Goudotostes mayottensis, Ballerio, 2021

Ballerio, Alberto, 2021, The Ceratocanthinae of Madagascar and Comoro Islands: a revision of the genera Synarmostes and Goudotostes, and of the flightless Philharmostes, with description of 64 new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea, Hybosoridae), Fragmenta entomologica 53 (2), pp. 105-282 : 185-186

Goudotostes mayottensis sp. nov.

( Figs 7 f-g, 8 c, 38 a-h, 59 a-i 77) http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D89AC495-3A46-457F-9909-EF9BEE180FE3

Type series. Holotype, ♂, deposited in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences , San Francisco, CA, USA, labelled as follows: / CASTYPE 20272 / Mayotte: Mont Benara 30 Nov. – 2 Dec. 2007 elev. 425 m 12°52’33”S 045°09’24”E Calif. Acad. of Sciences coll. B. L. Fisher et al. sifted litter rainforest collection code: BLF18962 / Goudotostes mayottensis n. sp. det. A. Ballerio 2020 Holotypus ♂ / [distended specimen glued on a card, dissected, male genitalia glued in DMHF resin on a separate card, same pin]. Paratypes [10 ♂♂ dissected]: 109 exx., same collecting data as holotype (90 in CASC and 19 in ABCB). 23 exx. (20 in CASC and 3 in ABCB): Mayotte: Mont Combani 25-28 November 2007 elev. 370 m 12°48’23”S 045°09’11”E Calif. Acad. of Sciences coll. B. L. Fisher et al. sifted litter rainforest collection code: BLF18636 /. 94 exx. (79 in CASC and 15 in ABCB): / Mayotte: Dapani 2-4 December 2007 elev. 135 m 12°57’46”S 045°09’01”E Calif. Acad. of Sciences coll. B. L. Fisher et al. sifted litter rainforest collection code: BLF19060 /. 12 ex. (10 in CASC and 2 in ABCB): / Mayotte: Mont Chongui 28-30 November 2007 elev. 380 m 12°57’33”S 045°08’03”E Calif. Acad. of Sciences coll. B. L. Fisher et al. sifted litter rainforest collection code: BLF18922 /.

Diagnosis. Goudotostes mayottensis sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Goudotostes by the following combination of characters: a) medium size, b) dorsal ocular area present (but vestigial and very small), c) head without clypeal tubercle, d) pronotum without tubercles or carinae, e) pronotal anterior carina monolobate, f) pronotal basal carina monolobate, g) elytra without tubercles or carinae, h) dorsum uniformly covered by long erect setation, i) aedeagus with short asymmetrical parameres. Because of the distinctive absence of tubercles or carinae on dorsum this species is isolated within the genus. Because of the shape of aedeagus it can be somewhat linked to G. hirtellus n. sp., which however has a quite different external morphology.

Description. Size: HL = 0.8 mm; HW = 1.4 mm; PL = 1.2 mm; PW = 2.0 mm; EL = 2.0 mm; EW = 2.0 mm. Overall morphology as in generic diagnosis. Medium-sized Goudotostes . Body weakly convex compared to the other species. Reddish-brown with bronze sheen, dorsum with sparse clavate long setae (50×), underside, tarsi and antennae dark reddish-brown, setation yellowish-brown. Head: W/L ratio = 1.57; clypeal apex obtuse, apical projection present and sexually dimorphic, sides almost rectilinear apart from distinctly but weakly unaligned genae; dorsal ocular area vestigial (a small round patch is visible in transparence only), genal canthus indistinct, ventral ocular area narrow, mainly on head sides, only slightly extending ventrally, genae acute, distinctly protruding outwards, genal suture indistinct; head dorsal surface covered by small to large impressed transverse comma-shaped punctures, sparser on clypeal disc and denser on frons and vertex. Pronotum: subrectangular (dorsal view) (W/L ratio = 1.69), convex and evenly sculptured, base and sides broadly rounded, fore angles broadly subtruncate; surface without tubercles and/or carinae, covered on disc by transverse comma-shaped punctures mixed to transverse lines each one having next a small fine simple setigerous puncture; sides, mainly around fore angles covered by large horseshoe-shaped punctures with opening directed forwards or outwards. Pronotal bead complete although hardly visible from above at pronotal base. Basal and anterior carinae monolobate and weakly raised. Scutellum : surface, apart from smooth base, covered by large transverse impressed irregular lines each one having next a fine setigerous fine puncture. Elytra: longer than wide (W/L ratio = 0.90), subovoidal (dorsal view), weakly convex; pseudoepipleure distinct; inferior sutural stria complete, weakly impressed; humeral callus indistinct; elytral surface covered by a mixture of large horseshoe-shaped punctures, with opening directed backwards or outwards, each one having a setigerous fine puncture in the middle, oblique lines formed by the fusion of two or three horseshoe-shaped punctures and two or three long longitudinal irregular lines, parallel to elytral suture and occupying the median and distal third of elytra; interpunctural distance twice to equal to puncture width. Striated articular area hardly visible in lateral view, relatively narrow and short; marginal area medium-sized; elytral articular process developed, smooth and shiny. Wings: flightless. Male genitalia: aedeagus (L = 1.0 mm) with parameres as in Figs 59 f-i, spiculum gastrale (L = 1.0 mm) as in Fig. 59 e .

Etymology. Latin adjective in the nominative singular, meaning “from Mayotte ”.

Distribution and habitat. Known only from various localities in Mayotte island ( France), belonging to the Comoro archipelago. Collected by sifting litter in rainforest.

Figures

Fig. 7 – a, Synarmostes benaraensis sp. nov., apex of female mesotibia; b, Goudotostes mayottensis sp. nov. (Mont Benara) ventral side of male protibia; c, Goudotostes mayottensis sp. nov. (Mont Benara) detail of fist protarsomere; d, Synarmostes benaraensis sp. nov. apex of male mesotibia; e, Philharmostes scapulatus sp. nov. detail of apex of female mesotibia, showing the lateral setae of first mesotarsomere; f, Goudotostes mayottensis sp. nov. detail of pronotal setation and punctation; g, Goudotostes mayottensis sp. nov. (Mont Benara) detail of pronotal setation and punctation (transverse impressed lines); h, Cryptosphaeroides hystrix, detail of elytral setation and punctation.

Fig. 59 – Goudotostes mayottensis sp. nov., a, female paratype, dorsal view of distended specimen; b, paratype, ventral view of rolled up specimen; c, paratype, dorsal view of rolled up specimen; d, paratype, lateral view of rolled up specimen; e, holotype, spiculum gastrale; f–i, holotype, four views of aedeagus.