Brachypsectridae Horn, 1881

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 : 197-198

Family Brachypsectridae Horn, 1881

Redefined diagnosis for adults (after Costa et al. 2006).

Body of medium size (4–8 mm), oblong, slightly convex dorsally and ventrally, finely pubescent.

Head transverse, partly inserted into prothorax, without occipital carina or subgenal ridges; anterior part of frons strongly declined, so that mouthparts are directed ventrally; each supra-antennal fossa continuing ventrally and laterally to form a short and oblique subantennal groove. Eyes large to very large, globular, strongly protruding and finely faceted. Gular sutures diverging posteriorly. Antennae 11-segmented with subapical antennomeres expanded to form a pectinate club (weaker in female) or 12-segmented and bilamellate; scape longer than wide and longer than pedicel. Labrum small, free, well sclerotized, transverse and rounded or subtruncate at apex. Mandible small, unidentate, wide and subtriangular or narrow, slightly curved and subacute at apex, without mola or prostheca. Maxilla with galea and lacinia subequal in length; galea more or less hyaline and lined with setae; ultimate palpomere fusiform ( Fig. 11 ). Mentum transverse and trapezoidal; ligula short; ultimate palpomere fusiform ( Fig. 10 ).

Pronotum transverse, widest at base, with lateral carina not visible from above; anterior angles obtuse, not projecting anteriorly; posterior angles usually acute or obtuse and projecting posteriolaterally along sides of elytral bases; posterior carina, if present, meeting the lateral carina at top of posterior angles; disc slightly convex in male and somewhat flattened anteriorly in females (of Brachypsectra ); posterior edge trisinuate with moderately developed interlocking device. Prosternum slightly convex or flattened to slightly depressed medially, at least twice as long as procoxal cavity; chin piece short and explanate or absent; head rest transverse and slightly oblique; prosternal process narrow, about 0.4 times as wide as procoxal cavity, with sides more or less converging apically and apex truncate or acuminate, extending posteriorly to fit into mesoventral cavity; procoxal cavities transverse, open internally, broadly open externally, postcoxal process of prohypomera short and angulate. Procoxae transverse with welldeveloped articulating area and slender trochantin more or less concealed under expansion of prosternal cowling. Scutellum abruptly elevated, with straight or widely rounded, carinate basal edge, slightly rounded lateral edges and rounded to subtruncate or slightly emarginate apex.

Elytra 1.5–2 times as long as wide combined and 3.2–5 times as long as prothorax; sides subparallel or slightly wider at posterior third; apices conjointly rounded; disc subflattened with nine very weak punctate striae or with irregular rows of “window” punctures; scutellary striole absent; humeri more or less well developed, carinate anteriorly, the carinae continuing along base to scutellar carina; epipleura complete, narrowed from base to level of anterior third of metepisterna and subparallel distally.

Mesoventrite in same plane as metaventrite, mesepisterna clearly separated from one another and from mesoventrite; anterior part of mesothorax with pair of large and shallow procoxal rests and median convexity; mesoventral cavity in posterior part relatively large and deep, extending far beyond anterior edges of mesocoxal cavities. Mesocoxal cavities separated by little more than one-third of shortest diameter, slightly transverse, laterally open (partly closed by mesepisterna and mesepimera). Mesometaventral junction complex with metaventral knob fitting into notch on mesoventral process. Metaventrite relatively long and flattened; discrimen more or less expressed, vaguely indicated anteriorly but extending beyond base of metaventral process; metakatepisternal suture absent; visible portion of metepisterna moderately narrow, subparallel-sided and distant from mesocoxal cavity; metepimera concealed beneath elytra; metacoxae strongly transverse, extending laterally to meet epipleura; metacoxal femoral plates narrow, complete.

Hindwing ( Fig. 14 ) about twice as long as wide, apical field 0.17 times as long as total wing length, with a pair of strongly oblique, apically diverging linear sclerites; radial cell about three times as long as wide, its base complete, forming right inner posterior angle; cross-vein r3 short and slightly oblique; basal portion of RP extending to basal third of wing; R-M loop moderately broad; median spur very slightly curved and reaching wing edge; median field with five free veins (MP3, MP4–CuA1, CuA2, AA3 and AA4); wedge cell absent; anal embayment weakly developed or absent, AP3–4 undivided; jugal remnant present.

Legs rather thin and moderately long; trochanters moderately elongate, trochanterofemoral joints more or less oblique; tibial spurs absent; tarsi 5-5-5; tarsomeres 1–4 combined more than twice as long as tarsomere 5; tarsomere 4 small, weakly lobed underneath; claws simple; empodium bisetose.

Abdomen with five flattened or convex and freely articulated ventrites, densely clothed with secretory hairs in both sexes, with more sparse hairs on ventrite 5, or only with patch of secretory hairs on ventrite 5; apical edge of abdominal ventrite 5 broadly rounded to subtruncate. Abdominal spiracles located on segments 1 to 8.

Male sternite 8 with bisinuate or Y-shaped mediobasal edge, forming a pair laterobasal struts and also a broad and rounded or subtruncate median plate ( Figs. 17, 20 ); sternite 9 widely ( Fig. 21 ) or narrowly ( Fig. 18 ) fused at middle with base of tergite 9; tergite 9 basally rounded, apically deeply emarginate and separated from tergite 10 ( Fig. 22 ) (if this tergite present) or apical tergal sclerite (tergite 9, or fused tergites 9+10), not divided and rounded at apex ( Fig. 18 ). Aedeagus symmetrical, phallobase more or less emarginate at base, parameres narrow and simple, or each with subapical projection; penis trunk undivided, with short basal struts.

Female sternite VIII in Brachypsectra (after Costa et al., 2006) trapezoidal, with posterior edge sinuous and setose, spiculum ventrale well developed. Ovipositor elongate; paraproct longer than gonocoxites combined, with longitudinal baculi; proximal and distal gonocoxites indistinctly separated, styli well developed, articulated. Internal tract with long anterior bursa and spermathecal duct entering tract between gonopore and base of bursa; spermatheca slender.

Figures

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.