Hydrocassis gansu, Jia & Zhao, 2013

Jia, Fenglong & Zhao, Shuang, 2013, Descriptions of eleven Opatrini pupae (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) from China, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 53 (1), pp. 127-139 : 131-133

Hydrocassis gansu sp. nov.

( Figs 3 , 10 , 13 )

Type locality. China, Gansu province, Wenxian county, 720 m a.s.l., ca. 32.73˚N, 105.19˚E.

Type material: HOLOTYPE: J ( IZCAS): ‘ China, Gansu, Wenxian County, Bikou town, Bifenggou village , 720 m, 25-v-1998, lgt. Zhang Guoqing [transcribed from Chinese] ’. PARATYPE: J ( IZCAS), same data as the holotype.

Diagnosis. Pronotum with irregular coarse punctures mixed with fine ground punctures, clearly serrate anteriorly but almost smooth posteriorly. Aedeagus elongate with phallobase shorter than parameres; outer margin of parameres distinctly pointing laterad apically, curved on apical third, and considerably longer than median lobe.

Description. Form and Color. Body oval, rather convex in lateral view, length 6.9–7.0 mm, width 4.2–4.3 mm. Head, pronotum, scutellum and elytra black, clypeus with somewhat pale margins, lateral margins of pronotum brown. Maxillary palpomeres dark brown, each palpomere somewhat paler distally. Labial palpomeres dark brown. Antennae dark brown, antennal club darker. Ventral surface and legs black.

Head. Clypeus with dense fine punctures, interstices without microsculpture. Anterior margin of clypeus strongly convex medially. Frontoclypeal suture undetectable. Frons with dense fine ground punctures on medioanterior portion, with dense and coarse punctures mixed with some fine punctures on posterior and lateral portion, without microsculpture on interstices. Eyes small, not protruding, interocular distance ca. 4.6× as wide as one eye in dorsal view. Mentum ca. 1.5× as wide as long, densely and coarsely punctate, not depressed anteromedially. Antennae with close club. Maxillary palpomere 4 asymmetrical, equal to palpomere 2 in length, slightly longer than palpomere 3.

Thorax. Pronotum ca. 2.1–2.2× as wide as long, with densely arranged coarse punctures mixed with fine punctures. Lateral bead narrow, clearly serrate anteriorly but almost smooth posteriorly. Prosternum moderately elevated medially and with sharp, tooth-like projection anteromedially. Mesoventrite with a strongly elevated mesal protuberance with angulate transverse anterior portion and a longitudinal keel posteriorly. Metaventrite protruding between mesocoxae and contacted with mesoventral carina, with a ∩-shaped cavity behind metaventral projection. Elytron with 10 punctate striae and a short scutellary stria between the first and second stria; systematic punctures present on alternate intervals; apex of elytra somewhat sharpened. Ground punctures on intervals very fine, interstices without microsculpture. All coxae with stout, golden setae. Femora with dense golden pubescence ventrally on basal half, with distinct tibial groove. Tarsi with densely arranged whitish setae ventrally, metatarsomere 5 about as long as metatarsomeres 3–4 combined.

Abdomen. First abdominal ventrite not carinate medially, fifth ventrite clearly emarginate apically.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus elongate. Phallobase shorter than parameres, almost symmetrical basally, strongly narrowed posteriad; outer margin of parameres distinctly pointing laterad apically, curved mesally on apical third, and considerably longer than median lobe. The median lobe gradually narrowed toward apex, pointed apically, gradually widened towards base.

Differential diagnosis. This species belongs to the Hydrocassis scapha group as defined by SCHÖDL & JI (1995), based on aedeagus slender and elongate. It is very similar to H. scapha , but it can be distinguished from the latter by following characters: elytra sharper apically; median lobe narrowly pointed apically, gradually widened towards base; outer margin of parameres distinctly pointing laterad apically, curved on apical third, and considerably longer than median lobe ( Fig. 13 ).

Etymology. This new species is named according to Gansu province in Northwest China where the type locality of the species is situated. Noun in apposition.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Only known in type locality.

Figures

Figs 1–6. Habitus of selected Chinese Ametor and Hydrocassis. 1 – A. xizangensis sp. nov. (holotype, dorsal view); 2 – A.elongatus Ji & Schödl,1998 (holotype, dorsal view); 3 – H.gansu sp.nov.(holotype, dorsal view); 4 – H. hebaueri Schödl, 2000; 5 – H. scapulata Fairmaire, 1878; 6 – H. imperialis (Knisch, 1921).

Figs 7-10. Pronotum of selected species of Ametor and Hydrocassis (a – pronotum at 30×, magnification; b – part of pronotal disc at 60× magnification). 7 – A. xizangensis sp. nov.(holotype, dorsal view); 8 – A.rudesculptus Semenov, 1900; 9 – Hydrocassis hebaueri Schödl, 2000; 10 – Hydrocassis gansu sp. nov. (holotype, dorsal view).

Figs 11–19. Aedeagus of selected species of Ametor and Hydrocassis (dorsal view). 11 – A. xizangensis sp. nov. (holotype); 12 – A. rudesculptus Semenov, 1900; 13 – H. gansu sp. nov. (holotype); 14 – H. hebaueri Schödl, 2000; 15 – H. metasternalis Schödl & Ji, 1995; 16 – H. anhuiensis Ji & Schödl, 1998; 17 – H. scapulata Fairmaire, 1878; 18 – H. imperialis (Knisch, 1921); 19 – H. scapha Orchymont, 1942.