Cis christmasensis Lawrence, 2019

Lawrence, John F., 2019, The Australian Ciidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea): supplement, Zootaxa 4555 (4), pp. 451-490 : 464-465

Cis christmasensis Lawrence sp. nov.

( Figs 8–10 , 57, 77)

Diagnosis. This is another member of the Cis pacificus group. It is characterised by the minute dorsal vestiture and broader lateral pronotal margins. It differs from Cis victoriae Lawrence in having the sides of the pronotum strongly curved and pronotal punctures separated by one puncture diameter or less, from either C. latemarginatus sp. nov. or C. densus sp. n. with respect to its larger size, and from C. biconcavus Lawrence & Paviour-Smith in its darker colour, denser pronotal punctation, pronotum without male horns and restriction to Christmas Island.

Description. With characters of the genus. Length = 1.25–1.60 (1.38 ± 0.10, n = 12) mm. Body oblong, moderately convex, with sides slightly, independently curved: BL/EW 1.86–2.06 (1.98); GD/EW = 0.74–0.83 (0.79). Colour of head and pronotum reddish-orange to dark reddish-brown or black, scutellar shield and elytra yellowish-brown to dark reddish-brown, undersides usually similar to their dorsal counterparts, legs and antennal funicle usually yellow, 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 slightly convex in both sexes, in male with relatively small vertexal sex patch. Longest eye diameter 0.26 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, subtriangular plates in male, separated by about one basal width. Antennomere length ratio: 5.00: 3.00: 2.50: 2.00: 1.50: 1.25: 1.00: 3.12: 3.00: 5.25; length/width ratios: 1.54, 1.20, 2.22, 1.60, 1.20, 0.83, 0.57. 1.09, 1.00, 1.56. Apical maxillary palpomere 2.31 times as long as wide, widest near middle, narrowly rounded at apex. Labial palps separated by 0.33 times basal width of one; ratio of palpomere lengths 1.00: 1.56: 1.33, apical palpomere distinctly narrower than preapical one, which is somewhat inflated. Male gula 0.47 times as wide as head, densely filled with micropores, the pores extending anteriorly onto submentum as a broad, apically rounded patch; female gula 0.36 times as wide as head. Pronotum 0.76–0.83 (0.80) times as long as wide, widest behind middle in both sexes; anterior edge very strongly rounded in both sexes; lateral margins distinctly visible for their entire lengths from above with smooth edges; anterior angles barely produced forward, very small 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 half a diameter or less; interspaces not or very finely sculptured 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, subtruncate at apex; procoxal cavities very narrowly open; postcoxal process narrowly acute. Elytra 1.19–1.31 (1.25) times as long as wide and 1.60–1.83 (1.71) times as long as pronotum; punctation dual and confused, with megapunctures slightly larger than pronotal punctures, the interspaces finely sculptured and shiny. Mesocoxal cavities separated by about 0.14 times shortest diameter of a cavity. Metaventrite slightly convex; discrimen about 0.25 times length of ventrite excluding anterior process; shortest distance between meso- and metacoxal cavities about 1.46 times length of abdominal ventrite 1. Outer apical angle of protibia in both sexes more or less angulate, without distinct tooth. First abdominal ventrite 1.62 times as long as 2nd; sex patch in male weakly developed, about 0.31 times as long as ventrite 1, posterior to middle, circular, without marginal rim. Sides of sternite VIII straight and converging, its apex truncate. Pregenital ring relatively broad with subacute apex. Tegmen (Fig. 57) 2.08 times as long as wide, widest near apex, sides slightly diverging from near base almost to apex, then abruptly converging; apex deeply and broadly emarginate forming a pair of slender processes, mesally curved and rounded at apex, with a long, lateral seta at point of curvature; base irregularly subangulate. Penis 0.92 times as long as tegmen and 5.0 times as long as wide, sides almost parallel but converging subapically to form subacute apex; base more or less rounded. Ovipositor (Fig. 77) 3.36 times as long as wide, widest at base with sides subparallel but gradually narrowing at apical third; paraprocts 1.07 times as long as gonocoxites, longitudinally oriented; gonocoxites 1.40 times as long as their combined widths, with proximal lobe about twice as long as wide and distal lobe 3.5 times as long as wide, the latter gradually narrowed to subtruncate apex; gonostylus 0.24 times as long as gonocoxite and 6 times as long as wide.

Type specimens: Holotype, ♂: “ CHRISTMAS ISLAND 10.29S 105.33 E Hughs (No. 2) Dale 12–25 Apr. 1989 J. F. Lawrence / on white polypore / ANIC Image” ( ANIC 25-014990 ).

Paratypes. Christmas Island: Aldrich Hill , 1 km ENE, x.1983, L. Hill, ANPWS (3, ANIC) ; Central Area Workshop , near (10.29S, 105.37–38E), 13–28.iv.1989, Coriolus sp., J. F. Lawrence (2, ANIC) ; East-West Park Track (10.30S, 105.35–36E), 13–28.iv.1989, ANIC FIT 1106, closed forest plateau, J. F. Lawrence (1, ANIC) ; Ethel Beach (10.28S, 106.42E), 15–28.iv.1989, pantraps, J. C. Cardale (1, ANIC) ; Hugh’s (No. 2) Dale (10.29S, 106.33E), on white polypore, J. F. Lawrence (1, ANIC) ; Grant’s Well , vicinity of (10.28–29S, 105.39–40E), 13– 28.iv.1989, ANIC berlesate 1097, leaf & log litter, J. F. Lawrence (1, ANIC) ; Greta Beach , near (10.30S, 105.41E), 16, 19, 26.iv.1989, JFL Lot 89-7, white polypore, J. F. Lawrence (11, ANIC) ; Lily Beach Road (( 10.28S, 105.42E), 13–15.iv.1989, JFL 89-3, unidentified fungus, J. F. Lawrence (6, ANIC) ; Northwest Point , near (10.27S, 105.33 E), 13–29.iv.1989, ANIC FIT 1108, closed forest, terrace, J. F. Lawrence (1, ANIC) .

Distribution. Known only from Christmas Island.

Biology. Collected on basidiomes of a species of Trametes and on an unidentified white polypore.

Etymology. Derived from the name Christmas Island and the Latin suffix ensis, denoting place.

Figures

FIGURES 1–15. habitus: 1–2, Cis apodemus sp. nov.: 1, male, dorsal (1.3 mm); 2, same, lateral; 3–5, Cis bicolorellus sp. nov.: 3, male, unicoloured, dorsal (1.1 mm); 4, same, lateral; 5, female, bicoloured form, dorsal (1.2 mm); 6–7, Cis brachytrichus sp. nov.: 6, male, dorsal (2.1 mm); 7, same, lateral; 8–10, Cis christmasensis sp. nov.: 8, male, dorsal (1.4 mm); 9, female, dorsal (1.5 mm); 10, same, lateral. 11–14, Cis densus sp. nov.: 11, male, dorsal (1.2 mm); 12, same, lateral; 13, female, dorsal (1.1 mm); 14, same, lateral; 15, Cis depressus sp. nov., male, dorsal (1.3 mm).