Physodeutera (Minideutera) kamilmoraveci, Moravec, Ji Ř Í, 2004

Moravec, Ji Ř Í, 2004, New or rare Madagascar tiger beetles — 9. Two new species of the genus Physodeutera Lacordaire, with revised keys to the species of subgenera Diarrhiza Jeannel and Minideutera Moravec (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Zootaxa 775, pp. 1-12 : 8-11

Physodeutera (Minideutera) kamilmoraveci sp. n.

( Figs 6–7 , 13–15 ).

Type specimens. Holotype, male, in MRAC (sine num.), labelled: ” Madagascar, Manakambihini nr Vavatène, 17°36´S – 48°58´E, ii. 1995, A. Pauly”; ”Coll. Mus. de Tervuren”; ” Physodeutera (s. str.) minima (W. Horn, 1893) , det. F. Cassola 2000”; ” Physodeutera (Minideutera) minima (W. Horn, 1893) , det. F. Cassola 2002”; [all labels printed]; ” Holotype, Physodeutera (Minideutera) kamilmoraveci sp. n., det. J. Moravec 2004” [red, printed].

Type locality. Eastern Madagascar, 17°36´S – 48°58´E, evergreen forest of Manakambahini, subprefecture Vavateniana (spelled as ”Manakambihini near Vavatène” on the locality label).

Diagnosis. Body small, predominantly metallic black­olivaceous with bluish to cyaneous lustre and conspicuous elytral maculation. Similar to Ph. (Minideutera) pseudorubescens Deuve, 1987 and Ph. (Minideutera) perroti Rivalier, 1967 in having elytra also possessing sublateral­median white macula, but the macula in Ph. (Minideutera) kamilmoraveci sp. n. is larger and surrounded with inconspicuous, postero­mesad directed cinnamon band nearly connected with indistinct, cinnamon­darkened central spot; humeral macula is prolonged posteriad in form of a distinct cinnamon­ochre subhumeral band. Pronotum narrower than in Ph. (M.) perroti . Aedeagus with distinctly ventrally emarginate apex (left lateral view) resembling that of Ph. (M.) perroti but conspicuously dorsally delimited from voluminous central portion.

Description (male holotype). Body small ( Fig. 6 ), length 6.90 mm, width 2.40 mm, generally glabrous.

Head slightly narrower than body, with very large eyes, width 2.10 mm. Frons metallic black­olivaceous with cupreous lustre, steep and moderately convex in middle, nearly smooth with fine lateral wrinkles; supraantennal plates moderately pulvinate, violaceousblue, smooth with two deep transverse posterior wrinkles; frons­vertex fold distinct, blunt in middle and forming sharp lateral edges, finely arcuate­wrinkled in middle. Vertex metallic black­cupreous with iridescent green and bronze lustre, with moderate anteromedian impression, surface very finely and irregularly, longitudinal­vermicular rugulose, posteromedian area with longitudinal parallel rugae; large juxtaorbital areas densely finely striate­rugulose, except for effaced thin area with blue­green lustre adjacent to eyes; sublateral parallel rugae coarser and divergent posteriorly, passing onto post­genae; posteriorcentral area slightly convex, nearly smooth. Occiput black­cupreous, distinctly convex, smooth. Genae deep metallic black­blue with green lustre, nearly smooth. Clypeus blackcupreous, smooth. Labrum ( Fig. 13 ) with four whitish setae, short (length/width ratio 1:1.45), length 0.65 mm, width 0.95 mm, mahogany­brown with irregularly delimited ochre­testaceous areas on lateral margins, and with black basal areas of central convexity; median lobe subtruncate, with blunt lateral angles (lacking anterolateral teeth), slightly surpassing level of blunt to subacute lateral teeth. Mandibles asymmetrical, ochre­brown with dark reddish­brown teeth, lateral areas testaceous. Palpi testaceous with brownish darkened distal palpomeres; penultimate palpomeres of labial palpi slender, only indistinctly dilated towards apex (width 0.17 mm), testaceous­brownish. Antennae with scape and antennomeres 3 and 4 metallic mahogany­brown, pedicel nearly testaceous, other antennomeres darkened greyish­brown.

Thorax. Pronotum ( Fig. 14 ) slightly longer than wide, length 1.20 mm, width 1.15 mm, metallic black with green and cupreous iridescence on lateral areas and cupreous in middle; lateral margins of disc moderately arcuate; notopleural sutures indistinctly visible in dorsal view; anterior and posterior sulci well pronounced, anterior rim indistinct, discal surface nearly smooth, coriaceous, with sparse, short, fine transverse rugae on median area only; median line thin, posterior lobe with dorsal portion of lateral angles moderately pulvinate; posterior rim distinct only on lateral areas, effaced in middle; prosternum, mesosternum metasternum and proepisterna metallic black­blue with green iridescence, nearly smooth; mesepisterna and metepisterna metallic black with olivaceous tinge.

Elytra elongate ( Fig. 15 ), length 4.30 mm, juxtahumeral impressions distinct, discal impression distinct, elongate, reaching middle of elytra; elongate impressions along sutures on posterior declivity indistinct, apical impression distinct, anteapical impressions moderate; lateral margins subparallel, slightly widened in middle and again in rounded anteapical angles, apices rounded towards sutures lacking sutural spine; apical microserrulation indistinct; elytral surface very finely, irregularly and sparsely punctate in anterior half, with few larger setigerous punctures within juxtahumeral impressions and on basodiscal convexity, punctures effaced on basohumeral area and towards posterior elytral half, posterior declivity smooth, apices and posterior area adjacent to epipleura with few shallower punctures bearing inconspicuous short, whitish setae; elytral colour metallic olivaceous­black with cupreous iridescence on disc, lateral areas iridescently deep blue­green; elytral maculation consisting in male of white humeral macula prolonged posteriad and forming distinct, elongate, cinnamon­ochre subhumeral band, white, subangular sublateral­median macula surrounded with very inconspicuous, postero­mesad directed, cinnamon band which is nearly connected with indistinct, cinnamon coloured central spot, small, nearly rounded, white anteapical macula, and short, whitish apical lunule.

Abdomen. Abdominal sterna black­brown with blue and cupreous lustre.

Legs. Coxae testaceous with metallic­green lustre on basolateral area of metacoxae, trochanters and basal area of femora and inner side of mesofemora testaceous, remaining areas of femora metallic mahogany­brownish; tibiae brownish­testaceous with blackbrown apices; tarsi brownish with darkened apices.

Aedeagus (left lateral view, Fig. 7 ), elongate, length 2.17 mm, width 0.45 mm, its voluminous central portion dorsally distinctly delimited from elongated (0.61 mm long, 0.19 mm wide) subclavate and rounded tip which is ventrally distinctly arcuate­emarginate and slightly oblique­ventrally directed; internal sac with very long arciform piece accompanied with two (underlying), irregularly shaped, more voluminous and shorter pieces, lightly sclerotised, indistinct upper tooth, short ventrally placed stiffening rib, and basal plate.

Etymology. Dedicated to my son Kamil Moravec, who died in a road accident in 2003, at age 29.

Biology and distribution. Known from the type locality only, evergreen rainforest of Manakambahini, a part of the Zahamena natural reserve (”Réserve naturelle intégrale no 3”). Behaviour of adults unknown.

Remarks. The closest species, Ph. (Minideutera) perroti differs in having pronotum as long as wide and simpler elytral maculation (lacking elongate subhumeral band and central macula, as well as apical macula in both sexes). The tip of the aedeagus of Ph. (M.) perroti is not delimited ventrally from the voluminous median portion, and the inner sac possesses different sclerites.

Physodeutera (Minideutera) minima and Ph. (Minideutera) apicesignata distinctly differ in having much simpler maculation. Moreover, the aedeagi of these two and other species of the subgenus Minideutera differ in having their apex straighter, not so emarginate ventrally (in its left lateral aspect), and blade­like flattened when observed in its dorsal view. Physodeutera (Minideutera) pseudorubescens differs in its elytral maculation (similar to that in Ph. (M.) perroti ) and by a very differently shaped aedeagus with short, rounded apex. Compare details and relevant illustrations in Moravec (2002).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7: characters of Physodeutera. Figs. 1 – 5: Ph. (Diarrhiza) murzini sp. n.: 1 — body of male, paratype (CCJM), length 10.5 mm; 2 — body of female, allotype, length 11.1 mm (CCJM); 3 — third to fifth antennomeres of male, holotype (NHMW); 4 — aedeagus (length 2.8 mm) of paratype (CCJM) showing structure of inner sac; 5 — ditto (length 2.7 mm) of holotype. Figs. 6 – 7: Ph. (Minideutera) kamilmoraveci sp. n., male, holotype (MRAC): 6 — body (length 6.9 mm); 7 — aedeagus (length 2.17 mm) showing structure of inner sac.

FIGURES 8 – 15: characters of Physodeutera. Figs. 8 – 12: Ph. (Diarrhiza) murzini sp. n.: 8 — male labrum (holotype); 9 — female labrum (allotype); 10 — male pronotum (holotype); 11 — male elytron (holotype); 12 — female elytron (allotype). Figs. 13 – 15: Ph. (Minideutera) kamilmoraveci sp. n. (male, holotype): 13 — labrum; 14 — pronotum; 15 — elytron.