Scirtes laosensis Yoshitomi & Ruta, 2010

Yoshitomi, Hiroyuki & Ruta, Rafał, 2010, Revision of the Scirtes flavoguttatus species-group (Coleoptera: Scirtidae: Scirtinae) 2467, Zootaxa 2467 (1), pp. 1-74 : 39-42

Scirtes laosensis Yoshitomi & Ruta , sp. n.

Figs. 23A–B , 24–25

Type material. Holotype ( EUM): 1 male, “ Ph. Pan (Mt.) Houaphan Prov. LAOS 4. V. 2002 H. Yoshitomi leg.”, genit. s. no. HY 771 . Paratype: 2 males & 3 females ( EUM, NMW), same data as the holotype, female genit. s. no. HY 769 ; 1 male & 2 females ( NMB), “Lao-NE, Hua Phan pr., 20°12’N, 104°01’E, Phu Phan Mt., 1500-1900m, 17.v.-3.vi.2007, Vit. Kubáň leg.” ; 1 male ( NMB): same data as above, leg. M. Brancucci.

Description. Male. Body oblong-oval, slightly convex above, shiny, closely covered with short setae throughout. Coloration of body almost brown, antennae paler, legs and lateral parts of pronotum; elytra with yellow anterior margin, suture, apex and lateral portions interrupted by two brown spots in anterior and posterior half.

Head moderate in size, slightly convex in dorsal surface, finely punctate; clypeus wide, slightly expanded laterally, almost straight in front margin. Eyes moderate in size, prominent; the distance between the eyes ca. 2.3 times as long as the maximum diameter of the eye. Antennae relatively short, reaching ca. proximal 1/4 of elytra; approximate ratio of each antennomeres (n = 1) as 8.0: 5.5: 3.5: 8.5: 8.0: 7.0: 7.0: 7.0: 7.0: 6.5: 9.0. Pronotum slightly convex above, strongly punctate; antero- and postero-lateral angles ca. 120º; antero-lateral angles slightly projecting anteriorly; front margin weakly bisinuate; lateral and posterior margins gently arcuate; PW/PL 2.00–2.27 (2.13). Scutellum small, equilateral-triangular, punctured as on pronotum. Elytra oblong, subparallel-sided near base to apical 1/4, punctate as the pronotum; humeri weakly elevated; EL/EW 1.44–1.54 (1.47); EL/PL 4.54–4.81 (4.64); EW/PW 1.40–1.56 (1.48); TL/EW 1.75–1.86 (1.79). Legs relatively long. Hind tibial spurs relatively short, gently and evenly curved laterally; dorsal spurs ca. 2.2 times as long as ventral ones, ca. 0.7 times as long as hind tarsomere 1. Caudal margin of sternite VII shallowly concave. Tergite VIII moderately sclerotized, semicircular, bearing short spines on apical margin, sparsely covered with minute setae and punctures in apical part, shagreened in mesal part, with a pair of short apodemes protruding from antero-lateral angles; tergite IX lightly sclerotized, inversely V-shaped, bearing short spines in apical part, projecting triangularly in mesal portion of anterior margin; sternite IX lightly sclerotized, oval, closely bearing short setae in apical part. Tegmen well sclerotized, U-shaped, connected with penis in posterior part; parameres large, outcurved. Penis well sclerotized, simply lobed, distinctly shorter than parameres, connected with tegmen in apical part, not exceeding basal part of tegmen.

Female. Body blackish brown; antennae and legs paler. Elytra with shallow and oblique concavities in apical portion. PW/PL 2.17. EL/EW 1.56; EL/PL 4.67; EW/PW 1.38; TL/EW 1.89.

Measurements. Male (n = 4): TL 4.45–5.43 (4.88) mm; PW 1.60–2.10 (1.85) mm; PL 0.80–0.98 (0.87) mm; EL 3.65–4.45 (4.01) mm; EW 2.50–3.10 (2.73) mm. Female (n = 1): TL 5.10 mm; PW 1.95 mm; PL 0.90 mm; EL 4.20 mm; EW 2.70 mm.

Distribution. N Laos.

Etymology. The species is named after its terra typica, Laos.

Notes. Similar to Scirtes chiangmaiensis sp. n. and S. niisatoi sp. n. Lateral stripes interrupted; penis not exceeding parameres in length. Female is very similar to the one of Scirtes niisatoi sp. n., but differs in having dark pronotal margins, and black scutellum.

Figures

FIGURE 23. Habitus of Scirtes spp. A) S. laosensis sp. n., paratype, male, B) S. laosensis sp. n., paratype, female, C) S. chiangmaiensis sp. n., holotype, D) S. niisatoi sp. n., paratype, male, E) S. niisatoi sp. n., paratype, female, F) ditto, excitator, G) S. satoi sp. n., holotype, male, H) S. nigrofasciatus sp. n., holotype, male, I) S. tamdaoensis sp. n., holotype, male.

FIGURE 24. Scirtes laosensis sp. n., holotype, male. A) antenna, B) sternites V–VII, C) tergite VIII, D) sternite XI, E) tergite IX, F) tegmen and penis in ventral aspect, G) ditto in lateral aspect. Abbreviations: p, penis; t, tegmen.

FIGURE 25. Scirtes laosensis sp. n., paratype, female. A) antenna, B) apical part of right elytron in dorso-lateral aspect, C) sternites V–VII, D) ovipositor, E) prehensor and bursa copulatrix.