Nepaloplonyx qiului Jiang, Wang & Wang, 2019

Jiang, Ri-Xin, Wang, Ji-Shen, Li, Bo-Yan, Lin, Ye-Jie, Liu, Ling & Wang, Shuo, 2019, Discovery of termitophilous tenebrionid beetles in China (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 59 (1), pp. 341-349 : 344-346

Nepaloplonyx qiului Jiang, Wang & Wang , sp. nov.

( Figs 13–21 , 44 )

Type material ( 1 ex.). HOLOTYPE: ♁, labeled: ‘ China: Yunnan, Yingjiang County (DỮǥ), Nabang Town (ďṃffi), H: 252 m, 4-VI-2018, Lu Qiu leg., Light trap’ ( MHBU).

Description. Male ( Figs 13–14 ). Body dark brown, dorsal surface weakly flattened and covered with well-distributed and dense tiny punctures.

Head ( Figs 15–17 ) wider than long, vertex strongly punctured at base of area behind compound eyes. Head capsule deeply concave before compound eyes and around base of antennae, and forming greatly raised Y-shaped ridge frontally. Compound eyes short, separated medially. Clypeus ( Fig. 17 ) relatively large and vertical, unobservable in dorsal view, smooth, and slightly emarginate at apical margin. Labrum ( Fig. 17 ) narrower than clypeus, smooth, nearly trapezoidal, covered with bristles of medium length on apical portion, bristles on middle part shorter than on other parts. Antennae ( Fig. 18 ) short when compared to non-termitophilous Amarygmini , and antennomeres strongly expanded, with 11 antennomeres; antennomere I longest, longer than wide; II short, wider than long; III spherical, wider than long; IV–XI wider than long, strongly expanded; X shortest; XI narrower than preceding ones, with rounded apex.

Pronotum ( Figs 15–16 ) longer than wide, shiny surface covered with dense tiny punctures, with two pairs of broad and strong ridges; inner ridges straight, equal to approximately 3/4 of pronotal length and not extending to hind border of pronotum, outer ridges discontinuous medially, extending from hind border to nearly anterior border of pronotum; lateral margin curved, widest near middle, with right-angled hind corners. Elytra elongate, sides subparallel; intervals strong and broad, intervals I– IV straight; V–IX keel-shaped; II–VIII unconnected with elytral apex; IV shortest, nearly 1/3 of elytral length; V approximately 3/4 of elytral length. Femora glabrous in shaft area; profemora without modification. Tibiae with two edges on outer side, and two long bristles and circle of short bristles at apex. Aedeagus ( Figs 19–21 ) simple and slender, subfusiform, curved in lateral view, with asymmetrical base.

Measurements: AnL 3.13 mm, BL 9.50 mm, HL 0.98 mm, HW 1.24 mm, PL 2.18 mm, PW 1.95 mm, EL 6.34 mm, EW 2.50 mm, AL 1.70 mm. Ratio of AnL for each antennomere from basal to apical (holotype): 0.61, 0.22, 0.33, 0.27, 0.23, 0.23, 0.23, 0.23, 0.23, 0.21, 0.29.

Female. Unknown.

Comparative notes. The new species can be easily separated from other Nepaloplonyx species by strong and broad ridges on pronotum and intervals on elytra.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of our friend Dr. Lu Qiu, who collected the new species and donated it to us for study.

Biology. The holotype was caught by the light trap ( Figs 43–45 ). Discovery of its termitophilous habit is highly expected in future works.

Distribution. China: Yunnan ( Fig. 46 ).

Figures

Figs 13–21. Diagnostic features of Nepaloplonyx qiului sp. nov. 13 – habitus of male, dorsal view; 14 – habitus of male ventral view; 15–16 – head and prothorax, dorsal and ventral views, respectively; 17 – head, frontal view; 18 – antenna, lateral view; 19–21 – aedeagus, ventral, lateral and dorsal views. Scale bars: 2 mm in Figs 13–14, 1.0 mm in Figs 15–18; 0.5 mm in Figs 19–21.

Figs 43–45. Habitat of Nepaloplonyx qiului sp. nov. 43 – Dr. Lu Qiu working at the light trap in the type locality: Nabang Town (Yingjiang County, Yunnan Province); 44 – holotype of N. qiului sp. nov. trapped at light; 45 – general environment of Nabang Town.

Fig. 46 Distribution of termitophilous tenebrionid beetles known from China.