Ithyphenes rectifrons Kirejtshuk et Kovalev, 2022

Kirejtshuk, Alexander G. & Kovalev, Alexey V., 2022, Monograph on the Cillaeinae (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) from the Australian Region with comments on the taxonomy of the subfamily, Zootaxa 5103 (1), pp. 1-133 : 100-102

39. Ithyphenes rectifrons Kirejtshuk et Kovalev , sp. nov.

Figs 30 , A–H

LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F5645B32-A352-4308-81A9-DA70140FA860

Type specimen examined. Australia, NSW: Holotype, male ( ANIC)—“ 28.24S 152.40E, NSW, Umumgar S.F., 340 m, nr Woodonbong, Pole Bridge Road 788, 2–11 Jan. 1987, A. Newton & M. Thayer ”, “dry rainf. Arauc. Euc. FMNH #87–172, flight interc. (window) trap.”

Diagnosis. This species can be easily diagnosed after the above key to Australian species of the genus. See also the above diagnoses to other Australian congeners.

Etymology. The epithet of this new species is formed from the Latin “ rectus ” (straight) and “ frons ” (forehead, face).

Description of holotype (male). Length of body with abdomen 4.8, length without abdomen 2.5, width 0.9, height 0.5 mm. Elongate, subflattened dorsally and rather convex ventrally; subunicolorous reddish brown with slightly lightened prothorax and appendages; body moderately shining; body almost without pubescence, although posterior edge of pronotum with dense microsetae, abdominal sclerites with short and thin inconspicuous yellowish hairs, sides of pygidium and hypopygidium with more conspicuous hairs; posterior edge of anal sclerire with rather thin and long hairs.

Head and pronotum with punctures, slightly coarser than eye facets, separated by 3.0–4.0 × greater than one puncture diameter, interspaces between them smooth to slightly alutaceous. Elytra with weak and slightly oblique striae coordinated with shallow punctures in bottom of these striae (punctures about as coarse as those on head and pronotum). Exposed abdominal dorsal sclerites with shallower and somewhat finer punctures than those on head and pronotum, and smoothly microreticulate. Prosternum and metaventrite with rather fine and sparse punctures along middle, interspaces between punctures smooth.

Head widest behind eyes and slightly arcuately narrowing posteriorly, temples almost 2.0 × as long as eye. Anterior edge of frons roof-shaped, with slight median projection in same plane with remainder frons and sloping sides to extremely slight lateral projections. Labrum rather exposed from under frons and oriented downwards (not visible from below) and with widely oblique sides and distinct median suture. Mandibles moderately stout and with bidentate apex strongly curved downwards, subtransverse anterior edge and gently rounded at side. Antennae slightly shorter than head wide, scape comparatively narrow and slightly curved, more than 2.0 × as long as each of antennomeres 2 and 3, antennomere 2 (pedicel) slightly thicker and longer than antennomere 3, oblong club almost 0.3 × total antennal length, somewhat less than 2.0 × as long as wide and with antennomere 9 slightly longer than antennomere 10 and scarcely separated from latter, each of both these antennomeres (9 and 10) slightly wider and longer than antennomere 11, apex of terminal antennomere widely rounded. Pronotum about 1.2 × as long as wide and somewhat arcuately widening posteriorly, anterior edge weakly convex and posterior one moderately and evenly convex, posterior angles widely rounded. Scutellar shield subtriangular, more than 2.0 × as wide as long. Elytra slightly widening posteriorly, nearly 1.6 × as long as their combined width, moderately steeply sloping at narrowly explanate sides. Abdomen about as wide as pronotum with segment 4 completely exposed dorsally and with exposed laterosternites clearly widened posteriorly, segments 5 and 6 subequal in length and each almost 1.6 × as wide as long; postbasal lines of exposed tergites behind elytral apices well expressed and their lateral ends reaching middle of tergites. Pygidium nearly 1.4 × as long as wide, very widely rounded to subtruncate at apex.

Pregenal processes comparatively narrow and at wide hypostomal sinuses subarcuately curved. Terminal maxillary palpomere about 3.5 × as long as thick and subcylindrical. Terminal labial palpomere about 2.5 × as long as thick and subcylindrical. Mentum rather widened anteriorly, anterior angles of mentum rather projecting, sides of mentum about 2.0 × as long as its median part. S-shaped antennal grooves with inner side obliterated behind level of middle of eye. Median plate of prosternum almost flatly widened anteriorly from prosternal process. Prosternal process subrectilinearly widening behind procoxae, its subflattened apex nearly 2.0 × as wide as distance between procoxae. Distance between procoxae about 0.6 × as great as length of antennal club, and somewhat smaller than that between mesocoxae and somewhat greater than that between metacoxae. Mesothoracic median plate distinctly isolated by longer lateral ridges. Metaventrite subflattened and with clear discrimen in distal half. Metepisterna gradually narrowing posteriorly and at base about as wide as mesotarsomere 1. Abdominal ventrite 1 somewhat longer than ventrite 2 and much shorter than each of ventrites 3 and 4. Hypopygidium about as long as wide and with distinctly emarginate posterior edge.

Pro- and mesofemora about 3.5 × as wide as corresponding tibiae and metafemora almost 3.5 × as wide as corresponding tibia. Protibia somewhat narrower than antennal club, comparatively coarsely dentate along outer edge. Meso- and metatibiae somewhat narrower than protibia, with two unclear rows of short and stout spines along outer edge becoming more raised apically. Protibia with very long and stout spur, meso-and metatibiae with moderately long spurs. Tarsi with widest tarsomere 1 (slightly wider than antennomere 2), following tarsomeres thinner, claws simple and narrow.

Anal sclerite with subtruncate and serrate apex bearing eight teeth of different size. Aedeagus moderately sclerotized and comparatively small; tegmen slightly arcuate to widely rounded apex; penis trunk about as long as tegmen somewhat arcuate to moderately rounded apex; inner sac of penis with two very long and narrow sclerites, rather separated, but somewhat approached to each other and connected at midlength.

Distribution. This new species is known only from its type locality (NSW, Umumgar).

Notes on bionomy. The holotype of this new species was collected in dry rainforest with Araucaria and Eucalyptus.

Figures

FIGURE 30. Ithyphenes rectifrons sp. nov., orig. Holotype, male from MSW (“… Umumgar S.F.…”); A: body, dorsal; B: head, dorsal; C: head and prothorax, ventral; D: terminal abdominal segment, ventral; E male anal sclerite and spiculum gastrale, ventral; F: tegmen, ventral; G: penis trunk, dorsal; H: proximal part of inner sac with armature. Scale bars: a = 1.0 mm to Fig. A; b = 0.5 mm to Figs B–D; с = 0.25 mm to Figs E–H.