Lamellipalpus pacholatkoi turaensis, Brancucci, Michel & Geiser, Michael, 2009

Brancucci, Michel & Geiser, Michael, 2009, A revision of the genus Lamellipalpus Maulik, 1921 (Coleoptera, Lampyridae), Zootaxa 2080, pp. 1-20 : 10

Lamellipalpus pacholatkoi turaensis ssp. nov.

( Fig. 8 )

Type locality: NE India, Meghalaya, Tura Peak.

Description. 3. Habitus: Oblong to elongate, mostly testaceous. Antennae brown from the 3rd joint onwards. Elytra dark brown, with a large testaceous patch around shoulder, the suture and the margin narrowly so on the whole length. Underside completely testaceous, abdomen testaceous-brown.

Head: Large, testaceous; transverse, distance from eye to pronotum equal to 1.5 times diameter of an eye. Interocular space large, 2.8 times as large as eye diameter. Anterior margin of frons almost evenly curved concavely; head strongly depressed on antero-median part. Surface shining, covered with fine punctures and very fine and long yellow setae. Mandibles long, slender, straight, only slightly curved. Last segment of maxillary and labial palpi broad, 3.7 times as long as broad, flattened and strongly elongate, about 1/3 longer than mandibles, with fine pubescence; setae dense, fine and testaceous. Apex of last joint of maxillary palpi broadly rounded, labial palpi narrowly so. Antennae long, filiform, 1st, 3rd and 4th joints elongate, 2nd joint very small, globulose, 5th -11th joints subequal, cylindrical, about 2.2 times as long as broad.

Pronotum: Testaceous, slightly transverse, strongly and deeply depressed posteriorly before angles. Anterior margin rounded. Posterior angles protruding and obliquely carinate. Entire surface shining with small punctures, each with a long and very fine yellow seta. Scutellum broad, triangular and testaceous.

Elytra: Dark brown, testaceous on base around shoulders and narrowly so along suture and along margin on the whole length. Sides slightly dilated, almost parallel, broadest behind middle, with 3 distinct costae and coarsely punctured. Punctures very large, individually visible, deeply impressed and much closer together than their own diameter. Pubescence dense; setae short, very fine and brown. Elytral margins narrowly bordered.

Underside: Completely testaceous, finely and densely pubescent.

Aedeagus: Lateral lobes narrow, rounded and with a few setae posteriorly, ending a sharp point dorsally. Median lobe with a sharp ridge dorsally.

Female: Unknown.

Measurements: TL: 8.6–8.7 mm; TL-H: 7.1 mm; HL: 2.0 mm; HW: 2.25 mm; LP: 1.9

Type material: Holotype 3 ( NHMB): “NE India, Meghalaya, Tura Peak, 600–1000 m, 25°31’N 90°14’E, Pacholátko leg, 12–22.VI.2007 ” [white printed label]. “ Holotype Lamellipalpus pacholatkoi turaensis n.ssp. Brancucci & Geiser 08” [red printed label]. Paratype: 1 specimen with same data as holotype ( NHMB). This specimen has a red printed paratype label.

Etymology: The name of this species is derived from the type locality, Tura Peak, Meghalaya.

Affinities: We decided to rank the specimens from Tura Peak as a subspecies as they are distinct from the typical specimens, particularly in their size. Otherwise the characters are not sufficient to rank these specimens as a distinct species. The most closely related species is L. kubani sp. nov. from Thailand. However, in the present subspecies the joints of the antennae are much more elongate (globulose in L. kubani sp. nov.), and the punctures on the elytra are evenly distributed and not confluent, with each one distinctly visible.

Distribution: NE India (Meghalaya).

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 10. Habitus of: 7, Lamellipalpus pacholatkoi sp. nov.; 8, L. p. turaensis ssp. nov.; 9, L. kubani sp. nov.; 10, L. brendelli Wittmer.