Eucurtiopsis ashei Tishechkin & Caterino, 2007

Tishechkin, Alexey K. & Caterino, Michael S., 2007, Description of the first Chlamydopsinae (Coleoptera: Histeridae) from the Philippines, Zootaxa 1527 (1), pp. 39-44 : 40-41

Eucurtiopsis ashei Tishechkin & Caterino , sp. n.

( Figs. 1–3 , 7 )

Holotype. Female labeled “PHILLIPINES: Naga City BGY. Panicuason Camarines Sur Feb 1992. D. General / HOLOTYPE Eucurtiopsis ashei sp. n. A. Tishechkin & M. Caterino des. 2006” ( SEMC).

Description. L: 1.45 mm; W: 0.89 mm; E/Pn L: 1.95; E/Pn W: 1.47; Pn W/L: 1.33; E L/W: 1.15; Pr/Py: 0.92; Sterna: 0.50, 0.08, 0.37; Tibiae: 0.42, 0.40, 0.54. Body dark rufescent brown, with elytra and legs slightly lighter, most of body surfaces covered with erect yellow setae. Frons slightly longer than wide, with sides subparallel, bordered by costate marginal striae, not indented at antennal insertions, with large deep punctures and fine alutaceous background microsculpture; labrum short, arcuate, with the same type of microsculpture; mandibles strongly bent, with long narrow tips, without setae; antennal scape about half as broad as long, arcuate, widest at about midpoint, punctuation and microsculpture similar to those of frons, but punctures smaller; antennal funicle (of female) collectively slightly shorter than scape; antennal club (of female) oval, as long as funicle, glabrous in basal fifth, otherwise densely covered with setae.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) with posterior margin obtusely angulate, sides widest at about midpoint, bisinuate; marginal striae visible from above in basal half, then abruptly descend downwards to meet supracoxal striae; anterior margin straight; most of pronotal disk occupied by bifid anteromedian elevation, abruptly lowering towards anterior margin and laterally and smoothly descending towards basal margin; disk surface smooth, completely covered with large, dense, deep punctures and long erect setae; antennal cavities largely open above.

Scutellum not visible. Elytra ( Figs. 1, 3 ) with conspicuous small humeral trichomes; anterior and posterior elevations completely separated by deep transverse incision; outer corners of both their apices slightly projected closing incision externally; anterior elevation with anteromedian groove indistinct, marked as shallow broad sulcus along the middle of elevation, its apex straight, bearing dense tight fringe of short setae; posterior elevation also with straight anterior edge bearing slightly wider corresponding fringe of setae; posterior elevation broadening posteriorly and descending rather abruptly to elytral middle; elytral disk in posterior half ( Fig. 3 ) with obtuse conical elevation gradually descending towards elytral apices; elytral disc moderately transversely depressed in anterior half between trichomes; elytral surface with numerous setae throughout, shorter, stouter and denser on anterior depression and trichome elevations; punctures of elytral disc small and sparse, less conspicuous on anterior depression and much denser on trichome elevations; elytral marginal stria complete, departing conspicuously from margin above metathoracic leg; epipleuron ( Fig. 3 ) smooth and glossy, bearing numerous upward pointing setae.

Prosternum ( Fig. 2 ) long; prosternal leg depression margined by raised carina; prosternal keel almost straight, with the marginal stria distinct, thin and carinate; prosternal disk punctate throughout with irregularly spaced deep large, mostly elongate punctures; posterior part of prosternum shortly ascending and overhanging anterior part of mesoventrite; mesoventrite short, about six times as wide as median length; straight at middle, anteriorly bordered by a thin carinate stria; mesoventral disc slightly concave, with row of large deep punctures; mesepimeron prominent, impunctate, with dense alutaceous microsculpture; mesometaventral suture well impressed, continuous at side with stria delimiting the mesothoracic leg depression (lateral metaventral stria); metaventral disk glossy and smooth, with scattered small punctures and few fine setae; median metaventral suture distinct, well impressed, complete from anterior to posterior margin; posterior margin with transverse stria going laterally along anterior margin of metacoxa, than angling towards metepisternum, near which it is arched continuously with lateral metaventral stria; 1st abdominal ventrite similar in texture and setation to metaventrite, with raised stria delimiting depression for reception of metathoracic leg.

Femora ( Figs. 2, 3 ) rather stout, especially pro- and metafemora, edges of profemora weakly arcuate, edges of meso- and metafemora ascending posteriad, all margined along anterior and posterior sides; protibia smoothly angulate about one-third from base, arcuate to narrow rounded apex; meso- and metatibia with marginal angulation less pronounced, almost symmetrically rounded, widest near middle, mesotibia clearly narrower than metatibia; tarsi slightly laterally compressed, about 0.6–0.7 times length of corresponding tibiae; tarsal claws simple, divergent, weakly arcuate, about 0.3 times length of corresponding apical tarsomere.

Propygidium not carinate transversely, with disc slightly elevated, deeply punctate, punctures separated by about their widths, intervening spaces weakly alutaceous; pygidium similarly textured and punctured, but with punctures smaller and becoming progressively sparser towards apex. Right valvifer and coxite as figured ( Fig. 7 ).

Etymology. The species is dedicated to the memory of the late J. S. Ashe, curator of the Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, in appreciation of our long-term cooperative relationship and his contributions to collecting tropical inquilinous beetles.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Habitus of Eucurtiopsis ashei, sp. n. (1–3) and E. avis, sp. n. (4–6). 1, 4—dorsal view; 2, 5—ventral view; 3, 6—lateral view.

FIGURES 7–8. Ovipositor of Eucurtiopsis ashei, sp. n. (7) and E. avis, sp. n. (8)