Nonalatus epigaeus, Gerstmeier, 2015

Gerstmeier, Roland, 2015, Nonalatus epigaeus sp. n., a new apterous species of Cleridae from Tanzania (Coleoptera: Cleroidea), African Invertebrates 56 (1), pp. 19-24 : 20-23

Nonalatus epigaeus sp. n.

Figs 1 –9

Etymology: From the Latin adjective epigaeus , referring to its presumable biology in forest litter.

Description:

Male.

Size: Body length 5.2–6.6 mm.

Head: Red-brown to darK brown, glossy; with dense, fine, regular punctation. Labrum brown, bilobed; anterior part of clypeus yellow, glossy; mouth parts more or less yellowbrown to light yellow, except the blacK mandibles; terminal labial palpomeres securiform, terminal maxillary palpomeres with sides parallel, constricted apically. Gula long, light red-brown, glossy, gular sutures apically slightly divergent, gular process of medium size. Head including eyes more or less as broad as anterior width of pronotum, vested with black and white setae, behind middle with a broadly Y-shaped pattern of white, depressed setae. Eyes small, coarsely facetted, margined, conspicuously emarginate at antennal insertion, with a brush of yellow setae; interocular space (frons) almost three eye widths.Antennae with 11 antennomeres, long, stout, reaching base of pronotum when laid back, brown, from A8 onwards becoming darker, A11 only basally narrowly dark, remainder light brown; A1 very long, slightly bent; A2 short, cylindrical; A3 twice as long as A2;A4 slightly shorter than A3, slightly dilated distally; from A5 onwards dilated distally, becoming thicker and more compact;A4–A10 progressively becoming slightly shorter; A11 elongate, evenly pointed; antennae with long, erect, dark brown setae, from A8 onwards increasingly tomentose. Lower surface of head dark brown, glossy. Thorax: Prothorax compact, pronotum wider than long (l = 1.31–1.58 mm, w= 1.62– 2.02mm, length to width ratio 1:0.81), widest in the middle, constricted conspicuously towards base; anterior transverse impression conspicuous; surface red-brown, towards sides dark brown to black; punctation conspicuous but not deep, transverse impression with slight transverse wrinkles in the middle; sides in the middle with slight, grooveliKe depression; procoxal cavities broadly open posteriorly, pro-intercoxal process very narrow, long. Pronotum with short, white, more or less depressed setae, sides with strong, erect, black setae. Lower surface dark brown, glossy, sides smooth, black; proepimeron broadly triangular.

Elytra compact, broad, widest in the middle or shortly behind, base not margined (l = 2.87–3.72 mm, w = 2.05–2.52 mm, length to width ratio =1:1.42); apices slightly dehiscent, each broadly rounded. Elytral ground colour yellow-brown (apex) to red-brown (shoulder) or more or less entirely yellow-brown, with a variable pattern of black fasciae ( Fig. 1 ). Elytral base, within the part of the ground colour with 10 rows of punctation, actually only row five to six conspicuous, diameter of punctation conspicuously smaller than interstices, apex with very fine punctation. In the area of the ground colour with short, white, mostly depressed setae; pilosity of the black fasciae black, partly erect, partly depressed.

Scutellum transverse ovate, yellow-brown to dark red-brown.

Mesoventrite red-brown to black-brown, with dense, coarse, shallow punctation; posterior mesoventral process long, depressed, connected with the anterior, long, slender metaventral process.

Legs stout, relatively long; basal half of femora yellow-brown, then black, distal tip narrowly red-brown; tibiae straight, basally red-brown to black-brown, then yellowbrown shortly behind the middle, distal third black-brown. Tarsi brown (T1–T3) to yellow-brown (T4, T5), pretarsus long, claws with an acute basal denticle; legs predominantly with slightly erect, short, white setae, only the outer margin of the black part of front tibiae with black setae; the black part of all tibiae with isolated black setae. Tarsal pad formula 4–4–2, T1 and T2 of front and middle tarsi with straight to slightly emarginate euplantulae, T3 and T4 deeply emarginate, hind tarsi T3 and T4 deeply emarginate; tibial spur formula 1–2–2.

Abdomen: Dark brown, glossy, posterior margin of abdominal ventrites 1–3 with a broad light-yellow margin, abdominal ventrite 4 with a narrow yellow margin; scattered with oblique posteriorly directed, short, white setae; abdominal ventrite 6 yellow-brown, pygidium brown. Male terminalia, see Figs 2 –9.

Holotype: ♂ TANZANIA: Mt. Hanang , NE slope, 4.43175°S 35.41357°E, 2366 m, 15.xii.2012, sift 21. V. Grebennikov leg. ( RGCM).

Paratypes: 9 specimens (not sexed), same data as holotype, (2 specimens in absolute alcohol) (8 RGCM & 1 NMSA)

Comparison:

N. brevis N. epigaeus sp. n.

Size 3.7–4.5 mm Size 5.2–6 mm

Head black Head red-brown

Pronotum without a conspicuous Pronotum without a conspicuous transverse impression transverse impression

Elytral punctation irregular Elytral punctation arranged into striae, but only rows 5 and 6 conspicuous

Hind tibiae slightly curved Hind tibiae straight

Figures

Fig. 1. Nonalatus epigaeus sp. n., habitus.

Figs 2–8. Nonalatus epigaeus sp. n. (2) aedeagus ventral; (3) phallus ventral; (4) phallus lateral; (5) tegmen ventral; (6) spicular forK;(7) aedeagus tip (Scale bar 0.1 mm); (8) pygidium; (9) sixth ventrite.Scale bars = 0.5 mm.