Luprops curticollis Fairmaire, 1896

Sabu, Thomas K., Merkl, Ottó & Abhitha, Prabhakar, 2007, A new Luprops species from Western Ghats with redescriptions and identification key to the species of Indian Peninsula and Sri Lanka (Tenebrionidae: Lagriinae: Lupropini), Zootaxa 1636, pp. 47-58 : 53-54

Luprops curticollis Fairmaire, 1896

( Figs 6 , 10 , 14 , 19 )

Lyprops curticollis Fairmaire, 1896: 28 .

Description. Blackish brown, upper surface of body with short sparse and completely decumbent setae ( Fig. 19 ). Fronto-clypeal suture distinct. Clypeus distinctly raised, with large punctures. Frontal region slightly depressed and vertex slightly raised up with coarse punctures. Genae less prominent, with a few setigerous punctures. Eyes partially divided by genal canthus. In dorsal view, eye diameter shorter than the length of temple ( Fig. 10 ); in lateral view, width at narrowest point of eye equal to 4–6 ommatidia ( Fig. 14 ). Second antennomere distinctly shorter, rest longer than wide. Terminal antennomere nearly twice as long as wide. Gula triangular.

Pronotum strongly transverse, twice as wide as long, broader anteriorly than posteriorly, widest just before the middle. Anterior angles completely rounded; posterior ones distinct. Lateral margins of pronotum smooth, distinctly sinuate before posterior angles. Punctures on pronotum dense, larger than those on elytra. Propleura punctured. Scutellum converging posteriorly, and punctured entirely.

Elytra simple, evenly convex with smooth margins, without striae, elongated, about twice as long as wide, widest behind middle. Humeral angles of elytra well-developed. Punctures of elytra uniform in size, not as deep as those on pronotum.

Prosternal process wide, flat, truncated posteriorly and with irregular punctures. Epipleura strongly punctured; broader in the middle and abruptly narrowed beyond metacoxal region. Posterior border of mesosternum with sharp edged notch. Metasternum with punctures sparser at centre than laterally. Abdominal ventrites with more punctures and setae than on metasternum. Legs short with only the very apex of middle and hind femora extending beyond elytral margin. Aedeagus with apicale slightly longer than wide, nearly parallelsided in basal 2/3, then narrowed in straight line ( Fig. 6 ).

Measurements (in mm; n = 15): total length 6.3–7.9, maximum width of elytra 2.8–3.2, maximum length of pronotum 1.1–1.4, maximum width of pronotum 1.8–2.4, maximum length of elytra 4.2–5.3.

Specimens examined (not sexed). PAKISTAN. Kashmir: Kohala, 3000’, 13. VI. 1974, C. Baroni Urbani (4, HNHM); Rawalpindi area, 25 km NW Rawalpindi, 600–700 m, 5. XII. 1955, Chr. Lindemann (3, HNHM); Rawalpindi area, Kanatti Chak, Salt Range, 15. II. 1955, Chr. Lindemann (4, HNHM, one of them with the label “ Luprops curticollis Frm. Cum typo comp. Dr. Z. Kaszab 1981”). – INDIA. Rajasthan: Shambhar, 30. IX. 1989, A. V. Kompantzev (1, HNHM); Andhra Pradesh: Hyderabad, VI. 1975, M. Halva (1, HNHM). Tamil Nadu: Andipatti Hills, 3. XI. 1972, Besuchet, Löbl & Mussard (1, HNHM).

Distribution. Pakistan (Kohala and Rawalpindi area); India (Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu).

Remarks. This species distinctly differs from L. tristis in having dorsal eye diameter smaller than the length of temple; in lateral view, the narrowest point of eye is with a width equal to 4–6 ommatidia.

Figures

FIGURES 4 – 8. Apical part of aedeagus: 4. Luprops rugosissimus Kaszab, 1980; 5. Luprops tristis (Fabricius, 1801); 6. Luprops curticollis Fairmaire, 1896; 7. Luprops gracilior Fairmaire, 1896; 8. Luprops devagiriensis sp. n. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 9 – 12. Head and pronotum, in dorsal view: 9. Luprops tristis (Fabricius, 1801); 10. Luprops curticollis Fairmaire, 1896; 11. Luprops gracilior Fairmaire, 1896; 12. Luprops devagiriensis sp. n. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 13 – 14. Head, dorsolateral view: 13. Luprops tristis (Fabricius, 1801); 14. Luprops curticollis Fairmaire, 1896; Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 17 – 21. Habitus: 17. Luprops rugosissimus Kaszab, 1980; 18. Luprops tristis (Fabricius, 1801); 19. Luprops curticollis Fairmaire, 1896; 20. Luprops gracilior Fairmaire, 1896; 21. Luprops devagiriensis sp. Not scaled.