Cis howensis Lawrence, 2019

Lawrence, John F., 2019, The Australian Ciidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea): supplement, Zootaxa 4555 (4), pp. 451-490 : 468-469

Cis howensis Lawrence sp. nov.

( Figs 18–20 , 60, 78)

Diagnosis. This is one of the larger Australian species of the Cis pacificus group. It is characterised by the very fine dorsal vestiture and narrow lateral pronotal margins. It is separated from some related forms by the narrowly separated pronotal punctures with smooth interspaces and its restriction to Lord Howe Island.

Description. With characters of the genus. Body oblong, moderately convex, with sides of pronotum and elytra slightly, independently rounded. Length = 1.50–1.85 (1.68 ± 0.12, n = 12) mm. BL/EW 1.88–2.04 (1.96); GD/EW = 0.75–0.84 (0.80). Colour of head and pronotum dark reddish-brown to black, scutellar shield and elytra dark yellowish-brown to black, undersides reddish-brown to black, abdomen usually somewhat lighter, legs and antennal funicle yellowish-brown, antennal 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 flat or slightly convex in female, anteriorly 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 produced and elevated laterally, forming a pair of very short, rounded plates in female, and longer, triangular plates in male, separated by one basal width. Antennomere length ratio: 5.50: 3.50: 2.75: 2.00: 1.25: 1.50: 1.00: 3.00: 3.25: 5.00; length/width ratios: 1.47, 1.27, 2.00, 1.33, 0.77, 0.75, 0.44. 0.86, 0.87, 1.33. Apical maxillary palpomere 1.59 times as long as wide, widest at about middle, one side evenly rounded, the other subapically sinuate, apex obliquely truncate. Labial palps separated by 0.20 times basal width of one; ratio of palpomere lengths 1.00: 2.50: 1.50, apical palpomere distinctly narrower than preapical one, which is somewhat inflated. Male gula 0.42 times as wide as head, densely filled with micropores, the pores extending anteriorly onto submentum as a broad, apically truncate patch; female gula 0.35 times as wide as head. Pronotum 0.79–0.86 (0.82) times as long as wide, widest at about middle in both sexes; anterior edge strongly rounded in both sexes; lateral margins narrow but barely visible for their entire lengths from above with smooth edges; anterior angles not or barely produced forward and rounded; posterior angles rounded; posterior edge with very narrow but complete marginal bead; disc evenly convex; punctation coarse and dense, punctures usually separated by less than half a diameter; interspaces smooth and shiny. Prosternum in front of coxae 1.25 times as long as mid length of procoxal cavity, moderately tumid with median longitudinal carina, prosternal process 0.37 times as wide as mid length of coxal cavity, rounded at apex; procoxal cavities very narrowly open; postcoxal process narrowly acute. Elytra 1.2 3–1.35 (1.29) times as long as wide and 1.58–1.86 (1.75) times as long as pronotum; punctation dual and confused, with megapunctures slightly larger than pronotal punctures, the interspaces finely, irregularly sculptured and shiny. Mesocoxal cavities separated by about 0.08 times shortest diameter of a cavity. Metaventrite slightly convex; discrimen about 0.5 times length of ventrite; shortest distance between meso- and metacoxal cavities about 1.40 times length of abdominal ventrite 1. Outer apical angle of protibia in both sexes with fine tooth. First abdominal ventrite 1.50 times as long as 2nd; sex patch in male about 0.40 times as long as ventrite 1, located at middle, circular, without distinct rim. Sides of sternite VIII slightly curved and converging, its apex weakly emarginate, without distinct angles. Pregenital ring relatively broad with subtruncate apex. Tegmen (Fig. 60) 2.47 times as long as wide, widest near apex, sides slightly converging to basal fourth, then gradually diverging to subapex, where they are abruptly turned inwards; apex very deeply and broadly emarginate forming a pair of slender processes, the apex of each with a short, rounded mesal projection and a long, lateral seta; base broadly subangulate. Penis 1.05 times as long as tegmen and 7.54 times as long as wide, sides parallel for the basal three-fourths, then gradually converging to narrowly rounded apex with short median longitudinal carina; base more or less truncate. Ovipositor (Fig. 78) 4.67 times as long as wide, widest at base with sides subparallel but gradually converging at apical third; paraprocts 1.39 times as long as gonocoxites, longitudinally oriented; gonocoxites 1.53 times as long as their combined widths; proximal lobe slightly elongate, not clearly subdivided; distal lobe about 1.4 times as long as proximal lobe gradually narrowed from base to about middle, then forming a slender, slightly curved apical extension with obliquely truncate apex; gonostylus 0.33 times as long as distal lobe and 5.5 times as long as wide.

Type specimens: Holotype, ♂ “Lord Howe I. NSW Stephens Reserve 10 ft. 23–25 May 1980 S. & J. Peck / berlesate moist litter in limestone sink / ANIC Image” ( ANIC 25-014993 ).

Paratypes. NSW: Lord Howe Island : Erskine Valley, walking trail (31.34.34S, 159.04.31E), 2.xii.2000, CBCR, Australian Museum LHIS042L, leaf litter in closed rainforest (1, AMS, K185970 ) ; Intermediate Hill , 300 ft., 18.v.1980, rotted bark with fungi, tall forest, S. & J. Peck (4, ANIC) ; Intermediate Hill Valley , 50 ft., Big Creek, 19.v.1980, berlesate forest floor litter, S. & J. Peck (3, ANIC) ; Lord Howe I., A. M. Lea (12, SAM) ; Mt. Gower , 850m, 26.v.1980, Berlese rotted wood with fungi and moss, S. & J. Peck (2, ANIC) ; Mt. Lidgbird , footslopes of, c 200m E of trail to Goat House (31.33.41S, 159.5.15E), 24.xi–1.xii.2000, CBCR Australian Museum, LHIS029/05 (pit trap) (1, AMS, K185969 ) ; Ned’s Beach , 50 ft., 20.v.1980, berlesate palm forest, muttonbird burrows, S. & J. Peck (1, ANIC) ; North Hill , 500 ft., 20–25.v.1980, litter under carrion & fungi bait, S. & J. Peck (1, ANIC) ; North Hill , 500 ft., 17.v.1980, Berlese rotted wood, low forest, S. & J. Peck (2, ANIC) ; Roach I., 27.v.1980, litter in seabird burrows, under carcases and rock crevices, S. & J. Peck (1, ANIC) ; Shadows Loop Trach , Valley of, 11– 14.v.2003, thin bracket fungi on Ficus, C. Reid (1, AMS, K185975 ) ; Stephens Reserve , 10 ft., 23–25.v.1980, berlesate moist litter in limestone sink, S. & J. Peck (2, ANIC) ; Stephens Reserve , 10 ft., 23–25.v.1980, berlesate rotted wood,, S. & J. Peck (1, ANIC) ; Stephens Reserve , 10 ft., 23–25.v.1980, berlesate rotten log bark litter with fungi, S. & J. Peck (5, ANIC) ; Transit Hill , 18.xi.1979, pyrethrum knockdown, rainforest, G. B. Monteith (8, QMB) ; Village Beach , 25.v.1980, berlesate algae, beach drift, S. & J. Peck (1, ANIC) .

Distribution. Known only from Lord Howe Island.

Biology. Collected from berlesates from forest litter, rotten wood, bark, fungi, moss, litter in muttonbird borrows, litter under carrion and fungi bait, and also in pitfall traps.

Etymology. Derived from Lord Howe Island and the Latin suffix ensis, meaning place.

Figures

FIGURES 16–30. habitus:, Cis depressus sp. nov.: 16, female, dorsal; 17, same, lateral; 18–20, Cis howensis sp. nov.: 18, male, dorsal (1.6 mm); 19, female, dorsal (1.6 mm); 20, same, lateral; 21–22, Cis incomptus sp. nov.: 21, male, dorsal (1.0 mm); 22, same, lateral; 23–25, Cis latemarginatus sp. nov.: 23, male, dorsal (1.1 mm); 24, same, lateral; 25, female, dorsal (1.1 mm); 26–28, Cis macilentus sp. nov.: 26, male, dorsal (1.3 mm); 27, female, dorsal (1.2 mm); 28, male, lateral; 29–30, Cis occidentalis sp. nov.: 29, male, dorsal (1.3 mm); 30, female, dorsal (1.3 mm).