Anticyphon, Ruta, Rafał, 2016

Ruta, Rafał, 2016, Anticyphon gen. nov., a new genus of Scirtidae (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea) inhabiting high altitude Andean cloud forests and páramo formation, Zootaxa 4175 (4), pp. 301-318 : 302-307

Genus Anticyphon gen. nov.

( Figs 1–10 , 12–13 )

Type species: Anticyphon oyonensis sp. nov., by present designation.

Diagnosis. Small to moderately sized beetles, usually brown, rarely almost black. Antennae filiform, subgenal ridge without buttonhole configuration, eyes strongly protuberant. Pronotum distinctly narrower than base of elytra, anterolateral and posterolateral angles well marked but not protruding. Anterior portion of mesoventrite with narrow but deep fossa for reception of prosternal process. Mesoventral process long, subparallel, bilobed at apex. Penis with long and narrow pala, distinct parameroids and well developed trigonium. Tegmen with narrow, pointed parameres. Ovipositor with membranous coxites, and set of vaginal and bursal sclerites.

Description. Male. Body ( Fig. 1 ) broadly to oblong oval, TL 4.2–6.0 mm, moderately convex. Body light brown to brownish black, covered with brownish, suberect setae, head and pronotum covered with granulate punctures, remaining portions of dorsum covered with normal (not granulate) punctures.

Head small, wider than long; eyes large, oval, strongly protuberant, finely facetted; tempora short, distance from posterior margin of eye to occipital ridge ca. 1/3 diameter of the eye, strongly converging basally; distance from ventral margin of eye to subgenal ridge very small, equal to ca. 1/14 diameter of the eye; supraantennal ridges not elevated, joined mesally to clypeal margin; frons convex; subantennal area flat, ventrally reaching indistinct transverse suture connecting edge of eye with clypeal margin. Frontoclypeal suture absent; clypeus transverse, ca. 3.5× wider than long, with straight anterior margin, lateral margins slightly converging posteriorly. Anteclypeus present, short. Ventral portion of head between subgenal ridges deeply concave, gular area convex, square to transversely rectangular, gular sutures well developed. Subgenal ridge well marked, without buttonhole configuration. Antennae filiform, reaching basal 1/3 of elytra; antennomere 1 widest, subcylindrical, without ridge on anterior margin; antennomere 2 subcylindrical, narrower and ca. 2× shorter than antennomere 1; antennomere 3 very narrow, longer than antennomere 2, slightly widening apically; antennomeres 4–10 subtly widening apically, antennomere 4 slightly longer than antennomeres 5–10, which have similar length; apical antennomere slightly longer than preceding one. Labrum distinctly visible, covered with relatively long setae, transverse, ca. 2.0× wider than long, anterior margin slightly emarginated, anterolateral angles rounded. Mandibles ( Figs 2 A, D, G) symmetrical or subtly asymmetrical, ca. 1.8× longer than width at bases, abruptly curved in apical 1/4, apices unidentate, outer margin covered with setae; inner margin of mandibles either without denticles or with a small triangular one; molar region not developed. Maxillary palpi ( Figs 2 B, E, H): palpomere 1 short, subconical, 2 longest, subcylindrical, subtly curved, 3 shorter than 2, subconical, 4 spindle-shaped, narrow, as long as or slightly shorter than 3. Galea with subparallel sides, slightly shorter than lacinia, with long, irregularly arranged setae at apex; lacinia with straight or slightly curved, strong setae. Mentum ( Figs 2 C, F, I) transverse (W/L = 1.7–2.0), trapezoidal to almost semicircular, with rounded anterior angles. Ligula narrow at base, subtriangularly widening apically, apical margin straight or membranous and bilobed, covered with long, dense setae. Labial palpomeres: palpomere 1 long, narrow, ca. 2.0× longer than wide; palpomere 2 wider, subconical to subglobular; apical palpomere arising subapically from preapical one, cylindrical, sinuous, longer than palpomere 1.

Pronotum transverse, distinctly narrower than base of elytra, ca. 2.2× wider than long; lateral carinae almost straight, converging anteriorly; disc moderately convex; anterior margin rounded; anterolateral angles blunt, rounded, not or slightly projecting; posterior angles right-angled, well marked; base bisinuate. Prosternum reduced anteriorly; prosternal process narrow, laminar, with elongated tear-shaped ventral portion, ca. 4.0× longer than wide, covered with delicate setae.

Scutellar shield small, equilaterally triangular, with slightly curved lateral margins, flat, with pointed apex; anterior margin straight. Elytra elongated, distinctly wider at base than pronotal base; humeri well marked, apices regularly rounded, each elytron with 2–3 longitudinal carinae subtly marked. Epipleura wide at base, slightly narrower than metanepisternum, regularly narrowing till apex, present till apex. Punctation of elytra irregular, not granulate, uniform, sparse, punctures separated by ca. 1.5–2.0 diameters. Internal elytral process elongated and narrow.

Hind wings (Fig. 3) ca. 2.3× longer than its width; radial cell subtriangular; apical portion of r3 well marked, straight; r4 well marked, arcuate; rp-mp2 arcuate, forming right angle with MP1+2; MP4 long, oblique, joining MP3 and CuA+AA1+2; anal field with well marked AP3 and AP4. Medial field with 3 free veins; pigmented areas in radial cell, medial, radial, central and apical fields.

Mesoventrite ( Fig. 4 ) small; anterior margin with distinct coxal rests; mesoventral process with well marked longitudinal suture; anterior portion forming narrow but deep fossa for reception of prosternal process; mesoventral process long, ca. 3× longer than wide, sides subparallel, apex bilobed, touching metaventrite; mesocoxae completely separated by a process; mesanepisternum rhomboidal, wider than long, forming coxal rest for procoxa; mesepimeron smaller, impunctate, subtriangular, strongly narrowed mesally; mesocoxae triangular, slightly projecting.

FIGURE 3. Anticyphon gen. nov., wings. A) A. davidsoni sp. nov., B) A. oyonensis sp. nov. (anal field damaged and missing from the photograph). Abbreviations: AP—posterior anal veins, CuA+AA1+2—fusion of anterior cubital and anterior anal veins, MP—posterior medial veins, r—radial cross-veins, rp-mp2—second radio-medial cross-vein.

Metaventrite ( Fig. 4 ) moderately long, transverse (W/L 3.5), convex; discrimen complete; covered with subtle microreticulation; metanepisternum subtrapezoidal, ca. 2× longer than its width, slightly narrowing posteriorly. Metacoxae moderately large, strongly oblique, 3.0× wider than their length, extending laterally to epipleura; metacoxal plate obliquely narrowing, absent in outermost portion. Metendosternite elongated, lateral furcal arms relatively long; ventral processes well marked, triangular; anterior furcal arms wide and short.

Legs moderately long; femora not extending beyond elytral margin, trochanters moderately long; trochanterofemoral joint oblique; femora as long as or slightly longer than tibiae, widened in the middle of their length. Tibiae narrow, slightly widening towards apex, with paired carinae; metatibial spurs short, shorter than metatibial width; tarsi longer than half length of tibiae; tarsomere 1 elongated, narrow, slightly triangularly widened, as long as tarsomeres 2–4 combined; tarsomere 4 bilobed apically; apical tarsomere as long as tarsomeres 3 & 4 combined.

Abdomen ( Fig. 5 ) ca. 1.1× longer than its width, convex; ventrites 1–4 of subequal length; ventrite 5 slightly longer; ventrite 5 regularly rounded or truncate at apex. Abdominal ventrites regularly covered with setae, usually with indistinct maculae. Tergites I–VII slightly sclerotized; apodemes of tergite VII very short, reaching ca. 1/2 length of tergite.

Sternite VIII Y-shaped, with short apodeme, sternite IX oval, consisting of two membranous hemisternites, with dense setae on apical margin, apodemes short or barely noticeable. Tergite VIII with moderately long apodemes shorter than apical portion and transversely oval, regularly rounded apical portion, covered with setae, apical margin with a row of dense, short setae, and longer, sparse ones. Tergite IX with longer apodemes, apical portion lightly pigmented, mesal portion membranous, with subtriangular area of darker pigmentation; sparse setae present only on apical portion in some species. Penis large, symmetrical, dorsoventrally flattened; trigonium subtriangular or trifid, parameroids narrow, straight or curved, often longer than trigonium. Tegmen large, usually with narrow, subtriangular parameres, rarely with additional lateral processes.

Female (based on A. oyonensis ). TL 4.3–4.5. Externally indistinguishable from males.

Sternite VIII ( Fig. 9 ) elongate, with sinuate apodemes which are not fused basally, apex with sparse setae.

Tergite VIII very long; apical portion subtrapezoidal, with sparse setation on apical margin; apodemes long, much longer than apical portion. Ovipositor long; branchlets present; coxites membranous, triangularly elongate, narrow, not covered with setae; styli with two tufts of setae at apex. Vagina membranous, with small, irregular sclerites; bursal sclerites present.

Biology. Unknown. All specimens were collected either in cloud forests or in páramo formation ( Fig. 11 ), at altitudes between 2600–4064 m a.s.l.

Etymology. Combination of Quechuan Antisuyu, the root of the word “Andes” and genus name Cyphon ; reference to the geographical distribution of the genus, which is restricted to Andes ( Fig. 14 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Anticyphon gen. nov., habitus. A) A. davidsoni sp. nov., B) A. ecuadorensis sp. nov., C) A. oyonensis sp. nov., female, D) A. oyonensis sp. nov., male E) A. paramoensis sp. nov., light form, F) A. paramoensis sp. nov., dark form, G) A. peruvianus sp. nov., H) A. santanderensis sp. nov. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 2. Anticyphon gen. nov., mandibles (A, D, G), maxillae (B, E, H), labia (C, F, I). A – C) A. davidsoni sp. nov., D – F) A. oyonensis sp. nov., G – I) A. paramoensis sp. nov.

FIGURE 4. Anticyphon paramoensis sp. nov., ventrum, SEM micrograph. Abbreviations: mf—mesoventral fossa, mpmesoventral process, sgr—subgenal ridge.

FIGURE 5. Anticyphon oyonensis sp. nov., abdomen. A) male, B) female.

FIGURE 6. Anticyphon davidsoni sp. nov., male genitalia. A) male genitalia, B) penis, C) tegmen, D) sternite VIII, E) sternite IX, F) tergite VIII, G) tergite IX. Scale bar = 0.5 mm. Abbreviations: dpp—dorsal process of penis, pe—penis, pm—paramere, pmd—parameroid, s—sternite, t—tergite, tg—tegmen, trg—trigonium.

FIGURE 7. Anticyphon ecuadorensis sp. nov., male genitalia. A) penis (right parameroid broken), B) tegmen, C) sternite VIII, D) sternite IX, E) tergite VIII, F) tergite IX. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 8. Anticyphon oyonensis sp. nov., male genitalia. A) penis, B) tegmen, C) sternite VIII, D) sternite IX, E) tergite VIII, F) tergite IX. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 9. Anticyphon oyonensis sp. nov., female genitalia. A) genitalia, B) vaginal sclerites, C) bursal sclerites, D) bursella. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 10. Anticyphon paramoensis sp. nov., male genitalia. A) penis, B) tegmen, C) sternite VIII, D) sternite IX, E) tergite VIII, F) tergite IX. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 11. Mountainous habitat of Anticyphon paramoensis sp. nov., Ecuador, Napo Prov., Papallacta Pass, 15.12. 2009 (phot. R. Ruta).

FIGURE 12. Anticyphon peruvianus sp. nov., male genitalia. A) penis, B) tegmen, C) sternite VIII, D) sternite IX, E) tergite VIII, F) tergite IX. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 13. Anticyphon santanderensis sp. nov., male genitalia. A) penis, B) tegmen, C) sternite VIII, D) sternite IX, E) tergite VIII, F) tergite IX. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 14. Distribution of Anticyphon gen. nov. Please note that precise locality of A. peruvianus sp. nov. is unknown (see note under the species description).