Platylomalus inflexus Zhang & Zhou

Zhang, Ye-Jun & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2007, Taxonomy of the tribe Paromalini Reitter (Coleoptera: Histeridae, Dendrophilinae) from China, Zootaxa 1544, pp. 1-40 : 15-17

Platylomalus inflexus Zhang & Zhou , n. sp.

(Figs. 68–82)

Type material. Holotype. CHINA: Hainan: male, Wuzhi mountain, 790 m, dead wood, 2004. VII.8, Jie Wu & Yongjie Chen coll.; Paratypes. CHINA: Hainan: 3 males, 2 females, 1 ex., same data as holotype; 1 male, Wuzhi mountain, 780 m, dead wood, 2004. VII.11, Jie Wu & Yongjie Chen coll.

Description. Body length 1.86–1.92 mm, body width 1.27–1.35 mm. Body oblong, relatively depressed, black and glossy, legs and funicles of antennae rufous, clubs of antennae fulvous.

Head (Fig. 68) flat anteriorly. Surface with dense and small punctures. Frontal stria conspicuous, feebly interrupted in middle of anterior margin.

Pronotum (Fig. 69) with sides arcuate and convergent anteriad, slightly so in posterior half and strongly so in anterior half; anterior margin emarginate and feebly bisinuate behind head. Marginal pronotal stria complete, lateral marginal stria strongly carinate, anterior marginal stria parallel to anterior margin but angularly curved posteriad in middle. Area behind eyes slightly concave. Punctation similar to that of frons, but smaller in longitudinal median area.

Scutellum not visible in dorsal view.

Elytra (Fig. 69) with sides nearly parallel in basal 2/3. Dorsal striae absent, only rudiment left in middle of elytral basal 1/3; other striae in lateral area strongly reduced and only feeble rudiments left; oblique humeral stria weekly impressed. Surface of elytra with dense and large punctures (smaller in basal half), interstices with microscopic punctures; basal 1/3 near elytral suture sparsely and finely punctured, further backwards narrow band along elytral suture strongly elevated and sparsely and finely punctured; lateral area and narrow band along apical margin finely punctate. Epipleura smooth, with scattered microscopic punctures; marginal epipleural stria fine and present only in apical half; marginal elytral stria complete, its apical end attaining elytral apex, but not extending along the apical margin.

Propygidium (Fig. 69) with punctation similar to that of frons. Pygidium (Fig. 69) with punctures similar to those of propygidium but smaller; in female (Fig. 70), with deep transverse furrow near apex, closely in front of it with irregularly arranged one or two fine and shallow furrows.

FIGURES 68–82. Platylomalus inflexus Zhang & Zhou , n. sp. 68. Head, frontal view; 69. Pronotum, elytra, propygidium and pygidium; 70. Female pygidium; 71. Prosternum, meso- and metaventrite, and the first visible abdominal sternum; 72. Protibia, dorsal view; 73–74. Aedeagus, lateral and dorsal views; 75. Apex of aedeagus, ventral view; 76–77. Male 8th tergite, dorsal and lateral views; 78–79. Male 9th and 10th tergites, lateral and dorsal views; 80–81. Male 8th sternum, ventral and lateral views; 82. Male 9th sternum, ventral view. Scale bars: 69, 71 = 0.5 mm; 68, 70, 72–82 = 0.25 mm.

Prosternal lobe (Fig. 71) with anterior margin truncate; marginal stria present in basal 2/3, convergent posteriad; surface with dense and small punctures. Prosternal keel (Fig. 71) with two carinal striae complete and bisinuate, narrow in middle, both anterior and posterior ends curved inwards but neither of them connected with each other; surface with punctures smaller and sparser than those of prosternal lobe. Lateral prosternal stria short and carinate.

Mesoventrite (Fig. 71) with anterior margin moderately emarginated medially. Marginal mesoventral stria complete laterally, carinate and broadly impressed, its anterior end curved angularly inwards, posterior end connected with lateral metaventral stria. Surface with sparse and fine punctures. Transverse stria with two angles, its median part feebly arcuate posteriad and equidistanced from anterior and posterior margins, lateral parts straight. Meso-metaventral suture weak and nearly straight.

Intercoxal disk of metaventrite (Fig. 71) nearly flat, punctures similar to those of mesoventrite. Metaventral longitudinal suture absent. Lateral metaventral stria extending postero-laterally through anterior 2/3. Lateral disk feebly concave, with scattered fine punctures and dense alutaceous microsculptures. Post-mesocoxal stria running along posterior margin of mesocoxa, and then bending posteriad.

Intercoxal disk of the first visible abdominal sternum (Fig. 71) with punctures similar to those of intercoxal disk of metaventrite. Lateral stria present in apical 2/3.

Protibia (Fig. 72) dilated, its outer margin with five equidistant denticles. Outer margin of mesotibia with four spinules. Outer margin of metatibia with two spinules near apex.

Male genitalia as in Figs. 73–82.

Remarks. This new species resembles Pl. tonkinensis , but has complete marginal pronotal stria.

Distribution. China (Hainan).

Etymology. The species epithet is the Latin adjective “ inflexus ”, meaning “bent inwards”.