Meligethes (Odontogethes) scrobescens, Chen, Ying, Lin, Xiaoli, Huang, Min & Yang, Xing Ke, 2015

Chen, Ying, Lin, Xiaoli, Huang, Min & Yang, Xing Ke, 2015, A new species of Lamiogethes and a new species of Meligethes from China (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Meligethinae), Zootaxa 3999 (3), pp. 413-420 : 416-418

Meligethes (Odontogethes) scrobescens sp. n.

( Figs. 3 , 4 )

Description. Length 2.1mm, width 1.2mm, height 0.7 mm.

Body reddish-brown and rather shining with clear lustre; pronotum with narrow obvious explanate sides, pronotum and legs light brown; metaventrite and abdominal ventrites dark brown; dorsum with fine and rather conspicuous silvery white hairs, somewhat longer than distances between their insertions ( Figs. 3 a, b).

Head with punctures larger than or equal to eye facets in diameter, interspaces between them more or less narrower than a puncture diameter and microreticulated. Pronotum with finer punctures, interspaces on disc with microreticulation. Scutellar shield semicircular and not rugose with fine punctures slightly closer to each other. Elytra with punctures similar to pronotum, interspaces microreticulated and distances between them markedly narrower than a puncture diameter. Prosternal process with distinct punctures, smaller than eye facets in diameter. Metaventrite and abdominal ventrite 1 with more or less distinct punctures, markedly smaller than eye facets in diameter, and with interspaces completely smooth and distances between them larger than a puncture diameter.

Head subflattened and about as long as the distance between moderately large eyes (consisting of rather fine facets), clypeus anterior edge with weak marginal bead, transverse and with lateral angles rounded ( Fig. 4 a). Antennal club subovoid, composing about 1/3 of total length of antenna, about 1.3 times as long as wide. Pronotum with anterior edge more arcuate than trapezoidally excised; its posterior edge slightly sinuate in the middle. Elytra gradually narrowing distad to round apices.

Last labial palpomere about twice as long as wide, clearly narrowing apically. Mentum subpentagonal, 2.5 times as wide as long, with sides arcuate. Prosternum gently convex along the middle, prosternal process elongated with apex narrowly arcuate, its broadened part with sides not parallel and as wide as antennal club ( Fig. 4 c). Distance between metacoxae about twice as great as that between mesocoxae, about 2.5 times as great as that between procoxae. Metaventrite convex with a weak and narrow median depression.

Femora almost 1.5 times as wide as corresponding tibiae. Protibia subtriangular and moderately crenulated along outer edge, the apical three crenulations larger than others, tibia slightly wider than antennal club (Fig. 6b). Meso- and metatibiae obviously wider than protibia and with rows of short and dense hairs along outer edge. Protarsus about 3/5 as wide as protibia. Claws strongly dentate at base.

Tegmen and median lobe (penis trunk) moderately sclerotised, emarginate at apex of median lobe (Figs. 6d, e).

Material examined. Holotype. ♂, China: Sichuan, Nanping, Jiuzhaigou, 2600m a.s.l., 05-XI-1983, Huaicheng CHAI; (IZAS). PARATYPES. (9♂, 4♀). 1♀, Sichuan, Nanping, Jiuzhaigou, 2600m a.s.l., 05-XI-1983, Huaicheng CHAI; (IZAS); 5♂, Sichuan, Nanping, Jiuzhaigou, 2550m a.s.l., 05-IX-1983, Xuezhong ZHANG; (IZAS); 2♂, Sichuan, Gongga Shan, Yanzigou, 2500m a.s.l., 08-XI-1983, Yuanqing CHEN; (IZAS); 2♂, Sichuan, Wolong, Sanshenggou, 2500m a.s.l., 06-VIII-1983, Shuyong WANG; (IZAS); 4♀, Sichuan, Nanping, Jiuzhaigou, 2550m a.s.l., 05-IX-1983, Xuezhong ZHANG; (IZAS).

Etymology. The new species epithet is derived from the Latin word “scrobus”, which refers to median lobe with apex emarginate.

Distribution. China: Sichuan.

Diagnosis. This new species is very distinct due to claws strongly dentate at base, tegmen apically with two sets of setae and the apex of median lobe wider than the base, with peculiarly shaped apex. Meligethes ( O.) scrobescens sp. nov., although also related to the M. bourdilloni /chinensis species-group as defined by Audisio et al. (2015), is probably also related to the M. ferrugineus group, has an elongate and shining body rather similar to M. ( O.) pallidoelytrorum Chen & Kirejtshuk, 2013 from Sichuan and M. ( O.) simulator Audisio, Sabatelli & Jelínek, 2015 from Shaanxi. However, this new species can be recognized also by the apex of median lobe wider than the base and peculiar with emargination at apex markedly wider than in M. ( O.) simulator (apex of median lobe is obtusely pointed in M. ( O.) pallidoelytrorum ), members of the M. ferrugineus group exhibit markedly different shape of the median lobe ( Audisio et al. 2015).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Meligethes (Odontogethes) scrobescens sp. n. ♂. a. Habitus, dorsal view; b. Same, ventral view. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 4. Meligethes (Odontogethes) scrobescens sp. n. ♂. a .. Head; b. Front tibia; c. Prosternal process; d. Tegmen, ventral view; e. Medial lobe of aedeagus, ventral. Scale bar = 0.05 mm.