Philharmostes centralis, 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 : 250

Philharmostes centralis sp. nov.

( Figs 80 a-d, 85 k, 86 d-f, 89) http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DF1FA887-883B-4283-BE58-C7302E135473

Type series. Holotype, ♂, deposited in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA, labelled as follows: / CASTYPE 20289 / CASENT 5503820 / Madagascar: Province d’Antananarivo. Réserve Spéciale d’Ambohitantely, forêt d’Ambohitantely 20.9 km 72° NE d’Ankazobe 1410 m 17-22 April 2001 / 18° 13’ 31» S 47° 17’ 13» E coll. Fisher, Griswold et al. California Acad. of Sciences sifted litter in montane rainforest code: BLF 3694/ Philharmostes centralis n. sp. det. A. Ballerio 2020 Holotypus /. Paratypes: 7 exx. (sex unstated) (5 in CASC and 2 in ABCB), same collecting data as holotype .

Diagnosis. Philharmostes centralis sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Philharmostes by the following combination of characters: a) flightlessness, b) dorsal ocular area small, c) dorsum with brown colour, without metallic sheen, d) pronotal fore angles broadly truncate, e) pronotum with disc not raised with respect to sides, f) pronotal disc covered by short transverse comma-shaped impressed punctation, g) elytral lateral carina interrupted once or twice, h) elytral lateral carina blunt, especially in the median third of its length, i) elytral basal third with parasutural area covered by short dense comma-shaped punctures.

Description. HL: 0.9 mm; HW: 1.2 mm; PL: 1.1 mm; PW: 1.8 mm; EL: 2.3 mm; EW 2.0; overall morphology as in generic diagnosis. Small flightless Ceratocanthinae . Body moderately convex. Dorsum brown with weak bronze sheen, shiny, glabrous (40×), underside, tarsi and antennae reddish-brown. Head: W/L ratio = 1.25; clypeus triangular with angle blunt and obtuse and sides weakly curved; genae weakly produced outwards, acute; genal canthus complete, fused with the occipital portion of head; dorsal ocular area small, interocular distance about 13 times the maximum width of dorsal ocular area, disc uniformly covered by relatively large sparse impressed simple punctation, fore margin with a few irregular impressed transverse short lines. Interpunctural distance of simple punctures variable from less than once to twice their diameter. Pronotum: short and transverse (W/L ratio = 1.83), weakly convex, surface regular; base and sides broadly rounded (dorsal view); fore margin thick and limited to the median portion, not reaching the fore angles, fore angles truncate, disc covered by impressed comma-shaped punctures, sides completely covered by dense short impressed horseshoe-shaped punctures, with opening oriented centripetally. Each puncture bearing in the middle a very short simple seta. Interpunctural distance shorter than punctural diameter. Scutellum : covered by several impressed horseshoe-shaped or comma-shaped punctures. Elytra: longer than wide (W/L ratio = 0.89); sides subparallel (dorsal view) with maximum width at the middle of elytral length; humeral callus indistinct but marked by the thick starting point of lateral carina; elytral surface convex, covered by dense (interpunctural distance much shorter than punctural diameter) impressed punctation. Punctures on proximal third short comma-shaped with opening directed outwards, remaining surface covered by dense larger comma-shaped punctures with opening directed ouwards, only on apical third punctation becomes horseshoe-shaped with a broad opening directed backwards or inwards. Lateral carina distinct, thick, blunt, especially on media third of its length, and interrupted once or twice, irregularly S-shaped (lateral view). Pseudoepileura covered by dense impressed comma-shaped punctures with a broad opening directed towards lateral carina. Wings: flightless. Male genitalia: aedeagus (L = 1.0 mm) with parameres as in Figs 86 d-e, spiculum gastrale (L = 0.9 mm) as in Fig. 86 f .

Etymology. Latin adjective in the nominative singular, meaning “central”, because of its distribution in the central plateau of Madagascar.

Distribution and habitat. Known only from the type locality, one of the last natural forests in the central portion of the Central Highlands. The vegetation is conditioned by a cool climate with a six-month dry season and consists of nearly 80 fragments of medium altitude “moist evergreen forest” ( Goodman et al. 2018) also known as “humid forest” ( Moat & Smith 2007). The type series was collected in the southern portion of the forest fragments complex by sifting leaf litter. The collecting locality falls within the protected area “Réserve Spéciale d’Ambohitantely”.

Figures

Fig. 80 – Philharmostes centralis sp. nov., paratype, a, pronotum; b, ventral view of rolled up specimen; c, dorsal view of rolled up specimen; d, lateral view of rolled up specimen; Philharmostes metallicus sp. nov., holotype, e, pronotum; f, ventral view of rolled up specimen; g, dorsal view of rolled up specimen; h, lateral view of rolled up specimen.

Fig. 86 – Aedeagi and spicula gastrales, a–c, Philharmostes indri sp. nov.; d–f, Philharmostes centralis sp. nov.; g–i, Philharmostes manomboensis sp. nov.