Prionocyphon macrodascilloides, Ruta, Rafał, 2010

Ruta, Rafał, 2010, Two new species of Prionocyphon Redtenbacher from Taiwan (Coleoptera: Scirtidae), with notes on Prionocyphon, Mescirtes Motschulsky and Prionoscirtes Champion from East and Southeast Asia, Zootaxa 2402, pp. 52-60 : 54-56

Prionocyphon macrodascilloides sp. nov.

( Figs 2–3 , 10–15 )

Type material. Holotype, male ( HNHM): “ TAIWAN, Ilan county, / Fushan Botanical Garden. / at light, 25.XII.2001. / leg. A. Kun & L. Ronkay” [printed label]; „ HOLOTYPUS / Prionocyphon / macrodascilloides / sp. n. / des. Rafał Ruta 2009” [red label, printed].

Diagnosis. Body is large, moderately convex, elytra bear indistinct longitudinal carinae, antennae are bicoloured. Parameroids of penis are subparallel, not converging apically, tegmen has narrow, tapering apices. Similar to P. costipennis sp. nov., but larger, with indistinct elytral carinae and different genital structures.

Description. Holotype, male. Measurements: TL 4.75, EW 2.85, EL 4.00, PW 1.80, PL 0.80, HW 1.55, greatest depth of body 1.70.

Body elongate, moderately convex, covered with suberect yellowish-brown setae. Elytra testaceous, head and pronotum darker, brownish, antennomeres 1–3 yellowish, 4–11 brownish-black. Body 1.7 times as long as broad.

Head 2.6 times wider than width of interocular space, with subtle but dense punctation, punctures separated by ca. 0.5–1.0 diameter, eyes large, finely facetted, strongly protuberant; tempora converging posteriorly. Scape enlarged, with explanate anterodistal angle, and sharp anterior ridge, 1.5 times as long as wide, antennomere 2 globular, 3 reduced, shorter than half length of antennomere 2, antennomeres 4–10 elongated, widened, subtriangular, with somewhat rugose surface, apical antennomere elongate oval. Clypeus wide, transverse, anterior clypeal margin straight, anterolateral angles almost right-angled. Anteclypeus reduced, slightly visible. Labrum small, transverse, with broadly rounded anterolateral angles. Mandibles well developed, symmetrical, each with a sharp mesal denticle.

Pronotum transverse, 2.3 times as broad as long, widest at posterior angles, distinctly narrower than elytral base. Disc of pronotum with subtle punctation, punctures separated by ca. 1.0 diameter. Posterior margin of pronotum arcuate. Anterior angles explanate, posterior angles almost obtuse, sides of pronotum short, almost straight.

Scutellum subtriangular, with similar punctation to that on pronotum. Angle between pronotum and elytra well marked in dorsal outline. Each elytron with 3 longitudinal ridges, elytra 1.4 times as long as broad and 5.0 times as long as pronotum, sides subparallel in basal half, regularly rounded and converging to apex in posterior half. Humeri well marked. Punctation very strong, deep and dense, distance between punctures ca. 0.3–0.5 diameter. Epipleura narrowed behind metanepisternum, present towards apices. Hind wings fully developed.

Prosternal process narrowly lanceolate, ca. 5.0 times longer than wide. Mesocoxae separated by a wide process slightly converging apically, about 3.6 times as long as broad; metaventral discrimen almost complete. Ratio of ventrites’ lengths 1.0: 2.0: 2.0: 2.0: 2.5. Ventrite 5 regularly rounded, without emargination.

Penis ( Fig. 10 ; L 0.82 W 0.31) symmetrical with large subrectangular pala and three processes, which are about as long as pala: mesal subtriangular centema and thin lateral parameroids, which are subparallel and slightly longer than centema; tegmen ( Fig. 11 ; L 1.06, W 0.53) large, wide, with long, thin parameres bearing several long setae on apices; tergite 8 ( Fig. 12 ; L 0.84, W 0.57) with sparse and minute setation at apical margin, apodemes almost the same length as the membranous portion; tergite 9 ( Fig. 13 ; L 0.67, W 0.39) with short apodemes and membranous apical part with numerous minute setae; sternite 8 ( Fig. 14 ; L 0.35, W 0.43) small, v-shaped; sternite 9 ( Fig. 15 ; L 0.71, W 0.33) elongate oval, with marginal setae in apical half.

Female unknown.

Distribution. N Taiwan; known only from the locus typicus.

Etymology. The name refers to the external similarity to Macrodascillus Carter , a monotypic genus of Scirtidae endemic to Australia.

Note. The Fushan Botanical Garden, where both new species were collected, is located on the boundary of Taipei and Ilan county, close to the Ha-Pen Reserve, protecting well preserved forests; it is highly plausible that individuals attracted to light dwell in the forest.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Dorsal view: 1) Prionocyphon costipennis sp. nov.; 2) & 3) Prionocyphon macrodascilloides sp. nov. Scale bar (for 1 & 2) = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 10 – 15. Prionocyphon macrodascilloides sp. nov.: 10) penis; 11) tegmen; 12) tergite 8; 13) tergite 9; 14) sternite 8; 15) sternite 9. Scale bar = 0.25 mm.