Soronia xiangxiyuanica Chen & Huang, 2021

Chen, Xiaoxiao & Huang, Min, 2021, New species in the sap beetle genus Soronia Erichson (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae Nitidulinae) from China, Zootaxa 4908 (3), pp. 417-425 : 420-423

Soronia xiangxiyuanica Chen & Huang , sp. nov.

( Figs. 7–8 , 15–16 , 26, 30 )

Specimens examined. Holotype, ³, China: Hubei Province, Shennongjia Forestry District, Muyu Town, near Xiangxiyuan , 30-07-2019, Xiaoxiao Chen , NWAFU . Paratypes, 1³, same collection data as holotype.

Description (male). Length 5.8 mm, width 3.3 mm. Body oblong, more or less convex. Dorsal surface bright brownish yellow, pronotal disc darker, elytra with two round dark brown markings at base of elytra near scutellar shield and two transverse, dark brown stripes at apical 1/3 of elytra; ventral surface brown with epipleura brownish yellow and abdominal ventrites 1–4 blackish. Dorsal surface with irregular, short, recumbent off-white and black pubescence and a small number of robust setae, ventral surface evenly distributed with short, off-white short pubescence ( Figs. 7–8 ).

Head, pronotum and elytra with evenly dense and small punctures, 0.6–1.0× diameter apart, interspaces smooth to microreticulate. Lateral margins of prosternum and mesoventrite with large and shallow punctures, 0.8–2.2× diameters apart, interspaces microreticulate. Metaventrite distributed with large, dense punctures, 1.0–2.0× diameters apart, interspaces smooth to microreticulate.

Head disc and orbital parts depressed. Labrum emarginate medially. Mandibles prominent and projected from under labrum. Eyes strongly projected, with short setae. Antenna shorter than head width (including eyes); scape hemispherical with outer margin evenly convex; antennomere 3 longer than pedicel, shorter than antennomeres 4–5 combined; antennomeres 6–8 equal in length; antennal club compact, with length 0.3× total antennal length, terminal antennomere symmetrical, obviously shorter than previous two antennomeres combined ( Fig. 26 ). Pronotum widest before base, surface with depressions near posterior angles, depressions 1.8× antennal club width; arcuate and broadly explanate laterally, anterior margin deeply emarginate, posterior margin nearly truncate; anterior angles right, posterior angles broadly rounded and with a small, prominent tooth. Scutellar shield small, triangular with apex rounded. Elytra with humeral angles distinct, explanate laterally, parallel at basal 2/3 and slightly narrowed toward apex, apical angles broadly rounded. Pygidium broadly rounded apically and completely covered by elytra.

Last segment of maxillary palpomere slender, subconical with truncate apex. Last segment of labial palpomere cylindrical with truncate apex, outer margin enlarged medially. Mentum pentagonal. Antennal grooves deep, strongly convergent posteriorly. Prosternum weakly raised medially, prosternal process gradually widening behind procoxae and bent to mesoventral surface, transverse apically. Mesoventrite slightly convex medially. Metaventral disc depressed. Distance between metacoxae 2.1× width of mesocoxae and 2× width of procoxae. First abdominal ventrite along midline 2.5× longer than hypopygidium and 1.2× longer than ventrites 2–4 combined; hypopygidium sinuate apically. Epipleuron reaching to apex of elytron and wider than antennal club.

Protibia narrow basally and strongly expanded from basal half, outer apical angle projecting and rounded ( Fig. 30 ); meso- and metatibiae slender. All tarsi simple, weakly expanded, claws simple.

Male genitalia well sclerotized. Tegmen subrectangular with length 2× width, rounded apically and with a deep notch medially ( Fig. 15 ). Median lobe slender with length 2.5× width, equal to length of tegmen, rounded apically and with a notch medially ( Fig. 16 ).

Diagnosis. This species can be easily distinguished from other species by: protibia of male strongly expanded from basal half. It is similar to S. expansa sp. nov., but differs from it by: protibia with outer apical angle broadly rounded and projected; lateral margins of elytra not parallel; mesoventrite not strongly carinate medially.

Biology and distribution. Specimens were collected from southcentral (Hubei Province) China. All specimens were collected during July by sweeping vegetation with a net.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from its collection location, Xiangxiyuan.

Figures

FIGURES 7–12. Soronia xiangxiyuanica sp. nov. (7) male habitus, dorsal, (8) male habitus, ventral; Soronia gratiosa (9) male habitus, dorsal, (10) male habitus, ventral; Soronia grisea (11) male habitus, dorsal, (12) male habitus, ventral.

FIGURES 13–23. Soronia expansa sp. nov. (13) tegmen, ventral, (14) median lobe, dorsal; Soronia xiangxiyuanica sp. nov. (15) tegmen, ventral, (16) median lobe, dorsal; Soronia grisea (17) tegmen, ventral, (18) median lobe, dorsal; Soronia magnipunctura sp. nov. (19) tegmen, ventral, (20) median lobe, dorsal; Soronia gratiosa (21) tegmen, ventral, (22) median lobe, dorsal; Soronia expansa sp. nov. (23) ovipositor, dorsal.

FIGURES 24–30. Soronia expansa sp. nov. (24) male, right antenna, dorsal, (27) male, right protibia, dorsal, (28) female, right protibia, dorsal; Soronia magnipunctura sp. nov. (25) male, right antenna, dorsal, (29) male, right protibia, dorsal; Soronia xiangxiyuanica sp. nov. (26) male, right antenna, dorsal, (30) male, right protibia, dorsal.