Platycoelus hermes, Will, Kipling, 2015

Will, Kipling, 2015, A taxonomic review, new species and a key to species of Platycoelus Blanchard, 1843 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini), Zootaxa 4034 (2), pp. 291-308 : 295-296

Platycoelus hermes sp. nov.

Figs. 2 A; 5I, J; 8.

Types. HOLOTYPE. Male. "Aitape Brit. N.G. Aug 1944 Darlington"//"det.Darlington at B.M. 1947–48 "//"full wing"[handwritten with pencil on green paper]//"Mes ♂2"[handwritten with pencil on green paper]//" Platycoelus depressus Bl. , det. Darlington '60"//"MCZ-ENT 00011642". Deposited MCZ.

Type locality. Papua New Guinea, Sandaun Province, Aitape. In the vicinity of 3°8'S 142°21'E.

Description. Dorsal habitus ( Fig. 2 A). Size. Overall length (sbl) 8.8mm, greatest width over elytra 3.2mm. Color. Dorsal and ventral surfaces black. Legs, mouthparts, and antennae piceous. Luster. Dorsally and ventrally shiny. Iridescence. Elytra and ventral surface of body with pronounced spectral iridescence. Head. Dorsal microsculpture not visible at 50x magnification. Frons with dense, irregularly placed and variously sized punctulae. Clypeal-ocular sulci represented by a broad, very shallow impression. Ocular ratio 1.53; eyes large size, rounded. Labrum very slightly emarginate with the medial four setae moderately widely distributed, width from the outermost medial seta to lateral seta one half width across all four medial setae. Mentum short, shallowly emarginate, lateral lobes little produced, with one pair very large, round, very deep pits; median tooth short, very broad, shallowly emarginate; one pair of setae below median tooth. Gula very wide, width at middle about two thirds the width of mentum, anterior tentorial pits small, deep. Antennae, damaged so overall length unknown, antennomeres 5–9 elongate. Thorax. Pronotum slightly transverse, sides very shallowly rounded from apex to just anterad base, then straightening and very slightly sinuate to base. Marginal bead continuous from apex to base; basal margin not bordered; anterior angles not produced; hind angles obtusely angled, rounded; posterior impression not present, lateral area with a very broad, flat region to lateral margin; this region not or scarcely delimited medially, medially convex, not reflexed near hind angles. Seta at hind angle set at hind angles, touches lateral bead. Microsculpture of disc not visible at 50x magnification. Elytral striae complete, all striae very shallowly impressed and minutely crenulate, except near apex. Elytral microsculpture hardly visible at 50x, formed as an irregular or nearly isodiametric mesh of microlines. Intervals 1–7 with micropunctulae; 8–9 and across apex of elytron punctures denser and sculpturing more pronounced and irregular. Profemur in male and female unmodified. Metacoxal sulcus straight, extended to lateral end of coxa. Prosternal process at apex rounded and not margined. Sterna smooth throughout. Abdomen. Abdominal ventrites smooth, glabrous. Male genitalia. Aedeagus ( Fig. 5 I,J) sharply flexed ventrally at tip, which is bluntly rounded.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a Latinized noun, nominative case, based on the name of the messenger of the Greek pantheon, Hermes sp. nov., in allusion to his winged helm and boots and the fully developed flight wings characteristic of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Dorsal habitus of A, Platycoelus hermes sp. nov.; B, P. interstitialis; C, P. irideomicans; D, P. jedlickai; E, P. major; F, P. melliei.

FIGURE 5. Male genitalia. A, left lateral, and B, ventral view median lobe tip of Platycoelus brigalowphilus sp. nov.; same view C – D, P. caledonicus; E – F, P. chongheeae sp. nov.; G – H, P. depressus; I – J P. hermes sp. nov.; K – L P. interstitialis.