Studies of Madagascan Ptiliidae (Coleoptera) 1: The Tribe Discheramocephalini including eighteen new species
Author
Darby, Michael
text
Zootaxa
2013
3718
3
239
266
journal article
42987
10.11646/zootaxa.3718.3.2
5a826d17-bd9a-4646-9603-f9a45a23ac5c
1175-5326
247941
003A16B5-34C5-48F8-A41C-8B784F3B06CB
Cissidium
Motschulsky
Motschulsky (1855), Johnson (1982: 358), Grebennikov (2009:126), Sawada (2008:102)
Pantropical genus with 18 described species and numerous undescribed species. Johnson (1982) records that some 70 mostly undescribed species were known to him from tropical and subtropical parts of the world and that ‘apart from a few distinctive species, the identification of most is difficult.’ Six unpublished names attached to species determined by him from
Nepal
,
Tonkin
and the
Solomon Islands
are in the BMNH. Grebennikov records further undescribed species from
Kenya
,
Cameroon
and
Bolivia
, and I have collected undescribed species in
India
,
Sri Lanka
and the
Philippines
.
The generic descriptions reveal several contradictions and inconsistencies, and it seems likely, given the notable convergences shown by certain groups of geographically related species, that future research will split it into several genera. In the meantime
Cissidium
is accepted here in the widest sense, with features regarded as both inclusive and exclusive by the above authors.
Grebennikov includes
Cissidium
in the
Discheramocephalini
on the basis of a perforation in the mesoventral keel which is not well developed in the genus and not visible in ventral view.
Cissidium
species, together with those of
Dacrysoma
, may be distinquished from all other
Ptiliidae
by the possession of a dumb-bell shaped antennomere 11.
Cissidium banari
sp. n.
(
Figs. 3, 4
,
29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
)
Length
0.80–0.83 mm
. Colour yellow brown, very shining, antennae and legs dusky yellow. Antennae sexually dimorphic, see below. Head impunctate, vertex with a shallow median fovea of approximately the same size in both males and females. Pronotum
0.18 mm
long,
0.26 mm
wide, broadest slightly in front of middle, impunctate, lateral margins with two sensory setae, parallel before hind angles, hind margin longer than front margin with a pair of fovea on each side, the outer ones longer than the smaller, inner ones and converging anteriorly (
Fig. 29
), hind margin with a shallow recession in front of scutellum formed of two joined curves. Elytra
0.52–54 mm
long,
0.37– 0.40 mm
wide (females average
0.10 mm
wider than males), impunctate but with shallow depressions particularly along sides of scutellum and suture, broadest in front of middle, humeri with a short carina (
Fig.29
). Mesoventrite with strongly toothed front angles, hind margin with +/- 5 crenulations, mesoventral process not extending onto humeri and reaching below mesocoxae as a narrow plate with toothed profile and lightly chitinised central area appearing in some horizontal views as a perforation (
Fig.30
). Metaventrum: hind coxae separated by approximately one third of the meteventral width, coxal plates small.
Male
: Length
0.80–0.81 mm
, width
0.37 mm
. Eyes larger; antennomere 10 shorter, and both 10 and 11 with more hairs than female
Fig. 34
; fully winged; aedeagus
Fig. 31
.
Female
: Length
0.82–0.83 mm
, width
0.40 mm
. Eyes smaller; antennomere 10 longer, and both 10 and 11 with fewer hairs than male
Fig. 33
; micropterous/apterous; spermatheca
Fig. 32
.
Etymology.
Named in honour of Dr. Petr Baňař who organised the expeditions and collected many of the specimens.
Remarks.
Comes closest to
C. foveolatum
Johnson
from
New Zealand
but differs from that species in ventral view in the absence of long elytral pubescence and a smaller depression on the forehead.
Type
data.
Holotype
: ♂ Ambohitantely Spec. Res., ABT/
Nov 2011/01
, forest litter under big
Pandanus
, sifting, Winkler app. extr., S.18˚11’52.7’’ E.47˚17’0.4’’,
1603 m
,
16.xi.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & P.Banar (BMNH).
Paratypes
: all records by Winkler extraction of sieved samples collected in the AMBOHITANTELY SPEC. RES. unless otherwise stated. 36 exs, ABT/
Nov. 2011/02
, forest litter, S.
18o11’ 49.1’’ E
.47o 17’ 05.6’’,
1547 m
,
16– 17.xi.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & P. Banar (BMNH); 23 exs, ABT/
Nov. 2011/02
, forest litter under big
Pandanus
, S.
18o11’ 52.7’’ E
.47o 17’ 0.4’’,
1603 m
,
16.xi.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & P. Banar (BMNH); 6 exs, ABT/
Nov. 2011
/ 0 1, forest litter, S.
18o11’49.1’’ E
.47o17’05.6’’,
1547 m
,
16.xi.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 1 ex, ABT/18/ 2011, forest litter, S.
18o11’43.9’’ E
.47o17’16.1’’,
1613 m
,
20.iv.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R.Raveloson (BMNH); 3exs, ABT/17/2011, forest litter, S.
18o11’43.1’’ E
.47o17’19.3’’,
1636 m
,
20.iv.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R.Raveloson (BMNH); ABT/
Nov/2011/4
, sifting forest litter under
Pandanus
, S.
18o11’22.7’’ E
.47o17’07.8’’,
1623 m
,
21.xi.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); ABT/
Nov/2011/01
, forest litter under big
Pandanus
,, S.
18o11’52.7’’ E
.47o17’0.4’’,
1603 m
, 16..
xi.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & P. Banar (BMNH); 1 ex, ABT/
Nov/2011/08
, forest litter, S.
18o11’48.5’’ E
.47o 17’09.3’’,
1595 m
,
18.xi.2011
, P. Banar (BMNH); 2 exs, ABT/
Nov/2011/11
, forest litter, S.
18o10’52.6’’ E
.47o 17’ 22.5’’,
1497 m
,
18.xi.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 1 ex, ABT/08/2011, forest litter at forest edge, S.
18o11’51.8’’ E
.47o17’03.5’’,
1523 m
,
19.xi.2011
, P. Banar & R. Raveloson (BMNH); 6 exs, ABT/
Nov/ 2011/04
, forest litter under palm tree and big rotten trunk, S.
18o11’56.5’’ E
.47o17’26.1’’,
1561 m
,
17.xi.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 9 exs, ABT/
Nov/2011/16
, forest litter under
Pandanus
; S.
18o11’42.6’’ E
.47o17’10.8’’,
1620 m
,
21.xi.2010
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 3 exs, ABT/
Nov/2011/10
, forest litter under palm tree,
1600 m
,
18.xi.2011
, P. Banar, (BMNH); 1 ex, ABT/05/2011, forest litter by waterfall, S.
18o10’53.6’’ E
.47o17’22.4’’,
1503 m
,
19.iv.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (lost); 4 ♀
2♂
, ABT/
Nov.2011/09
, forest litter,
1610 m
,
18.xi.2011
, P. Banar (BMNH); 5 exs, ABT/
Nov.2011/21
, forest litter under
Pandanus
, S.
18o11’48.5’’ E
.47o17’06.1’’,
1656 m
,
25.xi.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); ABT/
Sep/2011/29
, sifting forest litter under
Pandanus
, S.
18o11’54.2’’ E
.47o17’05.5’’,
1613 m
,
6.ix.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 18 exs, ABT/
Sept.2011/08
, forest litter (bamboo,
Pandanus
), S.18˚10’52.3’’ E.47˚17’21.3’’,
1493 m
,
2.ix.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 2 exs, ABT/
Sep/2011/08
, sifting forest litter under
Pandanus
, S.
18o11’02.2’’ E
.47o17’13.4’’,
1565 m
,
4.ix.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 20 exs, ABT/
Sept.2011/08
, forest litter, S.18˚11’42.9’’ E.47˚17’20.3’’,
1640 m
,
17.xi.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH);
1 ♂
8 ♀, ABT/
Nov.2011/03
, forest litter, S.18˚11’42.9’’ E.47˚17’20.3’’,
1640 m
,
17.xi.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH);
2 ♂
4 ♀ ABT/
Sept.2011/11
, forest litter under palm tree close by waterfall, S.18˚10’58.3’’ E.47˚17’22.2’’,
1518 m
,
3.ix.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 13 exs, ABT/
Sept.2011/13
, forest litter under
Pandanus
and by big tree, S.18˚10’58.4’’ E.47˚17’22.6’’,
1525 m
,
3.ix.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 1 ex, ABT/01/2011, forest litter under
Pandanus
very dry material, S.18˚10’51.7’’ E.47˚17’21.6’’,
1593 m
,
19.iv.2011
, P. Banar & R. Raveloson (BMNH);
3 ♂
1 ♀, ABT/
Sept.2011/27
, forest litter under palm trees, S.18˚11’53.3’’ E.47˚17’11.2’’,
1602 m
,
6.ix.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 15 exs, ABT/
Nov.2011/17
, forest litter wet material close to stream, S.18˚11’48.6’’ E.47˚17’05.7’’,
21.xi.2011
, P. Banar (BMNH); 5 exs, ABT/
Sept.2011/04
, forest litter under
Pandanus
,
S.18˚11’46.4’’ E.47˚17’09.9’’,
1570 m
,
1.ix.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 8 exs, ABT/
Nov.2011/12
, forest litter, S.18˚10’53.3’’ E.47˚17’22.4’’,
1482 m
,
18.xi.2011
, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 3 exs, Montagne d’Ambre N.P., sifting,
1100 m
,
30.x.2010
, P. Banar (BMNH).
Note.
A further 3 species were detected in the material, but each was represented by a single specimen only and all were in poor condition lacking one or more parts. Naming and descriptions are not being attempted until further specimens are available.
1 ♂
, Ranomafana N.P., sifting, S.21˚ 14’ 51’’ E. 47˚ 24’ 13’’,
1079 m
,
16–18.xi.2010
, P. Banar (BMNH)
1 ♀, Andasibe N.P., Circuit Indri 2, sifting,
20.xi.2010
, S. Rahanitriniaina (BMNH)
1 ♂
, Montagne d’Ambre N.P., sifting,
1100 m
,
30.x.2010
, P.Banar (BMNH)