Prosthetops gladiator, Perkins, 2008

Perkins, Philip D., 2008, Facial affect recognition in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis, Zootaxa 1864, pp. 1-124 : 7-8

Prosthetops gladiator new species

( Figs. 1 , 3 , 122 )

Type Material. Holotype (male): South Africa: Eastern Cape Province, summit of Prentjiesberg , elev. 1900 m, rock pools, 31° 8' S, 28° 8' E, 30 March 1993, F. C. de Moor, H. M. Barber­James, K. Martens (ECR 163). Deposited in the AMG . Paratypes: Same data as holotype (17 AMG) .

Differential Diagnosis. This species is clearly related to P. grandiceps , based on both the external morphology and the male genitalia. Males of these two species are immediately differentiated from all other members of the subfamily by the strongly incrassate maxillary palpi. Members of P. gladiator ( Fig. 1 ) are differentiated from those of P. grandiceps by the larger size (males ca. 3.19 vs. 2.81 mm, females of each species smaller), the lack of setae on the pronotum and disc of the elytra, and the convex frons. Males are additionally differentiated by several secondary sexual characters of the legs, and the aedeagal form. Females of P. gladiator are additionally distinguished by the less strongly microreticulate pronotal reliefs. The aedeagus of P. gladiator differs from that of P. grandiceps ( Figs. 3, 4 ) by having a less markedly sinuate main­piece, wider and more setose parameres, and the parameres do not extend beyond the apex of the main­piece.

Description. Size (length/width, mm) holotype: body (length to elytral apices) 3.19/1.24; head 0.64/ 0.79; pronotum 0.71/0.90; elytra 1.90/1.24. Dorsum black, micant, ocelli testaceous, legs brunno­testaceous, distal part of femur and proximal part of tibia piceous, maxillary palpi brunneous.

Head of male with dorsum moderately strongly shining, not microreticulate, without setae; dorsum of female dull, distinctly microreticulate; maxillary palpomeres 3 and 4 in male strongly incrassate, flattened, ventral face of each concave; length from labroclypeal suture to posterior carina slightly less than width between eyes; eyes moderately large, in dorsal aspect 9 small, convex facets in longest series; sides nearly straight and parallel between eyes and anterior angles of labrum; frons weakly convex, raised above level of clypeus, on each side very shallowly impressed from ocelli to anterior angle; shallow longitudinal impression between ocelli; frontoclypeal suture bisinuate; clypeus strongly transverse, width 4 times length, sides straight or very weakly emarginate, almost parallel, anterior margin only slightly narrower than posterior; labrum strongly produced, almost twice as long as clypeus, margins slightly raised; apicomedian emargination Vshaped, extending to about 1/3 length of labrum; mentum and submentum shining in male, finely obsoletely microreticulate in female, genae microreticulate.

Pronotum cordiform, anterior margin arcuate, with very narrow hyaline border, or very narrowly margined; sides finely margined; basal angles almost rectangular; posterior margin very weakly arcuate, narrowly margined; disc strongly convex, with very shallow, almost obsolete, midlongitudinal impression over middle 1/2, and very shallow posterior admedian on each side, impression deeper in female, almost entirely obsolete in male; male moderately shining throughout, anteriorly and posteriorly rather sparingly but quite distinctly, in middle less distinctly punctate, in female microreticulate in foveae, reliefs obsoletely effacedly, if at all, microreticulate, uniformly quite strongly and quite densely punctate; males almost completely devoid of setae, at most with a few lateral setae; females with sparse setae laterally, and forming patch behind anterior angles, disc without setae.

Elytra in male with serial punctures obsolete, almost imperceptible; weakly depressed at anterior 1/3 near suture (very weak saddle), subparallel­sided, widest at about posterior 2/3, sides not explanate, apices separately rounded, more sharply so in male; disc without setae, laterally setae sparse, moderately long, yellowish, decumbent; female distinctly and strongly seriate­punctate, series 8–10 very faintly striate­impressed over medial 1/2, series 1–3 not becoming random in saddle.

Metaventral disc with very weak midlongitudinal impression in posterior 1/2, female even shallower; ventral areas lacking vestiture include widened and strongly shining mesoventral sublateral carinae, small basomedian area on metaventrite, and ventral face of metacoxae; mesoventral plaques absent.

Abdominal ventrites 1–6 in both sexes each entirely covered with vestiture, and 1–4 with apical fringe of longer, flattened setae that overlap 1/5 of adjacent ventrite, in females similar except narrow shining nonvestiture border at base of fringe; ventrite 6 in male with stout spine­like setae in apical 1/2, in female simple; ventrite 7 in male shining, on each side dense patch of short setae, in female simple; last tergite in female with apical fringe of short stout setae.

Legs (male) with tibiae widened, protibia flattened, bearing a row of long, sparse setae on anterior face; meso­ and metatibiae with several rows of long stout setae; meso­ and metacoxae each with cluster of long spine­like setae; protarsus with mere 5 strongly arcuate, base thickened and bearing two adjacent spiniform setae, lacking suction setae.

Wings fully developed on holotype and all dissected males.

Aedeagus length ca. 0.75 mm; main­piece in ventral view tapering from base to apex, setae near midlength prominent, in lateral view thin and very weakly sinuate; distal process straight, with one seta on each side at base; parameres not extending beyond apex of distal piece, relatively wide and very setose in distal 1/2 ( Fig. 3 ).

Etymology. Named in reference to the shield­like dorsum, and marked sexual dimorphism.

Distribution. Currently known only from the type locality, rock pools on the summit of the inselberg Prentjiesberg ( Fig. 122 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Prosthetops gladiator, dorsal and lateral habitus of holotype.

FIGURES 3–6. Aedeagi of holotypes. —3. Prosthetops gladiator. —4. Prosthetops grandiceps. —5. Pterosthetops hawequas. —6. Pterosthetops equestrius.

FIGURES 122–125. Geographical distributions of Prosthetops and Pterosthetops species.