Notapterocis nesiotes, Lawrence, 2019

Lawrence, John F., 2019, The Australian Ciidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea): supplement, Zootaxa 4555 (4), pp. 451-490 : 479-481

Notapterocis nesiotes sp. nov.

( Figs 40 , 71 , 86)

Diagnosis. This species may be distinguished by the somewhat longer elytra, more than 1.6 times as long as the prothorax, a simple frontoclypeal ridge in both sexes and absence of the abdominal sex patch in the male. It differs from N. ellipticus Lawrence in having finer and sparser pronotal and elytral punctation, and from N. globulus Lawrence in having the elytra distinctly wider than the pronotum, which is widest posteriorly and the pronotal punctures separated by one and a half to two diameters with finely sculptured interspaces.

Description. With characters of the genus. Length = 1.00–1.45 (1.23 ± 0.13, n = 10) mm. Body elongate-oval, sides of pronotum and elytra almost continuously curved, strongly convex: BL/EW 1.63–1.82 (1.73); GD/EW = 0.74–0.80 (0.77). Colour of head and pronotum yellow to reddish-brown, elytra yellowish-brown to dark-brown; undersides, legs and antennal funicle usually yellow to yellowish-brown; club darker, surfaces 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 in both sexes slightly convex. Longest eye diameter 0.13 times as great as head width. Frontoclypeal ridge in both sexes incomplete at middle and weakly produced and rounded laterally; male without paired teeth or plates. Antennomere length ratio: 4.00: 2.50: 3.50: 1.83: 1.17: 1.17: 1.00: 2.17: 2.33: 4.17; length/width ratios: 1.60, 1.25, 3.50, 1.57, 1.00, 0.87, 0.75. 1.08, 0.93, 1.67. Apical maxillary palpomere 1.71 times as long as wide, widest at basal third, narrowly rounded at apex. Labial palps separated by 0.17 times basal width of one; ratio of palpomere lengths 1.00:2.40: 1.20, apical palpomere slightly narrower than preapical one, which is not inflated. Male gula 0.44 times as wide as head, densely filled with micropores, the pores not extending anteriorly onto submentum; female gula 0.42 times as wide as head, filled with micropores as in male. Pronotum 0.68–0.76 (0.73) times as long as wide, widest behind middle in both sexes; anterior edge strongly rounded in both sexes; lateral margins not visible for their entire lengths from above; anterior angles produced forward and acute; posterior angles slightly obtuse; posterior edge evenly rounded, without narrow bead; disc strongly, evenly convex; punctation moderately fine and sparse, punctures usually separated by one and a half to two diameters; interspaces finely sculptured and moderately shiny. Prosternum in front of coxae 1.12 times as long as mid length of procoxal cavity, strongly tumid with median longitudinal carina, prosternal process 0.69 times as wide as mid length of coxal cavity, rounded at apex; procoxal cavities moderately broadly open; postcoxal process acute. Elytra 1.02–1.16 (1.09) times as long as wide and 1.61–1.88 (1.72) times as long as pronotum; punctures usually slightly larger than pronotal punctures, the interspaces smooth and shiny. Mesocoxal cavities separated by 0.15 times shortest diameter of one. Metaventrite slightly convex; discrimen absent; shortest distance between meso- and metacoxal cavities 1.16 times as long as abdominal ventrite 1. Outer apical angle of protibia in male more or less rounded in both sexes. First abdominal ventrite 1.90 times as long as 2nd; without sex patch in male. Sides of sternite VIII straight, its apex very shallowly emarginate, almost truncate, so that no distinct angles are formed. Pregenital ring moderately broad with subacute apex. Tegmen ( Fig. 71 ) 1.97 times as long as wide, sides subparallel to about middle, then gradually converging to subapex, where there is an apico-mesally directed, rounded lobe; apex with a pair of moderately sclerotised lobes, subacute mesally, oblique apically, with a recurved tooth laterally, covered with sensilla, separated by a moderately wide cleft and flanked by a pair of emarginations separating lateral from mesal lobes; base truncate. Penis 1.11 times as long as tegmen and 5.33 times as long as wide, sides subparallel to about middle, then gradually converging to subacute apex; base broadly rounded. Ovipositor (Fig. 86) 3.35 times as long as wide, widest at base with sides subparallel to bases of coxites, then gradually converging and sinuate; paraprocts 0.92 times as long as gonocoxites, longitudinally oriented; gonocoxites 1.53 times as long as their combined widths, proximal lobe slightly longer than wide, distal lobe 2.50 times as long as proximal lobe, narrowest at middle, widest at apical third and narrowed again to subtruncate apex; gonostylus 0.20 times as long as distal lobe and 5.2 times as long as wide.

Type specimens: Holotype, ♂ “ 29.02S 167.57E NORFOLK ISLAND Norfolk I. N. P. 25 March 1984 J. E. Feehan Stop 2 / Berkesate No. ANIC 958 palms and fern area / ANIC image ( ANIC 25-014940 ).

Paratypes: Norfolk Island: Botanic Gardens (29.02S, 167.56E), 2.xii.1984, ANIC Berl. 1038, litter under closed forest, T. A. Weir (1, ANIC) ; Filmy Fern Gully , Norfolk I. N. P. (29.01S, 167.57E), 2–9.iv.1984, ANIC Berl. 965, fungi growing on sticks, J. E. Feehan (7, ANIC) ; Filmy Fern Walk , NINP (29.01S, 167.57E), 1.xii.1984, ANIC Berl. 1036, litter under guavas, T. A. Weir (2, ANIC) ; Highlands Guesthouse , nr. (29.02S, 167.37E), Stop 1, 24.iii.1984, ANIC Berl. 957, guava and pine area, J. E. Feehan (6, ANIC) ; Mt. Bates (29.01S, 167.56E), Stop 3, 180m, 20–26.iii.1984, collected on cup fungus, D. Rentz (1, ANIC) ; Mt. Bates , 800’, 1.xi.1967, G. Kuschel (4, NZAC) ; Mt. Bates , 900’, 6.xi.1967, G. Kuschel (6, NZAC) ; Mt. Bates , 1000’, 1.xi.1967, G. Kuschel (3, NZAC) ; Mt. Pitt (29.01S, 167.56E), Stop 4, 240m, 28.iii.1984, ANIC Berl. 960, pine, fern and palm area, J. E. Feehan (1, ANIC) ; Mt. Pitt Reserve. 27.xi.1979, QM berlesate 124, stick brushing, rainforest, G. B. Monteith (3, QMB) ; Norfolk I. N. P. (29.02S, 167.57E), 25.iii.1984, ANIC Berl. 956, palms and ferns area, J. E. Feehan (5, ANIC) ; Palm Glen Track , NINP, (29.01S, 167.57E), 14.xi.1984, ANIC Berl. 1025, litter under Araucaria heterophylla, T. A. Weir (4, ANIC) ; Palm Glen Track , NINP, (29.01S, 167.57E), 16.xi.1984, ANIC Berl. 1027, litter under tree ferns, T. A. Weir (3, ANIC) ; Palm Glen Track , NINP, (29.01S, 167.57E), 2.xii.1984, ANIC Berl. 1037, litter under palms, T. A. Weir (10, ANIC) ; Rocky Point Reserve (29.03S, 167.55E), 15.xi.1984, ANIC Berl. 1026, litter under Araucaria heterophylla, T. Weir (7, ANIC) ; Rocky Point Reserve (29.03S, 167.55E), 15–22.xi.1984, ANIC Berl. 1032, litter under Araucaria heterophylla, T. Weir (7, ANIC) ; Rocky Point Reserve (29.03S, 167.55E), 14.xi– 20.xii.1984, ex pantraps, I. D. Naumann (2, ANIC) ; South Spur Track , NINP (29.01S, 167.56E), 18.xi.1984, ANIC BERL. 1029, litter under tree ferns, T. A. Weir (4, ANIC) ; South Spur Track , NINP (29.01S, 167.56E), 19.xi.1984, ANIC BERL. 1030, litter under hardwood forest, T. A. Weir (5, ANIC) ; West Spur Track , NINO (29.01S, 167.57E), 30.xi.1984, ANIC Berl. 1035, litter under palms & hardwood forest, T. A. Weir (4, ANIC) .

Distribution. Restricted to Norfolk Island.

Biology. Most specimens were collected in litter using a Tullgren Funnel, but one specimen was taken in a “cup fungus”.

Etymology. Derived from the Greek nesiotes , meaning islander, referring to the occurrence on Norfolk Island.

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.).

FIGURES 71–73. aedeagi: 71, Notapterocis nesiotes sp. nov., aedeagus; 72–73, Orthocis flavipennis (Pic): 72, aedeagal apex; 73, penis. Figs 74–89, ovipositors: 74, Cis apodemus sp. nov.; 75, Cis bicolorellus sp. nov.; 76, Cis brachytrichus sp. nov.; 77, Cis christmasensis sp. nov.; 78, Cis howensis sp. nov.; 79, Cis incomptus sp. nov.; 80, Cis latemarginatus sp. nov.; 81, Cis occidentalis sp. nov.; 82, Cis prominens sp. nov.; 83, Cis pycnostictus sp. nov.; 84, Cis rhaibocerus sp. nov.; 85, N. acutus sp. nov.; 86, N. nesiotes sp. nov.; 87, Orthocis flavipennis (Pic); 88, Orthocis inordinatus sp. nov.; 89, Cis macilentus sp. nov.