Termitotrox venus Kakizoe & Maruyama

Kakizoe, Showtaro & Maruyama, Munetoshi, 2015, Termitotroxvenus sp. n. (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae), a new blind, flightless termitophilous scarab from Cambodia, ZooKeys 513, pp. 13-21 : 14-18

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Termitotrox venus Kakizoe & Maruyama sp. n. Figs 1-4, 5-10, 11-13

Type materials.

Holotype, male, deposited in Maruyama collection in the Kyushu University Museum: 1.0 km south of Angkor Wat, Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 22 VIII 2014, S. Kakizoe leg. Paratypes, deposited in Maruyama collection in the Kyushu University Museum: 1 female, 1.6 km southwest of Angkor Wat, Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 20 VIII 2014, S. Kakizoe leg.; 1 male, 1.0 km south of Angkor Wat, Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 24 VIII 2014, S. Kakizoe leg.; 2 males, 2 females, 0.77 km east of Angkor Wat, Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 24 VIII 2014, M. Maruyama & S. Kakizoe leg. (In fungus garden cells of Macrotermes cf. gilvus ); 1 female, 1.7 km east of Neak Pean, Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 25 VIII 2014, S. Kakizoe leg. (In fungus garden cell of Hypotermes makhamensis ).

Distribution.

Northwestern Cambodia.

Etymology.

Venus is the goddess of fertility, beauty and love in ancient Roman mythology and is often illustrated together with Cupido . The new species was found in the area where Termitotrox cupido was also found. Therefore, this species is named Venus . Noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Termitotrox cupido in having the wing-shaped trichomes on the elytra but easily distinguished from it by the larger body and the development of the pronotal basomedian section and the elytral median projection.

Description of holotype male.

General color (Figs 1-4, 11-13) uniformly dark brown, matt, body length 2.46 mm. Head (Figs 1-4). Surface generally evenly convex, only with a slight callosity at clypeofrontal transition. Lateral margin of head entirely, finely marginate. Clypeal outline evenly rounded. Clypeofrons brown, glabrous, dis tinctly, moderately punctate, and 9 elongate deep punctures. Genal tip obtusely angular (in dorsal view); genal surface depressed with deep groove medially. Antennae (Fig. 3) yellowish brown with setate club. Prothorax (Figs 1-4). Prothorax dark brown, narrower than elytra, sides (in dorsal view) evenly rounded over anterior half. Anterolateral lobe rounded, edge slightly projecting downward (forming side of anterolateral propectoral ridge). Pronotal sides steeply declivous. Posterolateral section of pronotum rounded. Base of pronotum evenly rounded, immarginate; basolateral area with 1 fine ridge and numerous grooves around base. Pronotal surface glabrous. Costae densely punctate, intercostal sulci with distinctly wrinkled. Discal depression deep; surface, apart from some local micropunctation, smooth. Pronotal pattern of longitudinal costae as follows: median costa broad, becoming indistinct around apical 1/5; basomedian section triangular, surface deplanate, flattened except a longitudinal wrinkled furrow at middle. Central depression posterolaterally delimited by depressed area of paramedian costa. Paramedian costa broad, distinct, continuing to about 2/3 of pronotal length. Sublateral costa anteriorly broad, distinct, tapering posteriad to about 1/5 of pronotal length, reaching paramedian costa. Lateral costa anteriorly broad, distinct, extending from anterolateral lobe caudad, tapering to base of pronotum. Marginal costa posteriorly broad, ending at depressed basolateral area. Anterolateral part of propectus deeply excavate. Preprosternal apophysis distinct, with several setae. Propectus glabrous, brown. Posterolateral area of propectus with some ridges and grooves. Postprosternal surface with small, shallow, median impression. Elytra (Figs 1-2, 4). Semi-elliptical, strongly convex dorsally, as high as pronotum, dark brown, matt, with 7 interstrial costae and intervening striae, and with short adpressed trichomes at base of costae 2-5 forming wing-shaped patches. Humeral and apical elytral umbones absent; apicosutural edge nearly rectangular, strongly protruding above. Epipleuron wide. Elytral striae distinct, deeply impressed, with transverse weak costae from base to apex forming quadrate cells; striae 1 and 2 reaching basal half. Discal interstrial costae broadly trapezoidal (in cross-section), surface with dense, scattered punctures. Elytral pattern of interstrial costae as follows: costa 1 (next to suture) narrow, almost rectilinear; costa 2 tapering in front, stopping at basal half. Costa 3 complete, strongly developed, stoutly protruding in front to form median projection. Costae 4-8 complete, strongly developed. Costae 9 and 10 apparently fused together. Mesosternum (Fig. 3). Transverse mesometasternal groove between posterior edges of mesocoxae distinct, straight, not completely reaching mesocoxae. Mesosternum with fine peridiscal grooves arising from this transverse groove and two diagonal grooves, except in front; mesosternal surface dark brown, glabrous, flattened, moderately micropunctate. Metasternum (Fig. 3). Metasternum with very shallow median impression, glabrous, and with fine perimarginal groove all around; dark brown. Abdomen (Fig. 3). Venter with 5 visible fairly sclerotized sternites, all dark brown, matt, glabrous, without grooves, sparsely micropunctate. Pygidium dark brown, glabrous, base broadly margined; surface generally convex, densely micropunctate. Legs (Figs 1-4). Procoxa protuberant. Profemur brown, underside glabrous, densely micropunctate; outline broadly elliptical, emarginate distally. Protibia pale brown, broad, with sparse short setae, microsculpture poorly pronounced; shape strongly complanate with 2 external denticles, no basal serration; apex oblique-sinuate, transverse, with distinct apico-internal spine; internal side strongly dilated from slender base. Protarsus twice longer than width of tibial apex, slender, yellowish brown; segment 1 inserted in fine groove, as long as segments 2-4 combined. Mesocoxa dark brown, widely separated, slightly divergent anteriad. Mes ofemur dark brown, broadly elliptic in outline, distally emarginate, surface moderately micropunctate, glabrous. Mesotibia dark brown, with several setae, broad, dilated near base, nearly parallel-sided from apex, edges entire; tibial apex deeply emarginate, with pair of acuminate apico-internal spurs, external one long, slightly curved, internal one short, straight; upper side of mesotibia with fine longitudinal ridge near outer edge, weak costa at basal half, underside with fine sinuate ridge from base to apico-internal section; with long setae around apical quarter. Metatibia similar to mesotibia, but gently dilated apicad, with apex shallowly emarginate. Meso- and metatarsi dark brown, compacted-complanate, segments 1-4 short. Length of outer apical spur of metatibia 1/4 of metatibia, reaching base of tarsal segment 5. Aedeagus (Figs 9, 10).

Female.

No significant sexual dimorphism is detected.

Measurements.

Body length 2.26-2.70 (2.48 ± 0.124); maximum width of head 0.84-0.93 (0.88 ± 0.031); median dorsal length of pronotum 0.92-1.14 (1.01 ± 0.064), maximum width 0.98-1.12 (1.04 ± 0.053); sutural length of elytra 1.12-1.53 (1.35 ± 0.115), maximum width 1.14-1.34 (1.24 ± 0.067). N = 7.

Symbiotic host.

Macrotermes cf. gilvus (see Discussion).

Remarks.

Male aedeagus size ratio is the same rate as Termitotrox cupido , i.e. 44% of body length.