Ischalia (Nitidischalia) barclayi Young

Young, Daniel K., 2011, A new Asian subgenus and species of Ischalia (Coleoptera: Ischaliidae) with an assessment of subgeneric concepts, revised world checklist, and keys to the subgenera and “ blue elytra ” species, Zootaxa 2811, pp. 53-58 : 54-56

Ischalia (Nitidischalia) barclayi Young , new species

( Figs. 1–2 )

Description. (Adult ď) Length 6.6 mm (n=1). Body ( Fig. 1 ) sparsely covered with short, yellowish, strongly retrorsely, decumbent setae.

Head: Cranium [detached and mounted on card in front of body] piceous to black, mouthparts suffused with brownish coloration, vertex black with bluish-purple hue, cranial “neck” with a pair of shallow, circular depressions juxtaposed on either side of a mesal sulcus. Compound eyes elongate-oval, very slightly emarginate to accommodate antennal insertions, somewhat coarsely-faceted, lacking intrafacetal setae. Antennae [largely missing: left antenna consisting of segments 1–4; right antenna with scape, only, remaining] with scape and pedicel piceous, flagellomeres 1–2 black, filiform.

Thorax: Pronotum nitid, black, setae very sparse, retrorsely decumbent, lateral pronotal margins sharply defined, mesal carina strongly developed, bifurcating anteriorly, enlarged to form teardrop-shaped lobe posteriorly, pronotum widest at distal 2/3 of its length, width 1.19X mesal length; hypomera narrow with ventral margin subparallel to lateral pronotal margin; scutellum bluish-black with purple hue, bulbous, rounded posteriorly; thoracic ventrites black with bluish-purple hue. Legs rufopiceous to black with tarsi piceous, tibiae each with a single, well defined longitudinal carina, tibiae lacking spurs, tarsi bearing yellowish setae, especially ventrally; vestiture of ventral surface of bilobed penultimate tarsomere especially well-developed; tarsal claws simple. Elytra ( Fig. 1 ) elongate, covering abdomen, gradually broader posteriorly, surface densely and coarsely rugose-reticulate, glabrate and shining, bluish-purple with strongly metallic luster. Sutural, humeral, lateral discal, and lateral carinae present with humeral carinae strongly reduced, 0.14X length of lateral discal carinae, the later gradually curving inwardly toward the sutural carinae but ending before and not fusing with sutural carinae. Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Abdomen: Black with blue-purple hue.

Type material. HOLOTYPE (ď, BMNH): [First label]: [ Malaysia]: SABAH: Mt. Kinabalu // Mesilau // 15.ii.1964. J. Smart. // Royal Soc. Exped. // B.M. 1964-250; [Second label]: Auto-Montaged // digital image(s) // per D. K. Young; [Third label]: HOLOTYPE: // Ischalia (Nitidischalia) // barclayi // Young.

Distribution. As detailed above, the single specimen of I. (N.) barclayi was collected in the Mount Kinabalu area. The “Mesilau” type locality, presumably near 6.045994° N, 116.596267° E, is in the Malaysian state of Sabah, in northeastern Borneo.

Etymology. I take pleasure in naming this species in honor of friend, colleague, and fellow coleopterist, Maxwell V. L. Barclay. He has been a most congenial and helpful contact in “the beetle room” at The Natural History Museum, London.

Diagnosis. The shining dorsal surface with strongly reduced vestiture, black, sparsely setose pronotum, coarsely rugose-reticulate, bluish-purple elytra, and strongly reduced humeral carinae are diagnostic for this species.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Ischalia (Nitidischalia) barclayi, sp. nov. (♂) Figure 1, dorsal habitus; Figure 2, pronotum.