Clypeuspinus, Balkenohl, 2021

Balkenohl, Michael, 2021, Revisiting the Oriental genus Syleter Andrewes, 1941 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Clivinini), Revue suisse de Zoologie 128 (2), pp. 357-374 : 369-370

Genus Clypeuspinus gen. nov.

Figs 3 , 6 , 31, 32

Type species: Psilus validus Andrewes, 1936: 202 .

Genus diagnosis: Size 4.8 mm. Head with clypeus and frons conspicuously elongated, convex; clypeus, clypeal wing, and supraantennal plate separated by obtuse notch; clypeus straight and sloping anteriorly, clypeal wing conspicuously projecting anteriorly; mandible distinctly elongated, narrow in apical third, laterally convex, regularly convex in apical half, bent dorsally; labrum five-setose; maxillary palpomere elongated, slightly securiform; antenna with scapus and pedicellus eccentrically attached; eye relatively flat but not reduced, not projecting laterally, gena as long as eye. Mentum moderately elongated, with lateral lobe wide and convex, median tooth obtuse angled, projecting as far as lateral lobe, surface with rough longitudinal rugae. Pronotum with pentagonal longitudinal outline, with reflexed lateral margin complete, running from anterior angle up to basal constriction, posterior angle with moderately acute tooth projecting laterally, lateral channel distinctly widened between the two lateral setigerous punctures, median line wide, joining broadly basal constriction, proepisternum invisible in dorsal view, flange at base carinate, as wide as basal constriction. Elytron with interval eight carinate from humerus to apex; lateral channel of equal width from humerus to apex; third interval with three (left side) respectively four (right side) setigerous punctures. Hind wings fully developed. Legs with tarsomeres not widened (one female investigated); mesotibia with long protuberance preapically furnished with seta. Male genitalia unknown. Female genitalia with coxostylus one and two nearly completely fused, without cone-like seta.

Differential diagnosis: See key to the genera. However, the most similar species are Basilewskyana villiersi Basilewsky, 1948 and B. brittoni Kult, 1959 both from West Africa. These two species are completely black and much larger (7.2 and 7.8 mm). In addition, they differ mainly by a cylindrical shape, the clypeal wings slightly projecting, a deep facial furrow with distinct facial carina, without any clypeal suture, a wider labrum, the elytron with missing humeral tooth, more convex intervals, and the elytral setigerous punctures situated in the middle of the third interval. Members of the American genus Ardistomis Putzeys, 1846 also show a considerable elongation of the anterior part of the head and their mandibles are evidently elongated. But the maxillary palpomeres and the widened tarsomeres of the front and intermediate legs are very similar to Syleter . However, the pronotum, elytron and the plica at the apex of the elytron is very different.

Etymology: The name is a combination of two nouns, clypeus and spinus. Clypeus points to the conspicuously lobate-like projecting clypeal wings. Spinus highlights the long protuberance at the mesotibia (Latin: spinus – spur).

Figures

Figs 1-3. Head, dorsal view. (1) Syleter paradoxus (Putzeys, 1868).(2) Parasyleter doriae (Putzeys, 1873) comb.nov.(3) Clypeuspinus validus (Andrewes, 1936) comb. nov.

Figs 4-6. Right mesotibia. (4) Syleter paradoxus (Putzeys, 1868) showing the small preapical protuberance and its seta inserted apically (arrow). (5) Parasyleter doriae (Putzeys, 1873) comb. nov. with no tubercles at all. (6) Clypeuspinus validus (Andrewes, 1936) comb. nov. showing the long protuberance and its seta inserted laterally (arrow).

Figs 31-32. Clypeuspinus validus (Andrewes, 1936) comb. nov., holotype. (31) Habitus. (32) Female coxostyli with laterotergite.