Arrowcryptus skelleyi, Leschen & Wegrzynowicz, 2008

Leschen, Richard A. B. & Wegrzynowicz, Piotr, 2008, Arrowcryptus, a new genus of Xenoscelinae of Erotylidae from Africa, Zootaxa 1968, pp. 45-57 : 51-56

Arrowcryptus skelleyi new species

( Figs. 13–24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 59, 60, 63, 65)

Diagnosis. Dorsal setae elongate and erect; head, prothorax, legs, epipleuron, and ventrites orange. Lateral carina of pronotum irregularly crenulated. Mesoventral process with apex truncate and notch apiculate. Metaventrite with short subcoxal lines with discrimen extending anteriorly to posterior 1/3 of sclerite. Hind wing well-developed. Apex of penis angulate, anterior strut 3.4x length of penis. Spermatheca with distal capsule oval.

Description. Length 5.10 mm. Body bicoloured with head, mouthparts, prothorax, epipleuron, ventrites and legs orange, elytron light steal blue, moderately shining. Punctation dense and somewhat irregular, microsculpture absent. Body moderately convex with dorsal setae elongate, erect, with an average length longer than greatest width of eye; tarsal setae well developed. Head moderately punctate, punctures of vertex separated by about 1 diameter or less. Eye prominent and oval, strongly faceted, about 9–10 facets at greatest length, ocular setae present. Transverse groove deep and connected to lateral groove. Antenna moderately elongate, extending almost to posterior edge of pronotum; antennomeres 9 and 10 wide and transverse, 11 assymetrical; antennomere relative lengths 8:5:6:6:6:6:6:7:9:8:9. Pronotum widest at middle, 0.67 x as long as wide; depth = 1.10 mm; punctation dense, punctures of disc oval to somewhat irregular in shape, separated usually by less than 1 diameter and median apunctate narrow strip present posteriorly; lateral carina irregularly crenulated; weakly curved in lateral view. Prosternal process about as wide as procoxae, apex not invaginated and lateral flanges overlapping postcoxal projections of the hypomera. Abdominal depth = 1.4 mm.

Elytra 1.5 x as long as wide and 2.58 x as long as pronotum; sutural stria present to basal 1/3; punctation regular, punctures oval and separated by less than 1 diameter. Mesoventral process with apex truncate and notch apiculate. Metaventrite not strongly transverse with short subcoxal lines with discrimen extending anteriorly to posterior 1/3 of sclerite; strongly punctuate. Scutellum 2x wide as long. Hind wing well-developed. Abdominal punctation of ventrites well developed on disc, punctures on sides separated by about 1 diameter or less. Tarsi lacking well-developed tarsal pads, though very weakly developed in this species. Male. Inside surfaces of metafemur and metatibia with tubercles. Aedeagus with apex of penis angulate, separated anterior biflagellate struts about 3.4 x length of penis (median lobe), internal sac approximately 9/10 length of the struts; sclerotized ejaculatory duct present, internal sac with median symmetrical sclerites. Paramere 3x longer than wide. Female. Gonocoxite 1.7x longer than width at middle, blunt at apex, campaniform sensillae relatively dense, gonostyle hook-like, strongly sclerotised and pigmented bearing 3 setae (central one elongate). Spermatheca with distal capsule oval.

Notes. The Nigerian specimen is not fully pigmented and the pronotum is light orange and elytra are light steal-blue.

Type material. Holotype (male)— Mali: I. R. C. T.- M’Pesoba , 5.IX.1970, G. Pierrard ( MRAC) . Paratypes: 1— Ghana: 55 mi. S. W. Tamale, 100 m, I–IX.1966, E. S. Ross & K. Lorenzen ( CASC); 1 — Niger: Maradi Dept. (Kanilama) Kandamao, 45km, SSE . Maradi, 21-XI-1980, P. Bouchard, blacklight ( FSCA) .

Distribution. Ghana, Mali, Niger.