Asiopsectra, Alexey V. Kovaleva & Alexander G. Kirejtshuk, 2016

Alexey V. Kovaleva & Alexander G. Kirejtshuk, 2016, siopsectra gen. n., a second genus of the family Brachypsectridae (Coleoptera, Elateroidea) from the Palaearctic Region, Insect Systematics & Evolution 47, pp. 195-208 : 199-200

Genus Asiopsectra gen. n.

Type species: Asiopsectra luculenta sp. n.

Composition

Type species and A. mirifica sp. n.

Diagnosis

Body elongate oval, slightly convex dorsally and ventrally, dark-coloured. Head large, supra-antennal carinae more or less prominent, subcontiguous. Eyes large or very large, hemispherical or nearly spherical, finely faceted. Antennal fossae very large and narrowly separated from each other, their inner ridges anteriorly conjoined to sharp median carina. Epicranial part between antennal fossae and anterior edge of epicranium distinctly impressed, subtriangular. Antennae moderately long, 12-segmented, bilamellate. Scape longer than wide, considerably longer and wider than pear-shaped pedicel; antennomere 3 elongate and slightly enlarged apically. Antennomeres 4–11 somewhat enlarged to apices, each antennomere with a pair of diverged, moderately long and nearly flattened lamellae, each of them transversely emarginate at apex and bearing long needle-like seta at each side of apical emargination ( Figs 5, 6 ). Ultimate antennomere relatively small, compressed, its apex slightly emarginate and with some needle-like setae. Labrum transverse and rounded at apex. Mandibles narrow, slightly curved and subacute at apex. Pronotum with a pair of more or less distinct paramedial fossae and slightly conspicuous longitudinal median impression, its posterior angles distinctly projecting posteriolaterally, without supplementary and posterior carinas. Dorsal surface of head and pronotum covered with polygonal meshes with distinct central granule bearing hair in each mesh. Prosternum subflattened to slightly depressed medially and without visible chin piece ( Fig. 13 ). Scutellum subflattened, more or less transverse, subpentagonal. Rows of elytra slightly conspicuous due to coarse elytral sculpture. Elytra with deep and very coarse, rugose and at least partly confluent sculpture around “window” punctures. Metaventrite with discrimen along entire length or partly obliterated. Metacoxal femoral plates somewhat lengthening inwards. Tarsi subequal in length with tibiae; tarsomeres 1–4 combined more than twice as long as tarsomere 5; tarsomere 1 elongate, subequal to or barely shorter than tarsomere 2 and about 1.5 times as long as tarsomere 3; tarsomere 4 small with weak ventral lobe. Abdominal integument rough, with fine, shallow and dense punctures; last abdominal ventrite with small, transverse patch of dense, dark excretory hairs before apical edge ( Figs 7 , 15 ). Male sternite 9 narrow, slightly emarginate apically; basolateral struts fused medially to stalk, fused at middle with the base of tergite 9 ( Fig. 18 ). Tergite 9 (or tergites 9+10 fused in one sclerite) broadly rounded apically. Parameres of aedeagus gradually narrowing apically, their apices acute and slightly deflected outwards.

Comparison

The somewhat transverse projecting procoxae with exposed trochantin and free abdominal ventrites of Asiopsectra gen. n. are similar to those in members of “Cantharoidea”. The characteristic long prosternal process of the new genus provides a basis to consider it among Elateroidea sensu str. rather than “Cantharoidea” (the latter have not any raised prosternal process). The members of the Omalisidae Lacordaire, 1857 have a short and slender prosternal process, but they differ from Asiopsectra gen. n. in the number of ventrites (seven free ventrites in Omalisus Geoffroy, 1762 and Phaeopterus A. Costa, 1856 , six in Cimbrion Kazantsev, 2010). The recent members of elateroid families possess subspherical procoxae, except the Plastoceridae Crowson, 1972 and Brachypsectridae . The plastocerids, in contrast to the new genus, are characterized by six visible abdominal ventrites with the connate abdominal ventrites 1–3 and exposed ventrite 7 (derivate of sternite 9) participating in the male genital capsule, the tibiae with two distinct apical spurs, the ultimate palpomeres subruncate apically, and the male sternite 9 not fused at middle with the base of tergite 9. Crowson (1972) pointed out that the plastocerid abdomen includes six “freely articulated” ventrites; however, the dissected abdomen of Plastocerus angulosus (Germar, 1845) from Asia Minor (ZIN collection) shows that the basal three ventrites are indeed immovably jointed. The hindwing venation of the new genus is particularly similar to that in the genus Brachypsectra , although separate structural details of the hindwing of both demonstrate similarity with homologous elements of the hindwing in different elateroids. The new genus is distinct from Brachypsectra in the 12-segmented and bilamellate antennae, the very large and subcontiguous antennal fossae, the strongly raised supra-antennal keels, the very narrow mandibles, the presence of small “window” punctures on the elytra, the lack of keels along the posterior pronotal angles, only the small patch of excretory hairs at the posterior edge of abdominal ventrite 5, and also in the structure of the pregenital segments (see description).

Etymology

The generic name is formed from the name of the continent of origin of both new species (Asia) and Greek “ψήκτρα”, meaning “scraper” or “currycomb”. Gender feminine.

Notes

The abdominal base of the examined holotypes of both new species demonstrated a clear ability to move. This feature can be interpreted as a support of free articulation between the ventrites 1–3.

Figures

Figs 1 – 7 Asiopsectra luculenta gen. et sp. n., holotype. (1) Body, dorsal view (wp, “ window ” punctures). (2) Outline of body. (3) Head, frontal view. (4) Head, frontolateral view. (5) Apex of antenna with needlelike setae on lamellae, ventral view. (6) Antenna, lateral view. (7) Abdominal apex, ventral view. Length of specimen 5.3 mm. This figure is published in colour in the online edition of this journal, which can be accessed via http: // booksandjournals. brillonline. com / content / journals / 1876312 x.

Figs 8 – 15 Asiopsectra mirifica gen. et sp. n., holotype. (8) Body, dorsal view. (9) Outline of body. (10) Labial palp. (11) Maxillary palp. (12) Head, frontal view. (13) Head and thorax, ventral view. (14) Hindwing. (15) Abdominal apex, ventral view. Length of specimen 6.65 mm. Length of hindwing 5.4 mm. This figure is published in colour in the online edition of this journal, which can be accessed via http: // booksandjournals. brillonline. com / content / journals / 1876312 x.

Figs 16 – 22 Brachypsectridae, male genitalia and pregenital sclerites. (16) Asiopsectra luculenta gen. et sp. n., aedeagus. (17 – 19) Asiopsectra mirifica gen. et sp. n.: (17) sternite 8; (18) sternite 9 with tergite 9 (or 9 + 10); (19) aedeagus. (20 – 22) Brachypsectra fulva LeConte, 1874: (20) sternite 8; (21) sternite 9 with base of tergite 9; (22) tergites 9 and 10. Abbreviations: S 9, sternite 9; T 9, tergite 9; T 10, tergite 10. Scale bars: a, 0.5 mm for figs 16 – 19; b, 0.5 mm for figs 20 – 22.