Tocama laosensis Li & Keith

Li, Chun-Lin, Wang, Chuan-Chan, Keith, Denis & Yang, Ping-Shih, 2012, One the genus Tocama Reitter (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae), with descriptions of two new species from Indochina, ZooKeys 177, pp. 37-48 : 39-40

Tocama laosensis Li & Keith sp. n. Figs 14610-12

Holotype

male. LAOS: Lak 20, 22-26/VIII/1996, by local collector (deposited at Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt Universitat (ZMHB), Berlin, Germany)

Type locality.

Southern Laos: Champasack province, Lak 20, 15°01'N, 105°90'E.

Diagnosis.

Tocama laosensis is distinguished from other congeners by the following combination of characters: body medium sized, thin, pronotum flat when viewed laterally (Fig. 4); head, pronotum and scutellum blackish brown, elytra dull castaneous; surface of pronotum, scutellum and elytra covered with tiny brownish grey setae, setae on vertex about 4 times length of those on pronotum and elytra; basal margin of elytra between scutellum and humeral umbone broadly ridged (Fig. 6); apical ridge of pygidium impressed and becoming concave inwardly along plane of disc; mesometasternal process vestigial; metepimeron and sides of abdominal sternites 1-6 with maculation consisting of brownish white, scale-like setae; male genitalia as in Figures 10-12.

Description.

Males(Figs 1, 4): BL: 20.0 mm; BW: 12.0 mm; CL/BL=1.1; PgW/L= 1.32. Body thin, pronotum flat when viewed laterally (Fig. 4). Head, antennae, pronotum, scutellum and venter blackish brown; tarsomeres black; elytra dull castaneous; dorsal surface of body covered with minute, brownish grey setae. Head: Surface densely and coarsely punctate, each puncture with a seta, setae on clypeus thinner and shorter than those on vertex. Clypeus rectangular, bordered, with center apex emarginated; vertex slightly convex with setae about 4 times length of those on pronotum and elytra. Antennal club straight, subequal in length to basal segments. Labrum strongly bilobed at middle, symmetrical, each lobe rounded apically. Mentum with anterior margin moderately bilobed, surface sparsely setigerous, setae moderately long. Maxillary palpi short, apical palpomere about half length of antennomere 3. Pronotum: wider than long, widest at base, depressed when viewed laterally (Fig. 4); lateral margins well bordered, weakly developed anterior to scutellum; surface densely, evenly punctuate; punctures fine, each with a scale-like, tiny seta about 3 times length of diameter of puncture. Scutellum semicircular, surface with punctures and setae similar to those on pronotum. Elytron: Widest at middle; surface rugose with 4 weakly developed, punctate costae, costae 1-3 (starting from suture) complete, costa 4 vestigial; overall punctures and setae same as those on disc of pronotum; basal margin of elytra between scutellum and humeral umbone broadly ridged (Fig. 6). Propygidium: Surface densely punctate, punctures setigerous, setae similar to those on disc of pronotum with a row of more robust setae along apical margin. Pygidium: Lateral margins narrowly flattened. Surface densely punctuate; punctures setigerous, setae scale-like, longer and more robust than those on pronotum, sparsely intermixed with hair-like, long setae (about 3-12 times longer than scale-like setae); pygidial apex truncate and concave inwardly along plane of disc (see Fig. 8 for Tocama procera ), apical margin weakly quadrate. Venter: Prosternal process feebly protruding, apex not reaching base of protrochanter. Mesometasternal process vestigial. Metepisternum densely covered with hair-like setae. Metepimeron and sides of abdominal sternites 1-6 with maculation of brownish white, scale-like setae. Middle of abdominal sternites 1-4 almost impunctate, sides densely punctuate; punctures setigerous, setae fine, scale-like, intermixed with hair-like setae that are 3-15 times longer. Legs: Protibia tridentate with basal tooth weakly developed. Pro- and mesofemora flattened, surface hairy; hind femora stout, broad, surface clothed with much shorter, robust setae than those of pro- and mesofemora. Mesotibia with 2 apical spurs equal in length. Metatibia with dorsal apical spur reaching to middle of metatarsomere 2; ventral apical spur of metatibia subequal in length to metatarsomere 1. Parameres: In lateral view (Figs 10, 12), base of parameres (BP) constricted, ventroapical swelling of right paramere (RPvs) weakly developed. Middle of lateral margin smooth when viewed dorsally (Fig. 11).

Female unknown.

Etymology.

The species epithet is derived from the name of Laos, wherefrom it is described. This is the first Tocama species from this country and is probably endemic to it.

Remarks.

Tocama laosensis is known from a single male specimen collected by a local collector, and it lacks further information. However, the type locality of the species is the southernmost distribution for the genus so far.