Microhoria bunun, Telnov, 2024

Telnov, Dmitry, 2024, New species and records of Anthicidae Latreille, 1819 (Coleoptera) from Taiwan with a key to Asian Nitorus Telnov, 2007 species with gibbose pronotum, Zootaxa 5507 (2), pp. 285-312 : 295-299

Microhoria bunun sp. nov. ( Figures 8–10 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EEF4C7BD-276D-415D-9041-E03D55F62D58

This species belongs to the longiceps species-group as of Kejval & Chandler (2020).

Type material designated. Holotype ♂, BMNH: TAIWAN, Nantou County N24°02.530’; E121°12.555’ beating etc. 1920m 6.viii.2008 M.V.L. Barclay, H.Mendel & R. Ewers BMNH (E) 2008-85 [printed].

Paratypes 7 specimens. 4♂ ♀ BMNH: same label as holotype ; 1♀ BMNH: TAIWAN, Nantou County 0.6km SE of Lushan , 1165m N24°01.035 E121°11.308 at light, 6.viii.2008 H.Mendel & MVL Barclay BMNH (E) 2008- 85 [printed] ; 2♀ BMNH: TAIWAN, Nantou County 0.5km NW of Lushan N24°01.481 E121°10.876 08.viii.2008, 1268m, at light, M.V.L. Barclay & H. Mendel BMNH (E) 2008-85 [printed] .

Derivatio nominis. Named after the Taiwan’s Bunun people and language. Noun in apposition.

Measurements, holotype male, total body length excluding partially exposed terminalia 2.65 mm; head length 0.55 mm, head width across compound eyes 0.5 mm, pronotal length 0.5 mm, maximum pronotal width 0.4 mm, minimum pronotal width in constriction area 0.3 mm, elytral length 1.6 mm, combined maximum elytral width across midlength 1 mm. Male paratypes 2.5–2.6 mm, female paratypes 2.4–2.5 mm long.

Description. Holotype male. Dorsum and venter uniformly black to black-brown. Antennomeres 2–4, tibiae and tarsi yellowish brown. Head elliptical, hardly longer than wide, slightly convex in dorsal aspect, moderately glossy. Labrum subtruncate at anterior margin. Frontoclypeal suture present, slightly arched (shallowly concave anteriorly). Compound eye moderate, strongly protruding from lateral outline of head. Head base rounded in one broad arc with tempora. Head dorsal punctures moderately large, dense. Intervening spaces smooth and glossy, as wide as to twice as wide as punctures. Dorsal cranial setae whitish to yellowish, sparse, inconspicuous. Antenna extending slightly beyond elytral base when directed posteriad, hardly thickened in apical half. Antennomeres 7–10 widened distally. Penultimate antennomere hardly longer than wide. Terminal antennomere elongate, bluntly pointed, about 1.8× as long as penultimate antennomere, about the combined length of antennomeres 9–10. Penultimate maxillary palpomere lobate at mesal margin. Terminal maxillary palpomere securiform. Cranial ‘neck’ less than one third head width across compound eyes, densely punctured, moderately glossy. Pronotum longer than wide, narrower than head across eyes, subtruncate medially at anterior margin. Pronotal disc moderately glossy, flattened in dorsal aspect. Lateral margins broadly rounded in anterior half, strongly constricted postmedium. Anterior pronotal rim distinct dorsally, laterally and ventrally. Antebasal sulcus wide, less prominent dorsally, well-developed laterally. Pronotal punctures on anterior portion of pronotal disc larger than those on head, minute and sparse on lateral sides of anterior lobe, large, dense and coarse on basal half of disc in particular in constriction area. Large punctures are irregularly shaped, crateriform. Intervening spaces glossy, about as wide as punctures on anterior half of pronotal disc, much narrower than those on rest of pronotal dorsum. Pronotal setae as those on head, not fully appressed. Scutellar shield apically rounded, moderately glossy. Elytra elongate, about 1.6× as long as wide, widest at midlength, dorsally flattened. Postbasal transverse impression obsolete. Humerus broadly rounded. Apical sutural angle rounded. Apex of elytron modified, with a short, semicircular protuberance at opening of a gland channel, adjacent to apical sutural angle of elytron. Elytral surface moderately glossy and smooth, punctures smaller than those on pronotal constriction, but distinct and dense. Intervening spaces glossy, generally as wide as to twice as wide as punctures. Elytral setae whitish to yellowish, moderately long and dense, not fully appressed, directed posteriad. Metathoracic wing fully developed (functional). Legs without modifications, moderately densely setose. Tibial terminal spurs paired, inconspicuous. Basal metatarsomere longer than combined length of remaining metatarsomeres. Tergite VII broadly rounded to subtruncate at posterior margin ( Fig. 9A ). Morphological sternite VII subtruncate medially at posterior margin ( Fig. 9B ). Morphological tergite VIII rounded at posterior margin ( Fig. 9C ). Morphological sternite VIII glasses-shaped, sclerites narrowly interconnected ( Fig. 9D ), sternite IX Y-shaped, arms short, arched ( Fig. 9E ). Aedeagus ( Fig. 9F–H ) with three central spines nearly as long as tegmen; tegmen preapically trispinose (spines distinctly curved), tegmen apex tongue-shaped, with serrate periphery; endophallic armature somewhat braid-shaped.

Sexual dimorphism. Female ( Figs 8C–D , 10 ) elytral apex suntruncate ( Fig. 8C ). Tergite VII strongly modified, with deep median apical incision and here medially with a sword-like projection; projection distinctly shorter than corresponding incision ( Fig. 10A–B ). Morphological sternite VII broadly triangular, medially angulate projecting ( Fig. 10C ). Morphological sternite IX rod-like. Ovipositor as in fig. 10D.

Intraspecific variability. Total body length varies from 2.3 to 2.5 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Microhoria bunun sp. nov. is externally similar to several entirely dark-coloured Himalayan and eastern-Palaearctic congeners but is readily different in the shape of the aedeagus and the peculiarly modified female tergite VII.

Ecology. Occurs at about 1165–1920 m in forested area. Collected by beating forest vegetation, a typical microstation of many Microhoria Chevrolat, 1877 species (see Telnov 2022), and attracted to light.

Distribution. So far known from mountainous central part of Taiwan, Nantou County.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Microhoria bunun sp. nov.A—Holotype ♂, habitus, dorsal view; B—ditto, forebody, dorsal view; C—Paratype ♀, habitus, dorsal view; D—ditto, forebody, dorsal view [not to scale].

FIGURE 9. Microhoria bunun sp. nov. holotype ♂. A—Tergite VII, dorsal view; B—Morphological sternite VII, ventral view; C—Tergite VIII, dorsal view; D—Morphological sternite VIII, ventral view; E—Morphological sternite IX; F—Aedeagus; G—Median portion, magnified; H—ditto, apex, magnified [not to scale].

FIGURE 10. Microhoria bunun sp. nov., paratype ♀. A—Tergite VII, dorsal view; B—ditto, median portion of posterior margin, magnified, dorsal view; C—Morphological sternite VII, ventral view; D—Ovipositor [not to scale].