Omophron (Omophron) muellerae, Anichtchenko & Valainis, 2023

Anichtchenko, Alexander & Valainis, Uldis, 2023, Revision of the subgenus Omophron (s. str.) Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera: Carabidae Omophron) of the Afrotropical region, Zootaxa 5284 (2), pp. 201-246 : 217-218

Omophron (Omophron) muellerae sp. n.

Material examined. KENIA: Holotype, ♁: “Kenya Eastern, E of. Thika , W of Mwingi, 06.04.2007, Snizek leg.” [- 1.045946, 37.847762] ( PSC) . Paratypes: idem (1 ♁, PSC) ; “ Kenya Eastern, N of Nguni, Ngomeni , 19.– 22.04.2007, Snizek leg.” [-0.276210, 38.116892] (1 ♁, PSC; 1 ♀, DUBC) ; “ Tana River, B.E.A.”, “ G. Babault, Juin.1915” [- 0.444092, 39.614122] (1 ♀, MNHN) ; “Dr van Someren, Kiu , 2.24”, “Museum Paris, Coll. Ch.Alluaud ” [-1.893267, 37.156998] (2 ♀, MNHN) . “ Kenya , NKUBO Meru, 10.XI.1988 Leg.Gianasso” [-0.070174, 37.658722] (1 ♁, SDC) . TANZANIA: “ Tanzania , Arusha, 11.1961, P.P de Moor leg.” [-3.388888, 36.789562] (1 ♀, TMSA) .

Differential diagnosis. In overall appearance, similar to O. capense isolatum ssp. n. but differ by having ventrite VI punctate and elytral striae strongly punctate to apex, while in O. capense isolatum ssp. n., the apical one-fourth of the striae almost smooth, and ventrite VI completely smooth.

Description. Body length 4.89–5.02 mm; width 3.27–3.35 mm. Habitus ( Fig. 21 ).

Color: head green, with brown clypeal spot; pronotum dark green, with sides narrowly yellow; elytra dark green, with yellow margins and very reduced yellow pattern, represented by posthumeral, preapical, and apical bands restricted to the lateral 3–4 intervals. Legs and antennae light brown. Mandibles and venter dark brown.

Head relatively flat, densely and coarsely punctate. Subocular ridge well developed, curved upwards and slightly rounded. Green pattern on head well-developed, occupying almost the whole head. Clypeus coarsely punctate. Anterior margin of clypeus formed by two straight lines meeting at an obtuse angle, bisetose. Labrum slightly emarginate, with moderately rounded sides and six setae. Antennal scape unisetose at apex, antennomeres 3 and 4 smooth, with some longer setae around the apex, 5–11 pubescent. Gula weakly wrinkled, gena coarsely but unevenly punctate. HW: 1.51–1.53 mm.

Pronotum (PL: 1.19–1.22 mm, PW: 2.58–2.65 mm.) moderately convex, base bisinuate on each side, sides evenly rounded, with narrow border. Anterior angles strongly prominent forwards. Pronotum coarsely and more or less evenly punctate. Median impression reduced or barely visible. Prosternum and proepisternum coarsely punctate, proepipleura with only 1 puncture.

Elytra (EL: 3.31–3.36 mm, EW: 3.27–3.35 mm.) moderately convex, ovate, sides moderately rounded, with relatively wide border. Elytra with 15 striae. Striae deep, densely punctate, punctures broad and deep, finer in apical two thirds of the elytra. Intervals weakly convex on the disc, moderately convex laterally.

Venter ( Fig. 24 ). Mesepisternum smooth. Metasternum, metepisternum and metepimeron coarsely and unevenly punctate. Elytral epipleura almost smooth, slightly wrincled. Ventrites IV and V with 6–10 punctures on sides, and with widely interrupted row of punctures along transverse furrow. Metacoxa with two setae and 6–8 dots.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 14 ). Median lobe relatively elongate and slender, ventral side regularly arcuate at midlength. Apex strongly downturned in lateral view. Apical lamella long, sides asymmetrically convergent to relatively wide and rounded tip.

Etymology. This species is named after Ruth Müller (Transvaal Museum of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa).

Distribution. Kenya, Tanzania (Map. 2).

Figures

FIGURES 21–23. Habitus of Omophron “minutum”—species group, dorsal view: 21—O. (O.) muellerae sp. n.; 22—O. (O.) schuelei sp. n. (Holotype); 23—O. (O) mimeticum sp. n. (Holotype). Scale bar 5 mm.

FIGURES 24–26. Habitus of Omophron “minutum”—species group, ventral view: 24—O. (O.) muellerae sp. n.; 25—O. (O.) schuelei sp. n. (Holotype); 26—O. (O) mimeticum sp. n. (Holotype). Scale bar 5 mm.

FIGURES 11–14. Aedeagus structure. a—apex in dorsal view, b—right lateral view: 11—O. (O.) minutum (Senegal, Khayes); 12—O. (O.) riedeli (Zimbabwe, Sebakwe); 13—O. (O.) clavareaui; 14—O. (O.) muellerae sp. n. Scale bar 1 mm.