Lacon lijiangensis, Prosvirov, Alexander S., 2016

Prosvirov, Alexander S., 2016, New and little-known species of the genus Lacon Laporte, 1838 (Coleoptera: Elateridae) of China, Zootaxa 4132 (3), pp. 373-382 : 375-378

Lacon lijiangensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 , 5, 8)

Type locality: China, Yunnan, Lijiang City Prefecture, Yulong County.

Type material. Holotype, female, China: “Yunnan, NNE Wexi City, 3,7 km WNW Yizhiduileigu Vill., 27°26'22'' N, 99°25'45'' E, h= 3405 m, 6.VI.2015, I.A. Belousov, I.I. Kabak, G.E. Davidian leg.” [ China, NW Yunnan, Lijiang City Prefecture, Yulong County, NNE Wexi City, 3.7 km WNW Yizhiduileigu Vill., 27°26'22'' N, 99°25'45'' E, h= 3405 m, 6 June 2015, I.A. Belousov, I.I. Kabak, G.E. Davidian leg.] ( ZISP).

Diagnosis. L. lijiangensis sp. nov. is closely related to L. diqingensis sp. nov. It can be easily distinguished from this species by the smaller body (body lengths are 9.50 mm and 13.20 mm, respectively), by different proportions of the pronotum and elytra (ratios of lengths of the pronotum/lengths of the elytra are 0.50 and 0.46, respectively; ratios of widths of the pronotum/widths of the elytra are 1.00 and 0.94, respectively), by the different sculpture of the pronotum, by the distinct shape of the hind and front angles of the pronotum, by the different shape of the scutellum, by the absence of wings, by the different structure of the sclerotized plate in the bursa copulatrix. The new species is apparently rather distantly related to all other species of the genus.

Description. Female: Length 9.50 mm; width 2.85 mm. Body flattened, rather narrow, oblong. Weakly shining, almost matt, all body dark reddish brown; pronotum mostly slightly darker; beaded part of prosternal lobe, base of pronotum, scutellum along margin and anterior slope of elytra darkened; maxillar and labial palpi and labium light brown. Body covered with golden, rather dense and short, recumbent scale-like setae; pubescence on prosternum distinctly longer than on other parts of body.

Head. Clearly wider than long (length/width 0.60); frons deeply depressed almost over all width; this depression extended up to middle part of vertex, being, however, shallow and obsolete medially. Punctures coarse and dense, notably smaller than on pronotum; intervals between punctures smaller than half as great as diameter of one puncture. Antennae reaching slightly beyond middle of pronotum, weakly serrate from antennomere 4. Antennomere 1 long, dilated; antennomere 2 almost globose, 0.8 times as long as antennomere 3; antennomere 4 1.2 times as long as antennomere 3; antennomeres 5 to 10 subequal in length, about 0.8 times as long as antennomere 4; last antennomere oblong, subapically slightly tapered (ratio of length/width of antennomeres from 1 to 5 as 2; 1.3; 1.25; 1.2; 1.25, respectively). Pubescence of antennae rather dense, setae slenderer and shorter than on other parts of dorsum; recumbent setae interspersed with some erect ones. Mandible with tooth; last segment of maxillar palpus noticeably broadened at apex, almost obtriangular.

Thorax. Pronotum more than twice as wide as head, as long as wide (length 2.85 mm; width 2.85 mm), widest near middle, narrowed toward front angles more sharply than toward hind angles, notably sinuate before hind angles; flattened laterally. Front angles of pronotum rather short, pointed, extending to and covering half of length of eyes. Median impression on disc of pronotum very shallow, but extended from base almost to anterior margin. Disc of pronotum with two pairs of obsolete foveae, first one near middle, second one near base; distinct transverse impression situated sublaterally near anterior margin of pronotum. Hind angles of pronotum depressed, short, narrowly rounded at apex, clearly divergent, without carina. Punctures coarse, dense; intervals between punctures smaller than half as great as diameter of one puncture.

Prosternal sutures deeply grooved up to about 2/3 their length, then furrowed. Prosternal lobe broadly rounded, slightly elongate, completely covering labium, laterally separated from rest of prosternum by obsolete transverse impression at about anterior 1/4 of prosternum, with distinctly carinate anterior margin. Prosternum lower than prosternal lobe at about its anterior 1/3 with other short, obsolete, transverse lateral impressions. Prosternal punctures coarse, dense, at basal 2/3 of prosternum notably larger than on pronotum; intervals between punctures smaller than half as great as diameter of one puncture; in anterior 1/3 of prosternum punctures notably smaller, intervals between punctures equal to or smaller than half as great as diameter of one puncture. Anterior and lateral parts of hypomeron with dense punctation, intervals between punctures on average smaller than diameter of one puncture; basal half of hypomeron near prosternal suture with larger and sparser punctation, intervals between punctures on average subequal to or greater than diameter of one puncture; intervals between punctures on hypomeron matt. Hypomeron with rather deep depression for insertion of profemora at base; this depression impunctate; hypomeron slightly impressed along prosternal suture in basal 1/2. Prosternal process with weak prominence near apex, about 3 times as long as diameter of procoxal cavity, slightly bent inwards immediately beyond procoxal cavities. Mesoventrite and metaventrite similarly punctate, intervals between punctures smaller than half as great as diameter of one puncture, punctures subequal in size to those on anterior and lateral parts of hypomeron. Metaventrite as long as wide, without depressions. Metepisternum slender, almost parallel-sided. Broad part of metacoxal plates about 4 times as wide as narrow part.

Scutellum oblong, pentagonal, weakly convex, with punctation as on elytra. Elytra ellipsoidal, as wide as pronotum, widest near middle, about twice as long as pronotum (length 5.65 mm; width 2.85 mm); tapering more strongly to apex than to base; shoulders obtusely rounded. Disc of elytra flat, faintly convex lateral of scutellum; at posterior 1/3 elytra distinctly sloping; elytra flattened along external margin, slightly divergent along suture near apex, weakly blunted at apex; without striae, more or less evenly punctate; punctures about same size as on head or smaller, rather sparse, intervals between punctures subequal to 1–4 diameters of one puncture.

Metathoracic wings absent.

Abdomen. Punctation of abdomen rather sparse, intervals between punctures subequal to or greater than diameter of one puncture; punctures slightly smaller than on metaventrite.

Female genitalia. (Figs. 5, 8). Ovipositor relatively long; baculum long, strongly sclerotized (ratio length baculum/length ovipositor 0.77); coxite moderately sclerotized, with several setae, narrowed to apex, with very small, almost indistinct stylus. Bursa copulatrix with typical large sclerotized plate covered with short spinules and long spines, distally with small sclerotized plate with short spinules; several dark sac-like spermatophores contained inside bursa copulatrix.

Male. Unknown.

Larva. Unknown.

Distribution. China: northwestern Yunnan province, the Hengduan Mountains.

Bionomics. This species was collected at the mid-altitude forest. The habitat of L. lijiangensis sp. nov. is a mixed forest with conifers, open meadow areas, rhododendrons and partially with bamboo (I.I. Kabak, pers. comm.). Other aspects of the biology of this species remain unknown.

Etymology. From the type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Habitus of Lacon species, dorsal view. 1. L. diqingensis sp. nov., female, holotype (13.2 mm). 2. L. lijiangensis sp. nov., female, holotype (9.5 mm). 3. L. salvazai, female (20.1 mm; China, Yunnan). Not to scale. FIGURES 4 – 6. Female genital tract of Lacon species, general view. 4. L. diqingensis sp. nov., holotype. 5. L. lijiangensis sp. nov., holotype. 6. L. salvazai (partially damaged; China, Yunnan). Not to scale.