Microselasia sormovae, Kundrata, 2018

Kundrata, Robin, 2018, New minute Drilini species significantly extend the distributions of Lolosia and Microselasia (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Agrypninae) in tropical Africa, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 58 (2), pp. 531-538 : 536-537

Microselasia sormovae sp. nov.

( Figs 16–17, 21, 25–27 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♁, ‘[ DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO], Eala , VI. 1936, J. Ghesquière, Coll. Mus. Congo // R. det. M 5629; Selasia [further data unreadable]’ ( RMCA).

Description of holotype. Body ( Figs 17–18 ) 3.00 times longer than width at humeri, dorsally weakly convex. Body brown, antennomeres I–II, pronotum and basal part of elytra lighter, mouthparts, ventral parts of thorax and legs yellowish brown to light brown; surface covered with yellow pubescence.

Head ( Fig. 25 ) including eyes 0.8 times as wide as pronotum; surface smooth, slightly depressed medially, very sparsely punctate, covered with sparse, long, semi-erect setae; frons produced forwards to surpass fronto-clypeal region; frontal carina complete; fronto-clypeal region high, narrow, with longitudinal carina. Eyes large, their frontal distance 1.05 times eye diameter. Labrum transverse, sparsely punctate, with frontal margin widely concave. Mandible relatively long, bidentate, with tooth located in middle part of incisor, basally with long setae, apical part shiny. Maxillary palpus tetramerous, slender, palpomere III short, slightly longer than wide, ultimate palpomere elongate, fusiform, subacute apically. Labial palpus tiny, apical palpomere fusiform, subacute apically. Antenna ( Fig. 21 ) with 11 antennomeres [four apical antennomeres missing in left antenna, and part of the apical antennomere in right antenna], flabellate; scape robust, slightly widened apically, pedicel short, small; antennomere III slightly serrate, long, only slightly longer than antennomere IV, its branch shorter than stem; antennomere IV with branch slightly shorter than stem; antennomere V slightly shorter than atennomere IV, with elongate branch about 1.3 times as long as its stem; antennomeres VI–X subequal in length, with branches about 2.3 times longer than stems; antennomere XI simple, elongate.

Pronotum ( Fig. 25 ) slightly convex, transverse, widest at posterior angles, 1.80 times wider than length at midline. Anterior margin almost straight, lateral sides almost straight, gradually diverging posteriorly, posterior margin simple, widely rounded. Anterior angles inconspicuous; posterior angles subrectangular, widely rounded. Disc with narrow, transverse carina near anterior margin, and with distinct sublateral carinae almost reaching anterior margin. Lateral carina incomplete anteriorly; hypomeron smooth. Surface of disc covered with very sparse shallow punctures, with sparse semi-erect pubescence. Prosternum transverse, with frontal margin almost straight, oriented ventrally, with long semi-erect setae; prosternal process reduced to form short, sharply defined, subparallel-sided, subacute spine.

Scutellar shield flat, triangular, about as long as wide, posteriorly narrowly rounded. Mesoventrite widely v-shaped, with frontal margin widely concave; mesoventral cavity inconspicuous. Elytra ( Fig. 17 ) subparallel-sided, 0.75 times as long as body, combined 2.20 times as long as wide; indistinctly striate, basally slightly wrinkled, sparsely covered with shallow punctures; surface uneven, covered with long, semi-erect pubescence.

Legs slightly compressed, with sparse, long, semi-erect setae; tarsomeres I–II subequal in length, tarsomere III slightly shorter, tarsomere IV shortest, minute, extended ventrally, apical tarsomere long, slender; claws simple, slightly curved, each with long seta basally.

Abdomen with ventrites moderately densely covered with shallow punctures and with semi-erect pubescence. Tergites IX and X weakly connected by membrane; tergite IX transverse, tergite X slightly longer than wide. Sternite IX ( Fig. 26 ) 1.9 times as long as wide, deeply notched basally, rounded apically, with apex finely punctate and sparsely setose.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 27 ) 1.7 times as long as wide, with median lobe robust, about 1.2 times as long as phallobase, widened apically, curved in lateral view, basally with two moderately long struts, dorsally with distinct, robust subapical hook; parameres rather elongate, apically rounded; phallobase robust, u-shaped, as long as wide.

Female and immature stages unknown.

Measurements. BL 3.35 mm, WHum 1.10 mm, EL 2.45 mm, WHe 0.80 mm, PL 0.55 mm, PW 1.00 mm, Edist 0.40 mm, Ediam 0.35 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Microselasia sormovae sp. nov. shares the body size (2.95–3.15 mm), large eyes (their frontal distance 1.15–1.20 times eye diameter), flabellate antennae, transverse pronotum (1.55–1.65 times wider than long) which is widest at posterior angles and has long distinct sublateral carinae with M. pseudograndis Kundrata & Bocak, 2017 . These species differ in the relative length of the branches of antennomeres VI–X (about 2.3 times longer than stems of respective antennomeres in M. sormovae ; 5.0 times longer in M. pseudograndis ), the shape of the paramere (rounded apex in M. sormovae , subacute apex in M. pseudograndis ), and the subapical hook on median lobe (robust and wide in M. sormovae , very short and minute in M. pseudograndis ). Microselasia sormovae shares the apically widened median lobe with a robust subapical hook with M. obscura but the latter species has a uniformly brown body, pronotum less transverse (1.40 times wider than long), widest in anterior two fifths, and short parameres ( Fig. 27 ).

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Miss Eliška Šormová (Trutnov, Czech Republic).

Distribution. The Democratic Republic of the Congo: Équateur Province.

Figures

Figs 15–27. Morphology of Microselasia species. 15–16 – M. burgeoni (Pic, 1930): 15 – habitus, dorsal view; 16 – habitus, lateral view. 17–18 – M. sormovae sp. nov.: 17 – habitus, dorsal view; 18 – habitus, lateral view. 19–20 – M. burgeoni (Pic, 1930): 19 – apical antennomeres, ventral view, 20 – basal antennomeres, ventral view. 21 – M. sormovae sp. nov., antenna, dorsal view. 22–24 – M. burgeoni (Pic, 1930): 22 – head and pronotum, dorsal view; 23 – abdominal sternite IX, ventral view; 24 – aedeagus, dorsal view. 25–27 – M. sormovae sp. nov.: 25 – head and pronotum, dorsal view; 26 – abdominal sternite IX, ventral view; 27 – aedeagus, dorsal view. Scale bars = 1.0 mm (Figs 15–19), 0.5 mm (Figs 22, 25), 0.2 mm (Figs 20–21, 23–24, 26–27).