Orphnus medvedevi, Frolov & Akhmetova, 2021

Frolov, Andrey V. & Akhmetova, Lilia A., 2021, Review of the Orphninae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of Sri Lanka, with description of a new species of genus Orphnus Macleay, 1819, European Journal of Taxonomy 767 (1), pp. 40-54 : 45-48

Orphnus medvedevi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3F99F2E5-0FD6-4CE9-A3AC-53A7FBA4241D

Fig. 3

Differential diagnosis

Orphnus medvedevi sp. nov. is similar to O. mysoriensis in having the pronotum with more or less developed tubercle on base medially and endophallus with one group of spinules. It differs from the latter in shorter body (4.6–6.0 mm, as opposed to 8.0–10.0 mm. in O. mysoriensis ), spinules of endophallus as a compact cluster consisting of less than 10 spinules (as opposed to a rather dispersed group of more than 10 spinules in O. mysoriensis , Fig. 3G vs Fig. 1G ), and tubercle on the base of pronotum always smooth (as opposed to having normally two punctures in O. mysoriensis ).

Etymology

The new species is named after Gleb Sergeevich Medvedev (1931–2009), a Russian coleopterist.

Type material

Holotype SRI LANKA • ♂; “ Shri Lanka Vilpattu [ Sri Lanka, Wilpattu] 7.10.1982 G. Medvedev ”; ZIN. Paratypes SRI LANKA • 2 ♀♀; “ Shri Lanka Vilpattu [ Sri Lanka, Wilpattu] 8.10.1982 G. Medvedev ”; ZIN • 1 ♂, 6 ♀♀; “ Sri Lanka . Nat. Park Wilpattu. Talawila 9.X. 982. Medvedev”; ZIN • 13 ♂♂, 13 ♀♀; “ Sri Lanka, Wilpattu N.P. 17 km WNW entrance Tala Wila, 8.X.1982 V.F. Zaitzev leg.”; ZIN .

Description

Male, holotype ( Fig. 3A, D–G )

BODY. Length 6.0 mm. Colour uniformly brown.

CLYPEUS. Wide, with convex anterior margin, rounded laterally, finely crenulate. Genae small, not protruding past eyes. Frontal suture indistinct. Clypeus with long, slender horn directed upwards and slightly curved backwards apically. Dorsal surface of head finely punctate. Labrum deeply sinuate in the middle, distinctly protruding past clypeus.

PRONOTUM. With rounded sides, about 1.5 times as wide as long, with deeply concave disc, conical lateral processes aside excavation, and smooth, rounded tubercle medially near base. Anterior angles acute; posterior angles rounded, indistinct in dorsal view. Pronotum bordered on anterior margin and base. Lateral margins with long, sparse, brown setae. Sides irregularly punctate with round punctures separated by 3–5 puncture diameters.

SCUTELLUM. Subtriangular, narrowly rounded apically, about 1/10 length of elytra.

ELYTRA. About as long as wide, with distinct humeral humps, widest in middle, lateral margins slightly rounded in basal half. First (sutural) stria distinct, as feebly impressed groove with row of punctures. Other stria before humeral humps as rows of round setiferous punctures, separated by more than 3 their diameters except for base of elytra. Elytral intervals covered with minute punctures.

WINGS. Macropterous.

LEGS. Protibiae with 3 outer teeth. Lateral margin basad of outer teeth not crenulate. Apical spur of protibia absent. Left protarsus absent. Middle and hind legs similar in shape; metafemora and metatibiae about ⅛ as long as the mesofemora and mesotibiae. Mesotibia and metatibiae somewhat triangular with 2 apical spurs, inner margin almost straight, with 1 transverse keel. Upper spur of tibiae as long as two basal tarsomeres. Claws ⅓ length of apical tarsomere. Femora almost impunctate.

ABDOMEN. Ventrally irregularly punctate, pubescent, with sparse, long setae. Abdominal sternite 8 medially shorter than sternites 4–7 combined. Pygidium invisible from above, with slightly truncate apex in caudal view. Plectrum triangular with rounded apex, wider than long.

AEDEAGUS. Parameres relatively short (0.5 length of phallobase), curved downwards, tapering apically, spear-shaped in dorsal view, with feebly visible lateral teeth ( Fig. 3D–E ). Endophallus with a compact cluster of 6 spinules ( Fig. 3G ).

Female

Female ( Fig. 3H ) differs from the male in having a relatively smaller pronotum without armature, frontoclypeus without process, and prothoracic spur present.

Variation

Body length of the paratypes varies from 5.9 to 4.6 mm (males) and 4.7 to 6.0 mm (females). Some of the paratypes have darker elytra. Head and pronotum armature in males paratypes varies from relatively well-developed, similar to that of the holotype, to excavated pronotum with gibbosities beside the excavation and frontoclypeal tubercle ( Fig. 3C ), with intermediate variants ( Fig. 3B ).

Distribution

The species is known from one locality in north-western Sri Lanka ( Fig. 3I ).

Figures

Fig. 3. Orphnus medvedevi sp. nov. A, D–G. Holotype, ♂ (ZIN). B–C. Paratypes, ♂ (ZIN). H. Paratype, ♀ (ZIN). A–C, H. Habitus in dorsal view. D. Parameres in dorsal view. E. Aedeagus in lateral view. F. Labels. G. Endophallus. I. Distributional record map. Scale bars: A–C, H = 1.0 mm; D–E, G = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 1. Orphnus mysoriensis Westwood, 1845. A–E, G. Lectotype, ♂ (OUM). F. Paralectotype, ♀ (OUM). A–B, F. Habitus in dorsal view. C. Labels. D. Aedeagus in lateral view. E. Parameres in dorsal view. G. Endophallus. H. Distributional record map. Scale bars: A–B, F = 1.0 mm; D–E, G = 0.5 mm.