Mexico palauensis, Yoshitomi, 2019

Yoshitomi, Hiroyuki, 2019, Review of the Asian Thaumastodinae (Coleoptera, Byrrhoidea, Limnichidae), with a phylogeny of the genera, European Journal of Taxonomy 583, pp. 1-45 : 28-30

Mexico palauensis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9A734C2D-BF7A-4F05-8628-36655720A091

Figs 11E , 15

Etymology

This species is named after its type locality.

Material examined

Holotype PALAU • ♂; “ Carp Is. Palau 13–15. IX. 2002 M. Sato leg.”; EUMJ.

Paratypes PALAU • 49 ex.; same collection data as for holotype; EUMJ • 4 ex.; same collection data as for preceding; NMW • 4 ex.; same collection data as for preceding; BPBM • 1 ♀, 2 ex.; “ Carp Is. Palau 20-VII-2003 K. Takahashi leg.”; EUMJ • 1 ♂, 4 ex.; “ Palau Angaur Is. 16-VIII-2003, M. Sato leg.”; EUMJ • 1 ♂, 6 ex.; “ Palau Peleliu Is. 13–17. VIII. 2003 M. Sato leg.”; 1 ♂ on slide no. HY 1038; EUMJ .

Description

Male

BODY. Oval, slightly convex dorsally, shiny, closely covered with suberect golden setae. Coloration of body black; elytral silver spots indistinct.

HEAD. Finely punctate, slightly convex on dorsum between eyes; distance between eyes about 0.8 times as long as eye diameter in dorsal view.

ANTENNAE. Very short, reaching about anterior quarter of pronotum. PRONOTUM. Closely punctate, gently arcuate on lateral margins; PW/ PL 1.96–2.80 (2.22). Scutellum small, square.

ELYTRA. Oval, widest at base, gently tapered posteriorly; caudal third of lateral margins slightly and indistinctly serrate; EL/EW 0.42–1.43 (1.30); EL/ PL 1.13–4.13 (3.14); EW/ PW 1.05–1.16 (1.09); TL/ EW 0.79–1.87 (1.72).

ABDOMEN. Sternite VII ( Fig. 15A ) with two pairs of long and stout extra setae, bearing about 50 long setae, obtuse at postero-lateral corners, pentagonally projecting in median part of caudal margin. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 15B ) slightly sclerotized, small, Y-shaped. Sternite IX ( Fig. 15C ) well sclerotized, curved in basal part; apical plates long, pointed at apices.

AEDEAGUS ( Fig. 15 D–G). Long and slender, almost symmetrical; basal piece oval, gently tapering basally; lateral lobes relatively long and slender, with 2–3 very short apical setae, sparsely punctuate; median lobe long, subparallel-sided near base to apical fifth, sparsely punctuate, pointed at apex; ventral plates long and slender, reaching about apical fifth of median lobe, mostly fused to median lobe; ML/ BL 2.06; ML/LL 1.92.

Female

Sexual dimorphism slight. Sternite VII ( Fig. 15H ) similar to that of male. Urosternite ( Fig. 15I ) well sclerotized, with long and slender apodeme, with slender lateral projections. Ovipositor ( Fig. 15J ) well sclerotized; coxite punctuate, obtuse at apices; apex of baculus pointed; approximate ratio of coxite and baculus (n = 1) 1.0:6.8.

Measurements

Unsexed (n = 20): TL 0.85–2.23 (1.93) mm; PW 0.82–1.12 (1.03) mm; PL 0.35–0.55 (0.47) mm; EL 0.45–1.68 (1.46) mm; EW 0.95–1.20 (1.12) mm.

Distribution

Palau (Carp, Peleliu Islands).

Remarks

This species is similar to M. borneensis sp. nov. in the shape of the aedeagus, but differs from it in the following characteristics: ventral plates separated from median lobe (attached in M. borneensis sp. nov.) and apical setae on lateral lobes short (long in M. borneensis sp. nov.).

Figures

Fig. 11. Species of Mexico Spilman, 1972. A. M. borneensis sp. nov., holotype (BPBM). B. M. papuanus sp. nov., holotype (BPBM). C. M. ogasawaraensis sp. nov., holotype (EUMJ). D. M. baliensis sp. nov., holotype (EUMJ). E. M. palauensis sp. nov., holotype (EUMJ). F. M. masamii (Satô, 1994) (EUMJ). G. M. taiwanus (Satô, 1994), paratype (EUMJ). Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Fig. 15. Mexico palauensis sp. nov., male (A–G) and female (H–J) genitalia (paratypes, EUMJ). A, H. Sternite VII. B. Sternite VIII. C. Sternite IX. D. Aedeagus, ventral view. E. Aedeagus in dorsal view. F. Aedeagus in right lateral view. G. Aedeagus, left lateral view. I. Urosternite. J. Ovipositor.