Opilo socotrensis, Gerstmeier, 2017

Gerstmeier, Roland, 2017, Cleridae (Coleoptera) from Socotra Island with description of new species, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 57, pp. 113-123 : 121-123

Opilo socotrensis sp. nov.

( Figs 4 , 23–31 )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Dixam plateau.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island, Dixam plateau, 14.–15.vi.2012, Firmihin, Dracaena woodland, 12°28.6′N, 54°01.1′E, 490m // SOCOTRA expedition 2012, J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.( NMPC) . PARATYPE: same label data as holotype ( RGCM) ; SOCOTRA Isl., Zerik , 25.-27.iii.2001 ( JRCP) ; Yemen, Socotra Isl., Noged , Mokhar, 31.iii.2001, V. Bejček & K. Šťastný lgt. ( RGCM) .

Description. Body length 5.3–9.2 mm. Head red-brown, glossy, conspicuously wrinkled. Labrum, anterior part of clypeus and palpi yellow, mandibles red-brown, with black tips. Antennae yellow, not reaching base of pronotum when laid back, in female even shorter; with more or less loose trimerous club. Head including eyes broader than anterior width of pronotum, vested with long, erect, pale setae; eyes separated by at least 1.5 eye width. Ventral surface smooth in middle, with oblique rugosity; gula almost circular, slightly depressed, with small knob-like process and large pads.

Prothorax only slightly longer than wide (length = 1.00– 1.83 mm, width = 0.90–1.73 mm; mean length to width ratio 1.00: 1.09), widest more or less in middle, more constricted towards base than anteriorly; pale red-brown, glossy; anteriorly and posteriorly in middle smooth, sides with isolated punctation, disc conspicuously wrinkled, in middle and towards sides deeply and coarsely wrinkled; vested with long, erect, pale setae. Ventral surface with transverse wrinkles; prosternal process narrow, dilated distally; hypomera short, slightly rounded, procoxal cavities broadly open posteriorly.

Scutellum brown, circular to transverse-ovate. Anterior mesoventral process conspicuously broad, protruding; whole anterior margin of mesoventrite bulging; with deep, irregular wrinkles.

Elytra brown, glossy, subparallel, slightly dilated towards apex (length = 3.47–6.18 mm, width = 1.20–2.43 mm; mean length to width ratio 1.00: 2.64); apices subangular to slightly rounded, minimally dehiscent. Punctation consists of ten conspicuous rows of punctures, slightly irregular in middle, not reaching apex; puncture diameter smaller than interstices. Surface vested with long, erect, pale setae, mostly slightly directed posteriorly.

Legs long, yellow, knees and tarsi slightly darkened; metatibiae straight, only base with short, darkened carina, which is line-like afterwards; with very long, erect, pale setae.

Abdomen yellowish to red-brown, whole lower surface with long, erect, pale setae. Male genitalia as in Figs 23–31 .

Female without any conspicuous differences from male.

Differential diagnosis. In habitus, Opilo socotrensis sp. nov. is similar to the more or less unicolored brown O. zavattari (Pic, 1938) from Ethiopia. However, in the latter species, the elytral punctation is distinct, with nodules, and reaches apex, the puncture diameter is approximately double the interstices, and eye separation is less than one half of an eye width.

Etymology. Latin adjective socotrensis (-is, -e) given according to its distribution.

Collection circumstances. Both type specimens were collected at light trap in a Dracaena cinnabari Balf. f. ( Asparagaceae ) woodland (J. Hájek, pers. comm. 2016).

Distribution. So far known only from Socotra Island.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Habitus. 1 – Wittmeridecus insularis sp. nov.; 2 – Opilo angustipennis sp. nov.; 3 – O. longipilis Fairmaire, 1892; 4 – O. socotrensis sp. nov.

Figs 23–31.Genitalia of Opilo socotrensis sp. nov.23 – aedeagus ventral; 24 – aedeagus lateral; 25 – tegmen ventral; 26 – phallus ventral; 27 – spicular fork;28 – phallus tip ventral; 29 – phallus tip lateral; 30 – pygidium; 31 – ventrite VI.