Cis occidentalis Lawrence, 2019

Lawrence, John F., 2019, The Australian Ciidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea): supplement, Zootaxa 4555 (4), pp. 451-490 : 473-474

Cis occidentalis Lawrence sp. nov.

( Figs. 29–30 , 64, 81)

Diagnosis. This is one of several species with dual vestiture of longer and shorter bristles and seriate or subseriate elytral punctation. It differs from Cis prominens sp. nov. in having much narrower lateral pronotal margins and a much shorter and broader ovipositor. This Western Australian species differs from the eastern Cis subparallelus Lawrence in having a low median prosternal carina, elytral macro- and microbristles differing only slightly in length, and poorly developed pronotal and frontoclypeal modifications in the male.

Description. With characters of the genus. Body elongate, moderately convex, with sides of pronotum very slightly rounded and elytra parallel-sided. Length = 1.25–1.50 (1.39 ± 0.09, n = 10) mm. BL/EW 2.19–2.30 (2.25); GD/EW = 0.73–0.79 (0.77). Colour of head and pronotum reddish-brown to dark brown, elytra yellowish-brown to black, undersides usually reddish-brown, legs and antennal funicle yellow, antennal club darker; surfaces somewhat shiny. Dorsal vestiture dual, consisting of shorter and longer yellow bristles. Frons and vertex flat in female, broadly, shallowly impressed in male, without vertexal sex patch. Longest eye diameter 0.24 times as great as head width. Frontoclypeal ridge in both sexes complete at middle and weakly produced and elevated laterally in both sexes, clypeus in male produced and elevated to form two triangular plates separated by about one basal width. Antennomere length ratio: 5.00: 3.25: 3.35: 2.25: 1.25: 1.37: 1.00: 3.75: 3.25: 5.25; length/width ratios: 1.33, 1.30, 2.60, 1.50, 0.71, 0.69, 0.50. 1.07, 0.93, 1.61. Apical maxillary palpomere 1.56 times as long as wide, widest at basal third, apex broadly rounded. Labial palps separated by 0.60 times basal width of one; ratio of palpomere lengths 1.00: 2.00: 2.00, apical palpomere distinctly narrower than preapical one, which is only slightly inflated. Male gula 0.40 times as wide as head, densely filled with micropores, the pores extending anteriorly onto submentum as a short, narrowly rounded patch; female gula 0.30 times as wide as head. Pronotum 0.87–0.94 (0.91) times as long as wide, widest at or slightly behind middle; anterior edge strongly rounded in both sexes, but in male with weak median emargination forming a pair of very small, subcontiguous teeth; lateral margins very narrow, not visible for their entire lengths from above with smooth edges; anterior angles very slightly produced forward and acute; posterior angles rounded; posterior edge with very narrow but complete marginal bead; disc evenly convex; punctation moderately coarse and dense, punctures variably distributed but usually separated by less than a diameter; interspaces distinctly sculptured and weakly shiny. Prosternum in front of coxae 1.0 times as long as mid length of procoxal cavity, slightly tumid, without median carina; prosternal process 0.33 times as wide as mid length of coxal cavity, rounded at apex; procoxal cavities very narrowly open; postcoxal process narrowly acute. Elytra 1.33–1.45 (1.40) times as long as wide and 1.52–1.78 (1.65) times as long as pronotum; punctation dual and subseriate, with megapunctures distinctly larger than pronotal punctures, the interspaces finely sculptured and somewhat shiny. Mesocoxal cavities separated by about 0.09 times shortest diameter of a cavity. Metaventrite slightly convex; discrimen absent; shortest distance between meso- and metacoxal cavities about 1.36 times length of abdominal ventrite 1. Outer apical angle of protibia with distinct tooth in male, angulate in female. First abdominal ventrite 1.40 times as long as 2nd; sex patch in male about 0.20 times as long as ventrite 1, located anterior to middle, circular, without distinct rim. Sides of sternite VIII straight and converging, its apex broadly, abruptly emarginate forming subacute angles. Pregenital ring with narrowly rounded apex. Tegmen (Fig. 64) 2.04 times as long as wide, widest at apical fourth, sides slightly converging to before middle, gradually diverging to apical fourth, then rounded and converging, then abruptly diverging to form a pair of recurved teeth on either side of a broadly rounded apical lobe, deeply cleft at middle; base broadly rounded. Penis 1.14 times as long as tegmen and 3.76 times as long as wide, sides very gradually diverging to apical third, then converging to subacute, cleft apex; base rounded. Ovipositor (Fig. 81) 1.18 times as long as wide, widest at base with sides converging; paraprocts 0.69 times as long as gonocoxites, obliquely oriented; gonocoxites 1.09 times as long as their combined widths; proximal lobe subtriangular; distal lobe about as long as proximal lobe, widest at base, distinctly narrowing to truncate apex; gonostylus about 0.44 times as long as distal lobe and 3.33 times as long as wide.

Type specimens: Holotype, ♂, “WA 32.07 Sx 116.09E Kangaroo Gully 1 km NW Brookton Hwy. 260m OF 5 Jan 2000 C. J. Burwell on polyporous fungi B on Banksia logs 50245” / ANIC Image” (QMB # T244706 ).

Paratypes. WA: Kangaroo Gully, 1 km NW Brookton Hwy. (32.07S, 116.09E), 260m, 5.i.2000, open forest, fungi B [ Stereum sp.] on Banksia logs, 50245, C. J. Burwell (25, QMB, ANIC).

Distribution. Known only from southern WA.

Biology. Feeding in the basidiomes of a species of Stereum (Stereaceae) .

Etymology. Derived from the Latin occidentalis , meaning of the west and referring to the distribution in southern WA.

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).