Sinodrepanus falsus ( Sharp, 1875 )

Montanaro, Giulio, 2021, Taxonomic notes on the genus Sinodrepanus Simonis, 1985, with description of the male of S. falsus (Sharp, 1875) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Oniticellini), Zootaxa 5067 (4), pp. 585-592 : 586-588

Sinodrepanus falsus ( Sharp, 1875)

( Figs. 1 , 3–7 )

Oniticellus falsus: Sharp, 1875: 52

Drepanochirus falsus: Boucomont & Gillet, 1921: 19

Cyptochirus falsus: Boucomont & Gillet, 1927: 103 ; Paulian, 1945: 128

Drepanocerus falsus: Janssens, 1953: 36 , 37; Balthasar, 1963: 62, 66; Biswas & Chatterjee, 1985: 151; Sewak, 2003: 183; Sewak, 2006: 219

Sinodrepanus falsus: Simonis, 1985: 98 , 103, 104; Kabakov & Napolov, 1999: 73; Ochi et al., 2004: 355; Krikken, 2009: 21; Kabakov & Shokhin, 2014: 58; Mittal & Jain, 2015: 393; Bezděk, 2016: 174

Type locality: Laos .

Type material examined. Holotype (♀): Laos / Mouhot // Oniticellus / falsus / Type D.S. // Ex Musaeo / D. Sharp 1890 // MUSÉUM PARIS / 1952 // COLL. R. OBERTHÜR // A. Janssens det. 1953 / Drepanocerus / falsus Sharp ♀ / Type // TYPE // HOLOTYPE // HOLOTYPE / Sinodrepanus / falsus (Sharp) // MNHN / EC8103.

Additional material examined (7♂♂, 1♀). China: CHINA, S YUNNAN, Iquanbanna [likely Xishuangbanna], Guangpin env., 0km [sic!] N Jinghong, 1000m, 19-27.I.2003, S. Murzin leg. [1♂, PMOC] . Laos: Laos, Paklay, Aug [ust] 1917, R.V. de Salvaza [1♂, BMNH; specimen probably seen also by Janssens (1953)] . Thailand: Ban Tao Phan, 11.III.[19]18 [likely Ban Phan Tao in Chiang Mai province; 1♂, BMNH] ; N THAILAND, Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao, Chiang Dao Hill Resort env., 19°33’28.37”N 99°4’34.20”E, 2-11.VII.2019, Vishnyakov Alexey legit [1♂, GMOC] ; THAILAND, Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao, 19°33’28”N 99°4’34”E, 14.VI.2017, Prosvirov legit [1♀, GMOC] ; THAILAND, Chiangmai, Chi[a]ngdao Hill Resort, 19°33’29.19”N 99°04’33.34”E, 1-15.VII.2019, Ustinov V. legit [2♂♂, GMOC] ; N THAILAND, 100km N Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao hill Resort , 20-30.VI.2008, S. Murzin [1♂, PMOC] .

Description of the male ( Figs. 1 , 4–7 ). Flat, elongated, integument microreticulated, dark brown and partially with metallic lustre; body surface almost wholly covered by simple or ocellate punctures which carry light brown scale-like bristles. Length: 8.2–9.8 mm (N=7). Head. Subhexagonal, clypeus subtrapezoidal, covered by small, ocellate, setigerous punctures. Frontovertex with two short longitudinal median keels carrying long testaceous bristles; keels dividing the interocular space into three almost equal segments. A third short keel runs along the frontoclypeal suture, bulging especially in the middle and towards the anterior part of clypeus, connecting anteriorly the two longitudinal keels and delimiting with them a square surface. Maximum head width at about anterior 1/3 of genae. External edge of genae slightly obtusely angular. Anterior edge of clypeus reflexed and slightly depressed transversely behind, bearing two upturned triangular denticles separated by a largely obtuse angle, this angle narrower and more angular than in females. Pronotum. Subquadrangular, widening anteriorly, maximum width at about anterior 1/3, where lateral edges are slightly and broadly angular. Lateral edges slightly and broadly sinuous on their basal third. Anterior angles somehow truncated anteriorly; posterior angles broadly rounded. Covered with ocellate setigerous punctures of uneven size, largest on the median basal part of disc. Disc with eight longitudinal keels carrying long testaceous bristles (in order, from medial to lateral): two keels on either side of the midline, reaching the anterior pronotal border but expiring before posterior edge, converging at about the anterior 2/5 of their length, where they are connected by a very short transverse keel. External to these, two shorter keels almost reaching the posterior pronotal border but ending clearly before the anterior one, connected anteriorly to the medial keels by two weak oblique keels, and almost devoid of long bristles in their middle. Other two thick keels originate from the anterolateral corners of pronotum, obliquely reaching the anterior end of the previous keels. Finally, two short keels are present on the basal 1/3 of lateral edge, they are placed close to the pronotal edge and do not reach the posterior border. Elytra. Flat on the whole, subquadrangular. Striae broad, sinuous except the 1st one which is straight, their borders clearly ridged, punctures marked, each one carrying a scale-like seta. Interstriae covered by small and dense setigerous punctures; the 1st costate, the 5th strongly but gradually raised, the 7th ridge-like and concealing the 8th in dorsal view. The 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th interstriae clothed in progressively longer, more abundant and thicker setae, with a tuft of long setae apically. Interstriae 5, 6 and 7 obliquely elevated near humeral callus, the 7th depressed a little behind the callus. The 3rd interstria becomes progressively narrow towards the apex, then widens again near the apex; the 6th interstria widens in basal third, then remains more or less parallel on the remaining two thirds. Scale-like bristles on epipleura gradually disappearing posteriorly. Scutellum lingulate, smooth. Legs. Ventral surfaces of femurs covered by dense small setigerous punctures and by scattered ocellate punctures carrying thick bristles. Dorsal surface of fore legs glabrous and quite shiny. Protibiae obliquely truncated at apex, apical edge linear; with two teeth on outer edge, the distal one acute-angled, the proximal one much broader. Apical spur with distal half bent downwards. Pygidium. Densely setigerous, longer in males than females, more broadly curved at apex, with the same two tubercules and a longitudinal basal keel, all carrying long thick bristles. Strongly depressed along basal border. Inferior body surface. Abdominal sternites evenly covered by dense, small setigerous punctures, the posterior sternites with a tuft of long bristles on their distal edge. Metasternum ( Fig. 4 ) covered by ocellate punctures of uneven size; its basal part with a deep pentagonal hollow in which punctures are sparser, delimited anteriorly by dense, coricate, thick and sharp bristles. Genitalia. Basolateral plates of parameres greatly developed, almost touching parameral apices; apices of parameres relatively short, truncated, divergent and, in dorsal view, directed obliquely downwards; parameral apices not reaching the inferior edge of basolateral plates in lateral view ( Figs. 6, 7 ). Lamella copulatrix (LC) ( Fig. 5 ) four-lobed; superior left lobe (SL) with a dorsally-bent expansion; superior right lobe (SR) simple, subtriangular, with a small and a little hooked lobule internally, in correspondence of which SL and SR are fused; inferior left lobe (IL) separated from the rest of the LC, elongated, with an incospicuous additional sclerite on its left; inferior right lobe (IR) very slender and strongly bent inwards.

Comments. Externally, males are almost identical to females ( Figs. 1 and 3 ), except for the following secondary sexual characters: females have three protibial teeth instead of two (but see also the discussion below); their cylpeal teeth are sharper and the space between them is broader and more evenly rounded than in males; their metasternum is only shallowly hollowed posteriorly, the hollow being less defined than in males; their pygidium is shorter. For species diagnosis see below.

Distribution. See below.

Figures

FIGURES 1, 2. Sinodrepanus spp. 1: habitus of a male specimen of S. falsus (Sharp, 1875) from Thailand (picture by Marco Uliana); 2: habitus of the male holotype of S. exsul (Sharp, 1875), from Thailand (picture by Antoine Mantilleri, MNHN).

FIGURES 3–9. Sinodrepanus spp.—S. falsus (Sharp, 1875), specimens from Thailand (3–7) (pictures by Marco Uliana). 3: female forebody; 4: male metasternum; 5: lamella copulatrix; 6: parameres in dorsal view; 7: aedeagus in lateral view.—S. exsul (Sharp, 1875), male holotype from Thailand (8, 9) (pictures by Christophe Rivier, MNHN). 8: parameres in dorsal view; 9: aedeagus in lateral view.