Anthelephila pilitarsis, Kejval & Cz, 2012

Kejval, Zbyněk & Cz, Domažlice, 2012, Studies on the genus Anthelephila (Coleoptera: Anthicidae). 12. Review of the species from Yemen, including Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52, pp. 347-363 : 357-358

Anthelephila pilitarsis sp. nov.

( Figs. 6–11 , 22 )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra, Noged plain, Qaareh, 12°20′10′′ N 53°37′56′′ E.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ Yemen, Soqotra Is.; 5.-6.xii.2003 Noged plain: QAAREH (waterfall) N 12°20′10′′ E 53°37′56′′ 37 m [GPS]; Jan Farkač lgt. [p] // YEMEN - SOQOTRA 2003 Expedition; Jan Farkač, Petr Kabátek & David Král [p]’ ( NMPC).

Description. Male (holotype). Body length 6.2 mm. Body dark reddish brown, antennae and legs somewhat paler ( Fig. 22 ).

Head 1.4 times as long as wide, unevenly rounded posteriorly; tempora subparallel close to eyes and then narrowing posteriad, the posterior angles absent; base clearly differentiated from short neck. Eyes rather large and convex. Dorsal surface only moderately glossy, largely distinctly longitudinally corrugated except for basal area; punctation obscured by corrugation. Setation pale, rather short, subdecumbent, with few inconspicuous erect setae. Antennae long and slender, slightly enlarged in terminal third; antennomere X 2.8 times and antennomere XI 3.6 times as long as wide.

Pronotum 1.6 times as long as wide, at most slightly narrower than head across eyes, somewhat unevenly rounded anteriorly (angled near collar) and moderately impressed posterolaterally in dorsal view; pronotal disc evenly shaped, its outline more or less convex in lateral view. Surface moderately glossy, largely distinctly corrugated, except of small unwrinkled area laterally near procoxal cavities; dorsal punctation obscured by longitudinal corrugation. Setation similar to that on head.

Meso- and metaventrite simple.

Elytra elongate, 2.1 times as long as wide, conjointly rounded apically; humeri protruding; postbasal impression indistinct. Surface glossy, distinctly punctate; basal half with punctation inconspicuously double, coarse punctures simple, evenly spaced, intermixed fine punctures nearly indistinct. Setation pale, generally moderately longer than that on head, subdecumbent, with few short and inconspicuous erect setae.

Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Fore legs modified ( Figs. 7, 8 ); profemora with moderately long and narrow process, flattened, rounded to subtruncate apically, with dense row of short and stiff black setae on apical margin; protibiae moderately dilated on inner side at mid-length and more distinctly lobed on their outer side distally; penultimate tarsomere widened / flattened distally, with terminal tarsomere articulated dorsally in all tarsi. Basal metatarsomere with conspicuously long and somewhat tufted setation ( Fig. 9 ).

Abdominal characters as in Fig. 10 ; sternum III with pair of small protuberances shortly before posterior margin; paired prongs of sternite VIII strongly arcuate in basal half in lateral view; apical portion of tegmen 0.4 times as long as basal piece, trilobed apically ( Fig. 11 ).

Female. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Anthelephila pilitarsis sp. nov. is undoubtedly very close to A. bejceki Kejval, 2002 from Socotra, belonging to the A. angustiformis species-group ( KEJVAL 2002), as suggested by similarity of the male characters. Externally it can be distinguished from the latter species by posteriorly narrower head with subparallel tempora (basal arch nearly evenly parabolic in A. bejceki ), more distinct corrugation of the head and longer, more slender antennae (antennomere X 1.7 times and XI 2.6 times as long as wide in A. bejceki ), by the indistinctly double punctation of the elytra (fine intermixed punctures numerous and quite distinct in A. bejceki ), and the conspicuously long, tufted setation of the basal metatarsomeres. In addition, it differs in details of the morphology of male sternite VIII and the tegmen of the aedeagus (lateral lobes more elongate, narrowed and pointed apically in A. bejceki ).

Etymology. Composed of the Latin words pilis (hairs) and tarsus; referring to the conspicuously long, tufted setation of the basal metatarsomere in the male holotype.

Distribution. Yemen ( Socotra).

Figures

Figs. 6–11. Anthelephila pilitarsis sp. nov. (holotype): 6 – habitus (part); 7 – profemoral process; 8 – protibia; 9 – basal metatarsomere; 10 – sternum VII (bottom), sternite VIII (middle) and tergite VIII (top); 11 – apical portion of aedeagus.

Figs. 17–24. Anthelephila spp., body in dorsal view. 17 – A. anceyi rathjensi (Pic, 1957), female, Wadi Zabid; 18 – A. bispilifasciata bispilifasciata (Pic, 1897), female, Turbah; 19 – same species, male, Lawdar; 20 – A. caeruleipennis (LaFerté-Sénectère, 1849), male, Lawdar; 21 – A. paolii (Krekich-Strassoldo, 1928), male, Sana’a; 22 – A. pilitarsis sp. nov., holotype; 23 – A. praefecta sp. nov., paratype, female, Jabal Bura; 24 – A. walkeri (Pic, 1895), male, Al Mukalla.