Dascillus liangshanensis, Jin, Zhenyu, Xie, Guanglin & Yang, Qixin, 2016

Jin, Zhenyu, Xie, Guanglin & Yang, Qixin, 2016, Description of a new species of Dascillus Latreille from Sichuan, China (Coleoptera: Dascillidae), Zootaxa 4200 (2), pp. 321-323 : 321-323

Dascillus liangshanensis sp. n.

( Figs 1–11 )

Etymology. The species name refers to the type locality, Liangshan; adjective.

Diagnosis. This species can be easily distinguished from D. planus Jin et al., 2013 and D. compressus Jin et al., 2013 by its pronotum widest just before base, ventral lobe of aedeagus apically rounded and apex of dorsal lobe not compressed. Additionally, it can be distinguished from all other Dascillus species by its elytral setae not forming any colour pattern, and by males having ventrite 5 with apex distinctly projected medially while tergite X is apically truncate.

Description. Male ( Fig. 2 ). Length 12.4–13.2 mm, width 5.4–5.5 mm. Body 2.2–2.4× longer than broad. Head, antennae, pronotum, scutellar shield and venter black, elytra dark brown, legs dark brown or black. Upper surfaces densely clothed in short and adpressed setae. Head, pronotal and elytral setae uniformly brown, not forming colour pattern, venter covered by brown dense pubescence.

Head. Antennae reaching middle of elytra. Antennomere 3 about 2.7–2.9× as long as broad, 1.1–1.3× as long as antennomere 4; terminal antennomere distinctly longer than penultimate. Mandible strongly curved apically; incisor edge with two teeth. Apical palpomere of both maxilla and labium cylindrical to fusiform.

Pronotum trapezoidal, 0.4–0.5× as long as wide, widest just before base; sides sinuate. Lateral carina narrowly explanate with marginal bead, edge smooth with distinct fringe of setae; anterior angles slightly prominent. Disc moderately convex, punctation coarse and dense.

Pterothorax. Scutellar shield 0.9–1.0× as long as wide, truncate anteriorly, obtuse posteriorly. Elytra moderately convex, together 1.9–2.0× as long as wide, 5.2–5.3× as long as pronotum.

Abdominal ventrites ( Fig. 9 ) with glabrous spots on each side; ventrite 5 with apex distinctly projected medially, 0.4–0.5× as long as wide, 1.4–1.5× as long as ventrite 4. Sternite IX ( Fig. 6 ) apex and base both broadly rounded, bearing uniformly short setae in middle and apical part. Posterior edge of tergite IX ( Fig. 7 ) also broadly rounded. Tergite X longer than tergite IX, apically truncate.

Aedeagus ( Figs 3–5 ). Phallobase emarginate at base. Parameres approximately as long as phallobase, inner margin upturned apically, slender and narrowly rounded at apex. Ventral lobe obtuse at apex; dorsal lobe rounded at apex.

Female ( Fig. 1 ). Externally identical to male except for abdominal ventrite 5 ( Fig. 8 ) truncate. Female genitalia weakly sclerotised with vagina and bursa copulatrix not clearly separated; bursa copulatrix without sclerites; spermatheca small and not sclerotised. Ovipositor ( Fig. 10 ) short; paraprocts entirely sclerotised, without baculi, about as long as gonocoxites; proctiger absent; gonocoxites entirely sclerotised ventral of paraprocts, triangular and strongly bent, apices prominent, densely setose dorsally, without baculi; gonostyli absent.

Type material. Holotype (♂): Sichuan, Liangshan , Longwo xiang, 20-vii-2010, Song He , Lingling Cao. Deposited in China West Normal University, Nanchong , China.

Paratypes (6♂, 4♀): Sichuan, Liangshan, Meigu xian, Longfushan , 18-vii-2011, 2200m, Chaoming Jiang (6♂, 3♀) ; Sichuan, Longwo xiang, Liangshan , 20-vii-2010, Song He, Lingling Cao (1♀) .

Distribution. China: Sichuan ( Fig. 11 ).

We are deeply grateful to Prof. Aiming Shi and the China West Normal University for providing specimens under their care, to Prof. Hong Pang (Sun Yat-Sen University) for making specimens of other species of Dascillus available to us, to Ms. Azadeh Taghavian for her assistance during the visit to the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, and to Jiří Hájek and one anonymous reviewer for improving the manuscript. This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31601882) and Undergraduate Training Programs for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of Agriculture College, Yangtze University (Grant No. nxy1621).

Figures

FIGURE 11. Distribution of Dascillus liangshanensis sp. n. (red circle).

FIGURES 1 – 10. Dascillus liangshanensis sp. n. (1 – 2) habitus: (1) female, (2) male, (3 – 5) aedeagus: (3) ventral; (4) dorsal; (5) lateral; (6) male abdominal sternite IX; (7) male abdomen tergites IX – X; (8 – 9) abdomen: (8) female; (9) male; (10) ovipositor.