Emphania ranomafanae, Ahrens & Fabrizi, 2008

Ahrens, Dirk & Fabrizi, Silvia, 2008, A taxonomic revision of the Malagasy genus Emphania Erichson, 1847 (Insecta, Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), Zoosystema 30 (4), pp. 917-927 : 926

Emphania ranomafanae n. sp.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: ♂ “ Madagascar: Fianarantsoa: Ranomafana National Park, Talatakely , research 1998 V. F. Lee, K. J. Ribardo, leg. Calif. Acad. Sci. Collection / Casent 8006559” ( CASC).

Paratype: 1 ♀ “ Madagascar: Fianarantsoa: Ranomafana National Park, Talatakely, research 1998 V. F. Lee, K. J. Ribardo, leg. Calif. Acad. Sci. Collection/Casent 8006560” ( CASC).

ETYMOLOGY. — The new species is named after its occurrence in the Ranomafana National Park.

DESCRIPTION OF HOLOTYPE

Length: 8.5 mm; length of elytra: 5.8 mm; width: 5.3 mm. Body surface brown with reddish to greenish shine. Labroclypeus and antenna as in E. metallica ; eyes, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.53; antennomeres 3-5 not fused. Pronotum, scutellum and elytra as in E. metallica . Metacoxa and pygidium as in E. metallica . Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.87. Legs as in E. metallica ; ratio metatibial width/length: 1/4.25, medial face of metatibia with one or two punctures beside the dorsal margin.

Aedeagus: Figure 2 P-R.

VARIATION

No variation in body measurements observed.Colour varies from blackish green to reddish purple. The female has the antennal club slightly shorter and the punctures on pygidium are less distinct.

REMARKS The species is very similar in external morphology to E. metallica , and may externally only be distinguished by the unfused antennomeres 3-5. The elongate shape of aedeagus and the weakly curved parameres provide best features for separating the taxon from all other so far known Emphania species.

Figures

FIG. 2. — A-C, Emphania nitida Moser, 1911 (lectotype); D-F, E. sulcipennis Moser, 1911 (Madagascar Nord, Montagne d’Ambre); G-I, E. semiviridis n. sp. (holotype); J-L, E. erichsoni n. sp. (holotype); M-O, E. subsmaragdina n. sp. (holotype); P-R, E. ranomafanae n. sp. (holotype); A, D, G, J, M, P, aedeagus,left side lateral views;B, E, H, K, N, Q, aedeagus,dorsal views;C, F, I, L, O, R, aedeagus, right side lateral views. Scale bars: 1 mm.