Hemicera (Hemicera) viridula Ando & Yuan, 2021

Ando, Kiyoshi & Yuan, Cai-Xia, 2021, Nine new species of Cnodalonini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from Hainan Island with additional records of other Tenebrionidae, Zootaxa 4965 (2), pp. 321-338 : 330-331

Hemicera (Hemicera) viridula Ando & Yuan , sp. n.

( Figs. 18 , 22–23 )

Type materials. Holotype: ♀, China, Hainan Is.: Mingfeng Valley, Mt. Jianfengling , Jianfeng Township , Ledong County, 18˚44′N/108˚50′E, Alt. ca. 1,000 m, Ɨ南省乐东s尖峰•尖峰岭ṅNjẅ, 19–20.VII.2017, Local collec- tor leg. ( HBUM) . Paratypes: 2 ♀♀, same data as for the holotype. ( EUMJ) .

Description. Body length: 4.6–6.0 mm in ♀ (n = 3; HT: 5.4 mm). Proportions ♀ (n = 3): IE/TD 1.90–2.11 (HT: 2.11); PW/PL 1.70–1.82 (HT: 1.70); EL/EW 1.62–1.67 (HT: 1.67).

Female. Elongate, almost fusiform, weakly convex, lustrous. Colour dark reddish brown; head golden brassy, with faint greenish sheen; pronotum aeneous, with a pair of large and metallic green lateral spots, the spots almost quadrate, contact with margins, reddish purple on their cores; elytra metallic green, with faint brassy sheen; basal antennomeres, mouthparts and coxae more or less paler.

Head transversely rhomboidal, moderately convex, without microsculpture; clypeus feebly convex, very shallowly emarginate at apex in median two-thirds, coarsely and densely punctate; genae weakly convex, transverse, convergent laterad; frontoclypeal suture fine and tenuous posteriorly, obscure laterally, weakly angulate at posterior corners; mCG not sinuate; frons gently convex and declivous forwards, with punctures coarse, sparser and slightly larger than those on clypeus; eyes moderately convex, without inner ocular sulci. Antennae long, reaching base of elytra; distal six antennomeres moderately dilated and loosely articulated, forming club; 11th oblong-elongate. Ultimate maxillary palpomere short, moderately securiform, with interio-apical corner obtusely angulate, exterio-apical one acutely produced. Mentum obtrapezoidal ( Fig. 22 ), 1.43 times as long as wide, moderately convex, and slightly emarginate at sides, with a few long setae behind base. Submentum obtriangular, rugulose. Gula linguiform, covered with very fine and microscopical transverse lines. Space between buccal fissure and eye narrow and convex.

Pronotum subtrapezoidal, widest at base; disc gently convex, steeply inclined laterally, moderately sulcate along lateral margins; punctures fine, slightly larger and sparser than those on frons; apical margin moderately emarginate, finely beaded except median short distance; apical corners obtusely rounded, not produced; lateral margins evenly convergent forwards in basal third and steeply so in apical two-thirds, with beads gradually narrowed to apices; basal corners rectangular, not pointed. Scutellum rather large, weakly convex, slightly wider than long, with sparse microscopic punctures.

Elytra elongate, divergent posteriorly and widest at middle; striae distinctly impressed, not narrower apically, 6th to 8th striae not extending to humeral calli; strial punctures minute and dense, irregular in size, gradually smaller and sparser apically; intervals weakly convex, distinctly so on lateral three ones and on apical declivity, sparsely punctate, 9th ones distinctly wider than 8th; humeral calli oblong, moderately humped; epipleura weakly depressed, finely microsculptured and impunctate, reaching beyond apical corners of 4th abdominal ventrite.

Prothoracic hypomera distinctly depressed, almost smooth, with very fine microsculpture. Prosternum short, finely beaded at apex; prosternal process guttiform ( Fig. 23 ), moderately convex, finely beaded at sides, with several coarse punctures. Mesoventral ridge V-shaped, short and horizontal, sparsely pubescent, with anterior angles rect- angular in lateral view, continuing basad onto vertical inflexed portions. Metaventrite finely rugulose and scarcely punctate in the middle; intermesocoxal process triangular. Abdomen moderate in length, finely and sparsely punctate; basal three ventrites irregularly rugulose.

Legs short; trochanters sparsely pubescent. Femora weakly tumescent; mesofemora sparsely pubescent along posterior margins. Tibiae weakly incurved, not ancipital along outer margins. Meso- and metatarsi long and slen- der.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Hainan Is.).

Etymology. The specific epithet is named after greenish dorsal surface of this new species.

Differential diagnosis. This new species is closely allied to Hemicera (Hemicera) kurosawai Masumoto, 1981a from Taiwan, but is different from the latter in the following characters: head golden brassy, with faint greenish sheen; pronotum aeneous, with a pair of large metallic green lateral spots, which are reddish purple on their cores; elytra metallic green with strong purple sheen; clypeus feebly convex, coarsely and densely punctate, very shallowly emarginate at apex in median two-thirds; eyes without inner ocular sulci; mentum moderately convex and emarginate at sides; gula linguiform; pronotum moderately sulcate along lateral margins, moderately and not shallowly emarginate at apex, with basal corners not pointed; elytral striae distinctly impressed, 9th elytral intervals distinctly wider than 8th; prosternal process guttiform, moderately convex; and metaventrite scarcely punctate.

Figures

FIGURES 14–21. Tenebrionidae spp. 14. Tetraphyllus hlaicolus sp. n., holotype; 15. Androsus pullus sp. n., holotype; 16. Tetragonomenes sylvestris sp. n., holotype; 17. Taichius caeruleopunctatus sp. n., holotype; 18. Hemicera (Hemicera) viridula sp. n., paratype; 19. Euhemicera hirtipes sp. n., holotype; 20. ditto, venter, showing femoral pubescence and tibial emargination; 21. venter of Euhemicera gebieni (Kaszab, 1941) from Taiwan.

FIGURES 22–28. Tenebrionidae spp. 22–23. Hemicera (Hemicera) viridula sp. n.; 24–25. Plamius laoshei sp. n.; 26–28. Euhemicera hirtipes sp. n.—22, 24 & 26. mentum; 23, 25 & 27. prosternal process; 28. aedeagus (right: in lateral view; left: in dorsal view). Scale bars. 0.2 mm for figs. 22–26, 0.5 mm for figs. 27–28.