Cis pycnostictus Lawrence, 2019

Lawrence, John F., 2019, The Australian Ciidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea): supplement, Zootaxa 4555 (4), pp. 451-490 : 475-476

Cis pycnostictus Lawrence sp. nov.

( Figs 33–34 , 66, 83)

Diagnosis. This is a relatively small member of the Cis pacificus group. It is characterised by the minute dorsal vestiture, narrow lateral pronotal margins, and relatively elongate body. It is apparently restricted to Lord Howe Island and differs from the northern QLD species Cis macilentus sp. nov. in having the pronotal punctures separated by less than half a puncture diameter, the elytral surface somewhat roughened, and the male with a smaller vertexal sex patch, acute pregenital ring and asetose tegminal lobes.

Description. With characters of the genus. Body elongate moderately convex, with sides of pronotum slightly rounded but elytra more or less parallel-sided. Length = 1.20–1.50 (1.36 ± 0.08, n = 12) mm. BL/EW 2.13–2.32 (2.20); GD/EW = 0.73–0.81 (0.78). Colour of head and pronotum reddish-brown to dark brown, elytra yellowishbrown to dark brown, undersides usually reddish-brown, legs and antennal funicle yellowish-brown, antennal club darker; surfaces moderately shiny. Dorsal vestiture single, consisting of very short, fine hairs, which are barely longer than the punctures from which they arise and not visible under lower power. Frons and vertex flat or slightly convex in female, anteriorly slightly concave in male, with vertexal sex patch. Longest eye diameter 0.25 times as great as head width. Frontoclypeal ridge in both sexes complete at middle and at least weakly elevated laterally, in male forming a pair of very short, broad, subtriangular plates almost contiguous at middle. Antennomere length ratio: 4.00: 2.60: 2.80: 1.80: 1.20: 1.20: 1.00: 2.40: 2.40: 4.40; length/width ratios: 1.54, 1.30, 2.80, 1.50, 1.00, 0.86, 0.63. 1.00, 1.00, 1.57. Apical maxillary palpomere 2.00 times as long as wide, widest at middle, apex narrowly rounded. Labial palps separated by 0.20 times basal width of one; ratio of palpomere lengths 1.00: 3.00: 2.33, apical palpomere distinctly narrower than preapical one, which is inflated. Male gula 0.46 times as wide as head, densely filled with micropores, the pores extending anteriorly onto submentum as a broad, apically truncate patch; female gula 0.36 times as wide as head, with a few scattered micropores. Pronotum 0.80–0.89 (0.85) times as long as wide, widest slightly behind middle in both sexes; anterior edge strongly rounded in both sexes; lateral margins very narrow, not visible for their entire lengths from above with smooth edges; anterior angles not produced forward; posterior angles rounded; posterior edge with very narrow but complete marginal bead; disc evenly convex; punctation coarse and dense, punctures usually separated by half a diameter or less; interspaces distinctly sculptured but more or less shiny. Prosternum in front of coxae 1.25 times as long as mid length of procoxal cavity, slightly tumid with weak median longitudinal carina, prosternal process 0.37 times as wide as mid length of coxal cavity, truncate at apex; procoxal cavities very narrowly open; postcoxal process narrowly acute. Elytra 1.39–1.52 (1.45) times as long as wide and 1.87–2.05 (1.93) times as long as pronotum; punctation dual and confused, with megapunctures larger than pronotal punctures, the interspaces finely, irregularly sculptured and shiny. Mesocoxal cavities separated by about 0.10 times shortest diameter of a cavity. Metaventrite slightly convex; discrimen about 0.43 times length of ventrite; shortest distance between meso- and metacoxal cavities about 1.47 times length of abdominal ventrite 1. Outer apical angle of protibia with fine tooth in male, angulate in female. First abdominal ventrite 1.87 times as long as 2nd; sex patch in male about 0.20 times as long as ventrite 1, located at middle, circular, without distinct rim. Sides of sternite VIII straight and converging, its apex truncate, without distinct angles. Pregenital ring moderately broad with rounded apex. Tegmen (Figs 66) 2.54 times as long as wide, widest at apex, sides slightly converging to basal fourth, then gradually diverging to apex, where they are slightly turned inwards; apex very deeply and broadly emarginate forming a pair of slender processes, the apex of each is slightly curved mesally and truncate; base unevenly angulate or subacute. Penis 1.18 times as long as tegmen and 4.80 times as long as wide, sides subparallel to apical third, slightly diverging to rounded subapex, then converging; apex truncate; base truncate. Ovipositor (Fig. 83) 2.81 times as long as wide, widest at base with sides very gradually converging to apex; paraprocts as long as gonocoxites, longitudinally oriented; gonocoxites 1.54 times as long as their combined widths; proximal lobe about 1.17 times as long as wide, not clearly subdivided; distal lobe about 2.00 times as long as proximal lobe, gradually narrowed to broadly rounded apex; gonostylus about 0.31 times as long as distal lobe and 6 times as long as wide.

Type specimens: Holotype, ♂: “LORD HOWE IS. Erskine Valley 24 Nov. 1979 G. B. Monteith rainforest pyrethrum knockdown / ANIC Image” (QMB # T244707 ).

Paratypes. New South Wales: Lord Howe I., Erskine Valley , 24.ix.1979, rainforest, pyrethrum knockdown, G. B. Monteith (9, QMB, ANIC) ; Lord Howe I., Erskine Valley , 800’, 30.ix.1966, on dead palm frons, E. B. Britton (1, ANIC) ; Lord Howe I., Shadows loop track, Valley of, 11–14.v.2003, thin bracker fungi on Ficus, C. Reid (2, AMS, K185976–77 ) ; Lord Howe I.: Mt. Gower , bottom of ridge south of igloo (31.36.08S, 159.04.30E), 18– 31.i.2002, c 817m, pit trap MG009, I. Hutton (1, AMS, K188654 ) ; Lord Howe I., Stephens Reserve, New Settlement (31.31.33S, 159.03.53E), 5.xii.2000, LHI/GH/L02, sweep sampling, G. Cassis (1, AMS, K208417 ) .

Distribution. Known only from Lord Howe Island.

Biology. Collected in a thin bracket fungus on Ficus , on dead palm fronds and from pitfall traps, pyrethrum knockdown and sweep sampling.

Etymology. Derived from the Greek pycnos, meaning dense, and stiktos, meaning punctured, and referring to the dense pronotal punctation.

Figures

FIGURES 31–45. habitus: 31–32, Cis prominens sp. nov.: 31, male, dorsal (1.4 mm); 32, female, lateral (1.3 mm); 33–34, Cis pycnostictus sp. nov. 33, male, dorsal (1.3 mm); 34, female, dorsal (1.5 mm); 35–37, Cis rhaibocerus sp. nov.: 35, male, dorsal (2.7 mm); 36, male, lateral; 37, female, dorsal (2.4 mm); 38–39, Notapterocis acutus sp. nov.: 38, male, anterodorsal (1.4 mm); 39, female, dorsal (1.3 mm); 40, Notapterocis nesiotes sp. nov., female, dorsal (1.3 mm); 41–42, Orthocis flavipennis (Pic): 41, female, dorsal (1.8 mm); 42, same, lateral; 43–44. Orthocis inordinatus sp. nov.: 43, female, dorsal (2.6 mm); 44, same, lateral; 45, Paratrichapus australis Souza-Gonçalves et al.: 45, dorsal (1.70 mm). Fig. 45 from Lawrence (2016) (as Paratrichapus sp.).