximately 9/10 length of struts (or struts 1.09x its length); sclerotized ejaculatory duct present, internal sac with median symmetrical sclerites. Paramere 3x longer than wide. Female. Gonocoxite 1.6x longer than width at middle, blunt at apex, campaniform sensillae relatively dense, gonostyle hook-like, strongly sclerotised and pigmented bearing 3 setae (central one elongate). Spermatheca with distal capsule elongate.

Notes. There were four specimens contained in the syntype series, and we designated a male intact specimen as the lectotype to preserve the stability of nomenclature by selecting one specimen as the sole, namebearing type. All specimens of the series were card mounted and we remounted all of them. Three males had the aedeagus dissected. The Holotype is missing antennomeres 8–11 from left antenna.

Type material examined. Thallis jacunda Arrow : Holotype, H, JA. TURNER, KINANGO, JAN. 1930 / Thallis jacunda Arrow type [hand written by Arrow] / TYPE [round and red bordered label]/ LECTOTYPE design. P. Wegrzynowicz, 2008 [red label]. Paratypes. 3, same label data but lacking secondary labels.

Distribution. Kenya.

FIGURES 33–38. Arrowcryptus (33, 34—punturation of elytra; 35, 36—antennae; 37, 38—antennal club): 33, 35, 37, 38— A. jucundus ; 34, 36— A. skelleyi