Nanocaecus hlavaci, Schawaller & Purchart, 2012

Schawaller, Wolfgang & Purchart, Luboš, 2012, Nanocaecus hlavaci gen. & sp. nov. - first record of the tribe Gnathidiini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Diaperinae) from the Socotra Archipelago, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52, pp. 303-314 : 305-309

Nanocaecus hlavaci sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–13 )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Al Haghier Mts., Scant Mt. env.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♁ ( NMPC), labelled: YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island , Al Haghier Mts., Scant Mt. env., 1450m, 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E, P. Hlaváč leg., 12-13.xi.2010 . Paratypes (27 specimens NMPC, 6 SMNS, 6 LPCB, 5 BMNH, 5 HNHM, 5 ZSMC): same data as holotype; (11 NMPC, 2 SMNS, 2 LPCB) : same data as holotype, Jiří Hájek leg.; (11 NMPC, 2 SMNS, 2 LPCB) : same data as holotype, Jan Bezděk leg.; (4 JBCP) : same data as holotype, Jan Batelka leg.

Description. Body length 1.9–2.1 mm, width of elytra 0.6 mm. Surface and all appendages unicoloured shining brown. Head without eyes, frons with regular, fine and separate punctation, each puncture bearing a small acute seta, setae distinctly longer at anterior margin of clypeus, clypeal suture absent; membrane between clypeus and labrum exposed; labrum of semicircular shape; mandibles bifid; last maxillary palpomere long oval with finger-like tip, ventrally with a row of 5 blunt sensillae, tip with field of smaller sensillae; last labial palpomere swollen in middle and tip with field of sensillae; mentum hexagonal; without transverse or medial gular impression; antenna with 10 antennomeres, antennomere 3 not prolonged, with apical four antennomeres forming dense but not fused oval club, club apically of each joint with dense and long acute setae. Pronotum with regular, fine punctation and setation similar as on head; disc without impressions, slightly convex until the lateral margin, lateral margin equally rounded and basally wider separated from disc than distally; anterior margin not sinuated and not protruding in middle, anterior corners rounded; basal (posterior) margin feebly sinuated, basal corners rectangular; all margins unbordered, before basal margin laterally with transverse row of larger punctures; epipleura smooth and unpunctured; prosternal apophysis flat and not projected. Meso- and metaventrite with extraordinary large but not confluent punctation. Scutellum small but visible. Wings completely absent. Elytra long oval, widest before middle, surface with punctures larger than those on pronotum and head, each puncture bearing acute microsetae, punctation irregular, without any rows or traces of rows, also without scutellar striolae; base of elytra completely unbordered; in dorsal view lateral margin visible only in anterior quarter; epipleura broad in anterior three quarters, abruptly narrower in posterior quarter. Abdominal ventrites with regular and separate punctation, punctures of first ventrite as large as punctures of metaventrite, punctures bearing acute microsetae; ventrites 3/4 and 4/5 somewhat more separated than basal ventrites, but membranes between them not exposed; last ventrite of semicircular shape and regularly bordered, without any impressions or other modifications. Femora claviform, tibiae rounded without any keels, tibial spurs short; tarsal formula 5-5-4. Tip of aedeagus see Fig. 12 , tip of ovipositor see Fig. 13 . No distinct external sexual dimorphism.

Etymology. Named in honour of Peter Hlaváč (Košice, Slovakia), specialist of Pselaphinae and main collector of the type series.

Collection circumstances. The specimens of the type series were sifted from litter under shrubs and trees in high altitudes (above 1400 m) of the Haghier Mountains.

Distribution. So far known only from the type locality in Haghier Mountains, Socotra, Yemen.

Figures

Figs. 1–2. Nanocaecus hlavaci gen. & sp. nov., habitus. 1 – dorsal view; 2 – ventral view.

Figs. 3–8. Nanocaecus hlavaci gen.& sp. nov. 3 – head, dorsal view; 4 – head, ventral view; 5 – sensillae of maxillary palpus; 6 – tip of maxillary palpus; 7 – tip of labial palpus; 8 – antenna, ventral view.

Figs. 9–13. Nanocaecus hlavaci gen. & sp. nov. 9 – prosternal apophysis; 10 – protarsus; 11 – metatarsus; 12 – tip of aedeagus, dorsal view; 13 – tip of ovipositor, ventral view.