Synchonnus etheringtoni, Kusy, 2017

Kusy, Dominik, 2017, A new species of Synchonnus (Coleoptera: Lycidae) from New Guinea, with an identification key to the Papuan species, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 57 (1), pp. 153-160 : 156-159

Synchonnus etheringtoni sp. nov.

( Figs 2, 4 , 6, 7, 8, 10 )

Type locality. Indonesia, Papua Province, Central Mamberamo Regency, 5 km S of Kobakma, 03°43′S, 139°04′E, 1220 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ Indonesia, Papua Prov. / 5 km S of Kobakma / 1220 m, 03°43’S 139°04’E’ ( LMBC).

Description. Male. BL 7.0 mm, WH 1.66 mm, PL 1.03 mm, PW 1.52 mm, Ediam 0.46 mm, Edist 0.37 mm, PhL 1.42 mm. Body slender, dark brown to black, pronotum dark brown, its frontal part and area along median areola darker ( Fig. 2 ). Head small, eyes very large, hemispherically prominent, maximum eye diameter 1.24 times minimal frontal interocular distance. Antennae serrate, compressed ( Fig. 6 ), reaching over midlength of elytra. Pronotum trapezoidal, 1.47 times wider than long at midline, widest at base, anterior margin projected frontally, lateral margins elevated, slightly concave, anterior angles obtuse, posterior angles sharply prominent; median areola wide, attached directly to anterior margin, surface of pronotum densely pubescent ( Fig. 4 ). Elytra 3.95 times longer than wide at humeri, costae 2 and 4 stouter than others, costae 1 and 3 shortened, secondary costae weakly developed, elytral cells variable in shape ( Fig. 10 ), elytral costae with short pubescence. Phallus long, slender, only slightly widened apically and enlarged at base, with inconspicuously constricted middle part, pair of thorns located basally ( Figs 7–8 ).

Female. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. The other three species of Synchonnus in the Papuan region have uniformly light coloured pronotum, and S. etheringtoni sp. nov. is the only one with a dark patch in the anterior part and along the median areola. Additionally, the species differs in sharply prominent posterior pronotal angles and dense pubescence ( Fig. 4 ). Synchonnus testaceithorax Pic, 1923 differs from S. etheringtoni sp. nov. in red to dark brown colouration of its head and much more apparent vestiges of lateral pronotal carinae delimiting lateral areoles ( Fig. 3 ). Synchonnus segregatus Waterhouse, 1879 occurs only in Mysool and has slender, parallel-sided pronotum, and S. humeralis from Japen has light coloured humeri.

Ecological information. Synchonnus etheringtoni sp. nov. was identified in an extensive material collected in the lower mountain forest.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronym in honour of Paul Etherington, a linguist working on Papuan and Australian languages.

Distribution. Indonesia, Papua: central Mamberamo valley.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Synchonnus species. 1–2 – general appearance (1 – S. testaceithorax Pic, 1923; 2 – S. etheringtoni sp. nov.). 3–4 – detail of pronotum (3 – S. testaceithorax; 4 – S. etheringtoni sp. nov.) Scales = 1 mm (Figs 1–2), 0.5 mm (Figs 3–4).

Figs 5–10. Synchonnus species. 5–6 – basal antennomeres (5 – S. testaceithorax; 6 – S. etheringtoni sp. nov.). 7–8 – male genitalia of S. etheringtoni sp. nov. (7 – ventral view; 8 – lateral view). 9–10 – right elytron, the middle part in detail (9 – S. testaceithorax; 10 – S. etheringtoni sp. nov). Scales = 0.5 mm (Figs 5–10).