Eulichas minuta Hájek, 2007

Hájek, Ji Ř Í, 2007, Revision of the genus Eulichas Jacobson, 1913 (Coleoptera: Eulichadidae) I. Introduction, morphology of adults, key to subgenera and species groups, and taxonomy of E. funebris species group, Zootaxa 1620, pp. 1-35 : 31-32

Eulichas minuta Hájek , sp. nov.

( Figs. 18 , 34 , 50 , 73–74)

Type locality. Indonesia, Sumatra Isl., W Sumatra, Annai Valley, Lapai vill.

Type material. 6 specimens — Holotype ɗ ( NMPC), labelled: “W SUMATRA / Annai Valley-Lapai vill. / 600–700 m, 1999 [printed] 26.3. [handwritten] / native collectors lgt. [printed]”. Paratypes: 1ɗ (no. 1), “W Sumatera Prov. / Annai Valley, 500m / 11–12.2004 [printed]” ( NMPC); 1ɗ (no. 2), “W Sumatra / II.1991 [handwritten]” ( NHMW); 1Ψ (no. 3), “W SUMATRA / Lapai, 30.8.1993 / leg. Widagdo [printed]” ( NHMW); 1Ψ (no. 4), “Sumatra / Occident. // Ex Musaeo / VAN LANSBERGE // MUSÉUM PARIS / 1952 / COLL. R. OBERTHUR [printed]” ( MNHN); 1Ψ (no. 5), “Mentawai Islands / N SIBERUT ISL. / 3–4.2005,50– 100m [printed]” ( NMPC).

Additional material studied. 2 specimens — INDONESIA: 1ɗ, W Sumatera, Harau valley, 700 m, vi.– vii.2004 ( NMPC); 1ɗ, W Sumatera, Nias Island, x.1991 ( NHMW).

Description. Habitus elongate, fusiform. Body colouring brown-blackish. Pale part of setation consists of recumbent yellowish-gray setae forming typical ocellations on pronotum and elytra, where setae are darker and sparser (Fig. 73).

Measurements. Males: 14–19 mm (holotype 14 mm); females: 19–25 mm.

Head punctation consists of moderately coarse setigerous punctures, somewhat sparse on the frons, and denser on the vertex. Antenna relatively slender, last antennomere rectangular, ca. 2.39–2.44 times as long as wide ( Fig. 50 ), its ventral side pubescent, without any tubercles.

Pronotum transverse, trapezoidal, ca. 1.88–2.05 times as wide as long. Sides slightly incised in basal half with hind angles prominent, and skewed and straight in anterior half ( Fig. 18 ). Punctation consists of fine, setigerous punctures, sparse on the disc and coarser and denser towards sides.

Elytra with numerous longitudinal rows of large setigerous punctures, and very fine interstitial punctures.

Ventral part with fine punctures, which are sparse medially and become larger and denser laterally. Last abdominal ventrite laterally regularly rounded to apex.

Male. Aedeagus with phallobase longer than parameres. Parameres simple, short, almost straight, with small subbasal hook. The subapical parameral hook is absent. Median lobe narrowly lanceolate ( Fig. 34 ).

Female. Similar to male in habitus, but on average larger. Antenna shorter and more slender than in male.

Remarks. The two males from Western Sumatra and Nias respectively show slight differences from typical specimens. They have the sides of pronotum only very indistinctly incised, and the body colouration is due to dense setation almost unicolourous light brown (Fig. 74). I have only seen one male from each locality, thus I was not able to view the variability and I did not designate them as paratypes.

Differential diagnosis. In habitus, the new species is very similar to E. mediocris , from which it could be distinguished by the trapezoidal shape of pronotum with sides slightly incised subbasally, and hind angles prominent; last antennomere shorter and broader, about 2.5 times as long as wide; and by the aedeagus with median lobe narrowly lanceolate, and parameres almost straight with only small hook subbasally.

Collection circumstances. Collected at light.

Distribution. So far known only from Western Sumatera province in Sumatra Isl., and from surrounding islands Nias and Siberut.

Etymology. The Latin word for “minute” refers to the small length of the species.

Figures

FIGURES 15 – 18. Pronotum of Eulichas. 15 – E. funebris; 16 – E. undulata; 17 – E. mediocris; 18 – E. minuta sp. nov. Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURES 27 – 34. Aedeagus of Eulichas in dorsal view. 27 – E. birmanica sp. nov.; 28 – E. jaechi sp. nov.; 29 – E. strbai sp. nov.; 30 – E. tanahrata sp. nov.; 31 – E. janbezdeki sp. nov.; 32 – E. milleri; 33 – E. mediocris; 34 – E. minuta sp. nov. Scale bar 1.5 mm.

FIGURES 35 – 50. Male antennomeres IX – XI of Eulichas. 35 – E. funebris; 36 – E. meghalayensis sp. nov.; 37 – E. tenuicornis; 38 – E. tonkinensis; 39 – E. undulata; 40 – E. haucki sp. nov.; 41 – E. kubani sp. nov.; 42 – E. pacholatkoi; 43 – E. birmanica sp. nov.; 44 – E. jaechi sp. nov.; 45 – E. strbai sp. nov.; 46 – E. tanahrata sp. nov.; 47 – E. janbezdeki sp. nov.; 48 – E. milleri; 49 – E. mediocris; 50 – E. minuta sp. nov. Scale bar 1 mm.