Dendrocellus elegans Sloane, 1907

Liang, Hongbin & Kavanaugh, David H., 2007, Review of the Genus Dendrocellus Schmidt-Göbel (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Dryptini), with Descriptions of Seven New Species, The Coleopterists Bulletin (Oxford, England) 61 (1), pp. 1-39 : 1-39

Dendrocellus elegans Sloane

( Figs. 6 , 42 , 58 , 95–96 )

Dendrocellus elegans Sloane 1907: 473 (New Guinea)

Specimens examined. Total 18 specimens: New Guinea: 1 female (ZMHU), ‘‘D. N. Guinea’’/‘‘Sattelberg’’/‘‘ Desera elegans Sloane, Andr. ’’; 1 male (ZMHU), ‘‘D. N. Guinea’’/‘‘Sattelberg’’; 1 male (ISNB), ‘‘Brit. N. Guinea’’/‘‘Reg. Mus. Hist. Nat. Belg. I. G. 10294’’/‘‘ parallela Chd. ’’/‘‘G. Fagel’’/‘‘G. Fagel det. Desera parallela Chd. ’’/‘‘Coll. R. I Sc. N. B. Papua New Guinea’’; 1 male (ISNB), ‘‘New Pommern, Reg. Mus. Hist. Nat. Belg. I.G. 10294’’/‘‘ unidentata M.L.’’/‘‘G. Fagel’’/‘‘G. Fagel det. unidentata M.L.’’/‘‘Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B. Papua New Guinea’’; 1 male and three females (ISNB), ‘‘Jule Island’’/‘‘Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B. New Zealand’’ [not New Zealand, Jule Island is in New Guinea]; 1 female (CAS), ‘‘Papua New Guinea, Madang Province, Simbai, 51 ° 7 9 S, 144 ° 26 9 E, Norman D. Penny’’/‘‘ Desera elegans Sloane , det. D. H. Kavanaugh, 1987’’; 1 male (CAS), ‘‘Finschhafen, New Guinea, IV-44, E. S. Ross’’/‘‘ Desera elegans det. Darl. 1967’’; 1 male (CAS), ‘‘Papua New Guinea, Madang Province, Nagada Harbor, Christensen Res. Inst., 3 m, 27 February 1989, stop # 89-2’’/‘‘D. H. Kavanaugh and G. E. Ball collectors, Cal. Acad. Sci. Coll.’’/‘‘Papua New Guinea Expedition- 1989’’; 1 male (CAS), ‘‘West New Guinea/Paniai Prov./IR25 Enarotall, Danau Paniai, 1,900 m, Swamps n. the village 29.7–4.8 1991, leg. Balke & Hendrich’’; 1 female (CAS), ‘‘New Guinea: Morobe District, Wau, 15-X-1969, James E. Tobler, Cal. Acad. Sci. Coll.’’/‘‘ Desera elegans Sloane , det. D. H. Kavanaugh 1991’’; 1 male (CMNH), ‘‘ Dec 29, 1981 ’’/‘‘Papua New Guinea, Wau-Morobe Prov. Coll. A. Allison, light trap 1,230 m’’/‘‘ Desera elegans det. R. T. Bell’’/ ‘‘ Desera elegans (Sloane) det. R. Davidson’’; 1 male (CMNH), ‘‘ Jan 17, 1982 ’’/ ‘‘Papua New Guinea, Wau-Morobe Prov. Coll. A. Allison, light trap 1,230 m’’/ ‘‘ Desera elegans det. R. T. Bell’’/‘‘ Desera elegans (Sloane) det. R. Davidson’’; 1 female (CMNH), ‘‘ Dec 28, 1981 ’’/‘‘Papua New Guinea, Wau-Morobe Prov. Coll. A. Allison, light trap 1,230 m’’/‘‘ Desera elegans det. R. T. Bell’’/‘‘ Desera elegans (Sloane) det. R. Davidson’’; 1 female (CMNH), ‘‘Papua New Guinea, Wau, Apr. 28, 1982, Coll. R. T. Bell, light trap’’/‘‘ Desera elegans det. R. T. Bell’’/‘‘ Desera elegans (Sloane) det. R. Davidson’’; 1 female (CMNH), ‘‘Papua New Guinea, Morobe Province, Wau Ecology Inst., 19 May 1984, 1,200 m, Coll. Chen Young’’/‘‘ Desera elegans (Sloane) det. R. Davidson’’

Description. Because Sloane’s description (1907: 473) is detailed, we simply add the following: length 9.1–10.7 mm, width 2.6–3.5 mm. Femora brown, with apical ninth or tenth blackish brown; tibiae brown. Ant 1/Ant 3 5 3.37 (3.13–3.50); HW/ PW 5 1.16 (1.09–1.19); PL/PW 5 1.58 (1.53–1.65); EW/PW 5 2.41 (2.22–2.58); EL/EW 5 1.74 (1.62–1.81); labrum with medial lobe slightly protruded anteriorly; genae short, slightly tumid; eyes large, about 2.5 times as long as genae; elytra with lateral margins nearly parallel in both sexes; elytral outer angles strongly dentate, sharply pointed at apex ( Fig. 42 ); protarsomere 3 slightly asymmetrical in male; tarsal claws with 5 or 6 pectinations, longest pectination slightly longer than width of claw base ( Fig. 58 ). Aedeagus with apical lamella narrow, slightly digitiform ( Figs. 95–96 ).

Distribution. New Guinea.

Remarks. We have not examined the type. Members of this species can be recognized by their brown femora with very short dark apices. In most specimens, the elytra possess strongly dentate outer angles as described by Sloane (1907: 473), and in some specimens, the outer angles are sharpened into a short spine (e.g., from Jule Island). We found one specimen (in CAS) of this species with obtuse outer angles; but because it is similar to other specimens of this species in other characters, including shape of the aedeagus, this is probably just an abnormal specimen. This species is the only member of Dendrocellus distributed in New Guinea and appears to be endemic to this island.

Figures

Figs. 1–12. Habitus of Dendrocellus species. 1) D. australis (male, Congo); 2) D. coelestinus (syntype); 3) D. coelestinus (type of D. paralellus); 4) D. confusus (male, Thailand); 5) D. crassus (male, Borneo); 6) D. elegans (male, New Guinea); 7) D. rugicollis (lectotype); 8) D. geniculatus (holotype); 9) D. geniculatus (holotype of D. gilsoni); 10) D. gestroi (lectotype); 11) D. inexpectus (holotype); 12) D. javanus (holotype). Scale line 5 2.0 mm.

Figs. 35–43. Left elytron apex of Dendrocellus species. 35) D. kulti (male, Yunnan); 36) D. nepalensis (male, Pedong, India); 37) D. rugicollis (lectotype, India); 38) D. micropectinatus (holotype); 39) D. australis (male, Congo); 40) D. geniculatus (male, Tibet); 41) D. sinicus (holotype); 42) D. elegans (male, New Guinea); 43) D. unidentatus (male, Java). Scale line 5 1.0 mm.

Figs. 57–72. Tarsal claws of hind tarsi of Dendrocellus species and Drypta species. 57) D. rugicollis (lectotype); 58) D. elegans (male, New Guinea); 59) D. schultzei (lectotype); 60) D. sinicus (holotype); 61) D. inexpectus (holotype); 62) D. javanus (male, Java Occid., paratype); 63) D. nigripennis (holotype); 64) D. geniculatus (male, Tibet); 65) D. australis (male, Congo); 66) D. queenslandicus (holotype); 67) D. confusus (male, Thailand); 68) D. nepalensis (male, Pedong, India); 69) D. coelestinus (syntype); 70) D. micropectinatus (male paratype, Congo); 71) Drypta longicollis Macleay 1825 (male, Thailand); 72) Drypta lineola virgata Chaudoir 1850 (male, Vietnam). Scale line 5 0.1 mm.

Figs. 91–108. Male genitalia of Dendrocellus species. 91) and 92) D. queenslandicus (holotype); 93) and 94) D. ternatensis (Batchian, Indonesia); 95) and 96) D. elegans (New Guinea); 97) and 98) D. unidentatus (male, Java); 99) and 100) D. inexpectus (holotype); 101) and 102) D. sinicus (holotype); 103) and 104) D. viridipennis (male, Congo); 105) and 106) D. micropectinatus (holotype); 107) and 108) D. australis (male, Congo). Scale lines 5 1.0 mm, scale line A for Figs. 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 101, 103, 105, 107 (apical part, dorsal view); scale line B for Figs. 92, 94, 96, 98, 100, 102, 104, 106, 108 (left lateral view).