Fissocantharis eschara Y. Yang & X. Yang

Yang, Yuxia, Li, Limei, Guan, Kaile & Yang, Xingke, 2015, Taxonomy of Fissocantharis Pic (Coleoptera, Cantharidae) from Guangxi, China, with descriptions of six new species, ZooKeys 489, pp. 95-123 : 103-106

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Cantharidae

Fissocantharis eschara Y. Yang & X. Yang sp. n. Figs 2B, 5D‒F, 8E, 10B

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (IZAS): CHINA: Guangxi: Jinxiu, Rd. Jinzhong, 1100m, 11.V.1999, leg. D.C. Yuan. Paratypes: CHINA: Guangxi: 1♂ (IZAS): same locality as the holotype, 12.V.1999, leg. W.Z. Li; 1♀ (IZAS): same locality, 12.V.1999, leg. X.K. Yang; 1♀ (IZAS): same locality, 10.V.1999, leg. X.K. Yang; 1♀ (IZAS): same locality, 1000m, 10.V.1999, leg. F.S. Huang; 1♂ (IZAS): same locality, 1000m, 12.V.1999, leg. X.Z. Zhang; 2♀♀ (IZAS): same locality, 1000m, 12.V.1999, leg. M.Y. Gao; 1♂, 1♀ (IZAS): Jinxiu, Fenzhan, 13.V.1999, leg. H. Xiao; 1♂ (IZAS): Jinxiu, Luoxiang, 400m, 15.V.1999, leg. D.C. Yuan; 1♀ (IZAS): same data, leg. D.J. Liu; 1♀ (IZAS): same locality and date, 200m, leg. X.Z. Zhang.

Description.

Male (Fig. 2B). Head black, mouthparts blackish brown, light brown at bases of mandibles and labium, antennae black, yellow at ventral sides of antennomeres I‒II, prothorax orange, scultellum black, elytra dark purple, with weak metallic shine, legs black, yellow at coxae, trochanters and basal parts of femora, meso- and metasterna and abdomen black. Body densely covered with short decumbent light brown pubescence, also mixed with slightly long semierect pubescence along anterior margin of labrum and on disc of elytra.

Head subquadrate, temples evenly narrowed posteriorly, surface semilustrous, finely and densely punctate; eyes strongly protruding, head breadth across eyes distinctly wider than anterior margin of pronotum; maxillary palpomeres IV longer than wide, widest at apical one-third, arcuate and sharp at apical parts of inner margins; antennae filiform, nearly extending to elytral apices, antennomeres II slightly longer than wide at apices, III about twice as long as II, IV‒XI each with an oblong smooth scar-like bulge at basal part of outer margin, IV slightly longer than III, XI slightly shorter than X and pointed at apices.

Pronotum about 1.29 times longer than wide, widest near base, anterior margin rounded, anterior angle rounded, lateral margins slightly sinuate and diverging posteriad, posterior angle nearly rectangular, posterior margin arcuate and slightly bordered, disc distinctly convex on posterolateral parts, surface semilustrous, punctate like that on head.

Elytra about 4.0 times longer than pronotum, 3.0 times longer than humeral width, lateral margins nearly parallel, disc surface semilustrous, rugulose-lacunose and finely punctate.

All tarsal claws bifid, upper claws nearly as long as lower claws.

Aedeagus (Fig. 5D‒F): conjoint dorsal plate of parameres moderately reduced, distinctly shorter than ventral processes, with apical margin tapered apically; ventral process of each paramere evenly narrowed apically, moderately hooked at apex.

Female. Similar to male, but eyes not so protruding; antennae uniformly black, antennomeres IV‒XI without scar-like bulges; pronotum slightly wider, about 1.13 times longer than wide, lateral margins sinuate, moderately diverging posteriorly, moderately convex at posterolateral parts of disc, legs orange at pro-coxae and trochanters. Abdominal sternite VIII (Fig. 8E) slightly protuberant on both sides of posterior margin, latero-apical angles subrounded. Internal organ of reproductive system (Fig. 10B): vagina stout and abruptly narrowed and extended into a long duct above median oviduct; diverticulum and spermathecal duct arising from the end of the long duct of vagina; diverticulum slightly long, thin and spiral; spermathecal duct distinctly thicker and slightly shorter than diverticulum; spermatheca composed of a spiral tube which is distinctly longer than diverticulum, provided with a very long and thin accessory gland (surrounded with a slightly sclerotized sheath, which is hard to be stripped) which is slightly longer than the spiral tube of spermatheca; median oviduct situated in middle of vagina.

Body length: 6.5‒9.0 mm; width: 1.2‒1.8 mm.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Fissocantharis gracilipes (Pic, 1927), but differs in the smaller body; aedeagus: conjoint dorsal plate of parameres moderately reduced, ventral process of each paramere evenly narrowed apically, moderately hooked at apex.

Distribution.

China (Guangxi).

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from Latin eschara (scar), referring its antennomeres IV‒XI with scar-like bulges along the outer margins in male.

Remarks.

Sometimes the pronotum presents with a large inverse-triangular and a slightly small triangular black marking in middle of anterior and posterior parts of disc respectively, which are almost conjoint.