Mediimorda socotrensis, Horák & Farkač & Nakládal, 2012

Horák, Jan, Farkač, Jan & Nakládal, Oto, 2012, Mordellidae (Coleoptera) from Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52, pp. 253-268 : 254-256

Mediimorda socotrensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–9 )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, wadi Esgego.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, Yemen, Socotra Isl., Esdegob , 24.ii.2000, V. Bejček & K. Šťastný leg. ( NMPC). AL- LOTYPE: ♀, Magasu [ Yemen, Socotra Isl.], iii. 1999, „Zoologische excursion“, [W.] Wranik leg. ( URRG) . PARATYPES: 1 J, same data as holotype ( JHCP) ; 1J, same data as allotype ( URRG) ; 1♀, Yemen, Socotra Isl. , Deiqub cave env., 10.vi.2010, V. Hula & J. Niedobová leg. ( JHCP) ; 1 ♀, Yemen, Socotra Isl. , Qualentiah env., slopes 5 km SE from Quaysoh, N 12°39.691′ E 053°26.658′, 4.–5.vi.2010, V.Hula & J. Niedobová leg.( JHCP) ; 1J 2♀♀, Yemen, Socotra Isl. , Zemhon area, 270–300 m, N 12°30.58′ E 054°06.39′, 16.–17.vi.2010, V.Hula leg. ( JHCP) ; 1 J, Yemen, Socotra Island, Noged plain (sand dunes), Sharet Halma vill. env., 20 m, 12°21.9′N, 54°05.3′E, 10.–11.xi.2010, L. Purchart leg. ( JHCP) ; 42 JJ 10 ♀♀, Yemen, Socotra Isl. , Dixam plateau, Firmihin, Dracaena [cinnabari] forest, 490 m, 12°28.6′N 54°01.1′E, 15.–16.xi.2010, J. Bezděk leg. ( BMNH, CULS, JHCP) ; 9 JJ 3 ♀♀, same data, but J. Hájek leg. ( NMPC) ; 3 JJ 1 ♀, same data, but Jan Batelka leg. ( JBCP) ; 1 ♀, Socotra Isl. ( Ye ), Noged plain (sand dunes), Sharet Halma vill., 20 m, 12°21.9′N, 54°05.3′E, 10.–11.xi.2010, Jan Batelka leg. ( JBCP) ; 3JJ 1♀, Yemen, Socotra island, wadi Denegen , 6 km SE Hadibo, 140 m a.s.l., 12°36′42″N ; 54°03′41″E, 4.v.2004, A. Reiter leg. ( NMPC) .

Description. Male holotype. Small, rather slender and parallel-sided ( Fig. 1 ). Ground colour black, anterior legs, antennae and maxillary palpi dark black-brown; galea, lacinia, anteclypeus, anterior margin of labrum and base of mandibles yellowish-brown. Pubescence of dorsum black with faint violet lustre and characteristic golden-silvery pattern ( Fig. 1 ).

Body length from tips of mandibles to tips of elytra 3.2 mm, to tip of pygidium 4.0 mm.

Head flatly convex, wider than long (width to length ratio 5.3: 4.5), narrower than pronotum (ratio of head width to pronotal width 5.3: 6.0), only indistinctly narrowed at mouth part, with golden-silvery pubescence. Labrum narrow, almost twice as wide as long (width to length ratio 3.0: 1.3). Eyes elongate oval, almost 1.5 times longer than wide, not emarginate at insertions of antennae, very finely facetted, with short and sparse setae. Temples absent, slightly distinct temporal angles developed on ventral side. Maxillary palpomere II ( Fig. 2 ) only moderately wider than palpomere III, terminal palpomere narrowly securiform, with inner angle situated at midlength. Antennae ( Fig. 4 ) with antennomeres III and IV of equal length, antennomere V strongly conical and conspicuously longer than IV, antennomeres VI–X about as long as wide and indistinctly shorter than antennomere V; terminal antennomere oblong oval. Galea short, only slightly longer than lacinia, with yellow cirrose outgrowths at distal end.

Pronotum moderately convex, wider than long (width to length ratio 6.0: 5.0). Anterior angles hardly visible from above, anterior margin semicircular, without distinct neck-shaped protuberance. Basal lobe semicircular, occupying somewhat less than one third of basal margin width. Sides in lateral view slightly convex, posterior angles rather sharp and moderately obtuse. Punctation sparse, rasp-like. Five spots of darker setae present on pronotum.

Scutellum small, subtriangular with rounded apex, with coarse rasp-like punctures and golden-silvery pubescence.

Elytra flatly convex, rather parallel-sided in basal third, gradually narrowed behind it, 1.9 times longer than their combined width, separately rounded at apex. Sides in lateral view strongly arcuate, elytral epipleuron at base short and strongly enlarged. Pubescence black except for golden-silvery dorsal pattern ( Fig 1 ).

Ventral surface with golden-silvery vestiture. Only small spot at posterior margin of metaventrite besides elytra, oval spot at posterior margin of ventrite I besides elytra, and analogous spot on ventrite II, which is longer, reaching middle of dorsal length of segment, are black; entire posterior margins of ventrites III–IV bear black pubescence.

Pygidium elongate, conical, about twice as long as hypopygium and reaching somewhat less than half elytral length, obliquely truncate at apex. Pubescence black except for narrow basal ringlet of golden-silvery setae.

Protibiae straight, without swelling and without longer setae at base, longer than protarsi (ratio of tibia length to tarsus length 3.0: 2.5). Protarsomere IV strongly bilobed, without distinct onychium on ventral side. Mesotibiae as long as middle tarsi. Metatibiae with short apical ridge reaching nearly one third tibia width and, one distinct dorsal ridge, metatarsomeres without ridges. Terminal spurs of metatibia black, and outer spur two thirds shorter than inner one.

Male genitalia as in Figs. 6–8 , shape of urosternite VIII illustrated in Fig. 9 .

Female allotype. Antennae ( Fig. 5 ) shorter, antennomeres VI–X wider than long, terminal antennomere distinctly shorter than in male. Terminal maxillary palpomere ( Fig. 3 ) with inner angle strongly rounded. Pygidium short, thicker and one third longer than hypopygium. Body length from tips of mandibles to tips of elytra 3.3 mm, to tip of pygidium 3.7 mm.

Variability. Body shape and colour pattern very uniform. Total length, measured from tips of mandibles to apex of pygidium, ranging between 3.5 and 4.0 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Mediimorda socotrensis sp. nov. differs from all the known species of the genus at the first sight in a different pattern of elytra ( HORÁK 1985; LEBLANC 2002, 2007) and, compared to M. bipunctata (Germar, 1827) , it has two transverse black bars behind midlength of elytra. It also differs in its minute stature, very short prolongation of maxillary area and a short, very broad labrum, 2.5 times wider than long; in M. bipunctata it is only 1.5 times wider than long.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the name of Socotra Island, where the new species was discovered.

Collection circumstances. Large series of specimens from Firmihin was collected from flowering bushes of Ochradenus sp. (Resedaceae) (J. Hájek, pers. comm.).

Figures

Figs. 1–9. Mediimorda socotrensis sp. nov. 1 – habitus; 2–3 – maxillary palpus; 4–5 – antenna; 6 – paramere; 7 – phallobasis; 8 – apical part of penis; 9 – J sternite VIII. 1, 2, 4, 6–9 – holotype (J); 3, 5 – allotype (♀). Scale: a – 4–6; b – 7–8; c – 9; d – 1; e – 2–3.