Helluodes taprobanae Westwood, 1847

Sabu, Thomas K., Abhitha, Prabhakar & Zhao, Danyang, 2008, A new Helluodes Westwood species from Western Ghats with notes on habitat, distribution and phylogenetic relationships of genera Helluodes Westwood and Physocrotaphus Parry of the tribe Physocrotaphini Chaudoir (Insecta: Coleoptera: Carabidae: Anthiinae), Zootaxa 1745 (1), pp. 30-46 : 36

Helluodes taprobanae Westwood, 1847

( Figs. 9–11 )

Helluodes taprobanae Westwood, 1847: 279 ; Chaudoir, 1862: 302.

Head. Labrum large, as wide as long, anterior angles rounded, apex between angles slightly emarginate. Maxillary palpomere 4 roundly dilate from middle to apex, inflexed medially and medial surface with distinct, deep puncture, roundly narrowed at apex. Ligula elongate, narrow and tapering towards apex with two elongate apical setae.

Pronotum. Apical angles projected and rounded; surface densely punctate and pubescent; anterior and posterior transverse sulci shallow; lateral margin explanate and reflexed; posterior angles weakly reflexed and blunt at apex; basal foveae deep and wide, extended forward as deep lateral furrows; lateral margins weakly sinuate anterior to posterior angles; base distinctly oblique laterally, narrower than apex.

Elytra. Apices obliquely truncate with wide membranous margins; intervals densely pubescent and punctuated; lateral edges narrow.

Venter. Sternites 3 to 4 in male with one pair of paramedian setae

Measurements. Male (n=1), TLA = 24.5; TLB = 19.5; TW = 7.0; PL = 3.2; PW = 5.5; EL = 12.0.

Specimens examined (n=1). Lectotype male, labeled “ Ex-Musaeo Chaudoir ” / “ Taprobanae Westwoodi, Ceylan, Nietner ” at MNHN Paris.

Distribution. Sri Lanka (Kandy, Kitugalle, Kotte, Matale, Galgamuwa, Peradeniya-Sri Lanka Lowland rainforest ecoregion)

Remarks. With slightly emarginate margin between anterior angles of labrum, rounded anterior angles of pronotum and slender ligula, H. taprobanae is more similar to H. devagiriensis n.sp., but differs from the latter in the absence of dentation on the anterior margin of labrum, maxillary palpomere 4 roundly dilated from middle to apex and roundly narrowed at apex, and in more densely punctuate pronotal disc. Although females of H. taprobanae are not known, we predict that the venter of the female will not have paramedial setae on segments 3 and 4 and that this will be a sexually dimorphic character similar to that found in all species of the genus Helluodes and tribe Physocrotaphini examined to date.

Figures

FIGURES 6–14. Labrum, maxillary palpi and pronotum: 6–8 Helluodes devagiriensis n.sp.; 9–11 Helluodes taprobanae; 12–14 Helluodes westwoodi. Not scaled.