Toktokkus herero, Gearner, 2021

Kamiński, Marcin J., Gearner, Olivia M., Kanda, Kojun, Swichtenberg, Kali, Purchart, Luboš & Smith, Aaron D., 2021, First insights into the phylogeny of tok-tokkie beetles (Tenebrionidae: Molurina, Phanerotomeina) and examination of the status of the Psammodes vialis species-group, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 191, pp. 883-901 : 896-897

TOKTOKKUS HERERO GEARNER

lsid urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DE95E0D8-39B9-4555-AF0C-77AEDD599E20

Type material: Holotype (deposited at USNM), male: ‘ Abachaus. / Otjiwarongo / S.W. A/ G. Hobohm / 24-2- 1945 ’, ‘ Psammodes / tuberculipennis/ Haag / det. Penrith’.

Diagnosis: This species is the only known species in this genus with macroscopic punctation on the pronotum and setae on the elytra ( Fig. 3D). This species can be further differentiated from T. mashunus , T. mulleri , T. schultzei , T. vialis and T. waclawae by the presence of microtubercles between tuberculate rows on the elytra. This species, while round, is much more elongate than T. tschinkeli and lacks the lip-like margin of the prosternum characteristic of T. tschinkeli . The tubercles in this species are smaller and less prominent than those of T. tuberculipennis and T. makuya .

Description: Length 25.0 mm, width of pronotum 8.0 mm and elytra 12.0 mm. Head: Hypognathous. Frons coarsely punctate (1–2 diameters apart); frontoclypeal suture course, with deep groove in middle; apical clypeal margin broadly shallowly emarginate; clypeus projected anterioventrally; apical margin of labrum emarginate medially, sparsely punctate in apical half, margin of labrum densely covered with yellowish, acuminate setae. Eye comma-shaped, with reduced ventral part, strongly emarginate around epistomal base; with deep groove on temporal side. Mentum trapezoidal, with straight base, not fully filling buccal cavity; anterior margin not emarginate; covered with fine setae. Submentum semicircular, concave basally. Antenna slender, moderately covered in recumbent acuminate goldish setae; antennomere 2 short, ~0.1– 0.2 of antennomere 3 length; antennomere 4 less than half of antennomere 3 length. Prothorax: Pronotal lateral margin rounded, ‘flared’ at anterior third, well visible. Pronotum widest above middle. Disc dull, with dense punctation; anterior fully marginate, posterior margin absent at middle, anterior apices strongly produced. Hypomeron convex, without submarginal groove, rugulose and occasionally punctate. Prosternal process rounded in lateral view with small projection by coxa, longitudinally depressed in middle (ventral view) between procoxae. Anterior margin of prosternum straight, with gold setae. Pterothorax: Scutellum densely covered with microtubercles. Elytra widest in basal third, slightly rounded, covered in scattered gold setae; disc impunctate, with scattered microtubercles; lateral half at and below humerus and declivous portion (apical third) with alternating rows of tubercles and microtubercles (larger than those on the disc); elytral margin not visible dorsally except in apical quarter, tuberculate rows extend to lateral margin. Elytral slope relatively steep, elytral apex flattened. Epipleura impunctate, not tuberculate, clearly distinguishable from neighbouring portion of elytra, widely enfolding fifth ventrite. Mesoventrite with deep median groove and elevated sides. Metaventrite impunctate, densely setose. Lateral regions of metaventrite (between coxae) extremely short. Metaepisternal suture abbreviated posteriorly. Legs: Covered with dense gold setae. Procoxa exposed basally. Apex of protibia with prominent denticle on outer margin, lateral carina terminating in basal third; median spur reduced, reaching 0.5 of outer lateral spur length. Spurs on meso- and metatibiae of equal length. Tarsi narrowed laterally. Abdomen: Ventrites 1–3 medially densely covered with goldish setae moderately punctate and weakly rugulose; ventrite 5 densely punctate, each puncture with single gold seta (~0.5 diameters apart); ventrite 5 with submarginal sulcus only at base. Terminalia: Due to scarcity of available specimens, terminalia were not dissected.

Etymology: Named in honour of the Herero people of Namibia, where this species occurs.