Epuraea (Micruria) lanuginosa Zhao, Huang & Kirejtshuk

Zhao, Mengjiao, Huang, Min, Yang, Xingke & Kirejtshuk, Alexander G., 2014, Two new species of the genus Epuraea Erichson, 1843 from China (Coleoptera, Nitidulidae, Epuraeinae), ZooKeys 445, pp. 107-115 : 108

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Nitidulidae

Epuraea (Micruria) lanuginosa Zhao, Huang & Kirejtshuk sp. n. Figs 1-8

Type material.

Holotype. ♂, China: Sichuan, Pingwu, Laohegou; 1800m, 7.VII.2013, Lingling Ren leg. (NWSUAF). Paratypes. (1♂, 3♀), same data as holotype (NWSUAF).

Description.

Body. Length 3.7 mm, breadth 1.7 mm, height 0.9 mm. Oblong, moderately convex; dorsum dark brown and with bronze lustre, underside reddish-brown with appendages slightly lighter, pronotal and elytral margins light reddish to yellow; dorsum with long, strongly conspicuous and sparse silver yellowish hairs, which are three times longer than distance between their insertions (Figs 1, 2).

Integument. Head with irregular and indistinct punctures, surface between them microreticulated. Pronotum with finer punctures nearly as large as eye facets; interspaces between them greater than a puncture diameter and smoothly microreticulated. Scutellum triangular with shallow punctures smaller than punctures on pronotum and interspaces among them equal to a puncture diameter or greater. Elytra with punctures slightly smaller than those on scutellum, interspaces among them greater than a puncture diameter and microreticulated. Pygidial surface nearly as that of elytra, but with shallower punctures and denser pubescence. Abdominal ventrites with moderately distinct punctures slightly smaller than eye facets in diameter, interspaces among them smoothly microreticulated.

Head. Head slightly convex and eyes medium-sized. Labrum with a shallow median incision (Fig. 3). Antennal grooves start from hypostomal sinuses and are convergent posteriorly. Ultimate labial palpomere approximately 3 times as long as thick and somewhat narrowed at apex. Antennae slightly longer than head width, club approximately 2/5 of total length and about 1.5 times as long as wide. Pronotum moderately convex and 1.8 times as broad as long with apex emarginate, base lightly sinuate near posterior angles, sides arcuate with margins subexplanate and somewhat translucent, anterior angles square and posterior ones projecting slightly; widest at posterior angles, narrowed to both base and apex. Prosternal process curved along procoxae, widened apically (Fig. 4). Elytra much longer than their combined width (1.3:1), their sides arcuate and margins narrower than pronotum, with separately rounded apices, leaving uncovered the pygidium and part of preceding tergite. Pygidium triangular, apex of anal sclerite exposed from under pygidium. Distance between mesocoxae as great as width of antennal club and distance between metacoxae about three times as great as that between mesocoxae. Elytral epipleura at base as wide as antennal club. Metaventrite slightly convex with a distinct median depression.

Legs. All tibiae narrow and long; protibia with teeth gradually increasing in size along outer edge and two distinct larger teeth at apex. Mesotibia slightly curved inside near apex; tarsal claws with strong teeth at base (Fig. 8).

Aedeagus. Tegmen and penis trunk moderately sclerotized (Figs 5, 6).

Female.

The apex of mesotibiae not curved. Ovipositor moderately long and weakly sclerotized (Fig. 7).

Etymology.

The name derives from the conspicuously pubescent dorsum of the species ( ‘lanuginosus’ in Latin means ‘woolly’, ‘downy’).

Notes.

Having moderately convex body, comparatively distinct dorsal punctation, subexplanate pronotal sides, simple mesotibiae, truncate apex of penis trunk the new species seems to belong to the consobrina -group which is hitherto known to comprise the following species: Epuraea (Micruria) bergeri Sjöberg, 1939; Epuraea (Micruria) consobrina Grouvelle, 1892; Epuraea (Micruria) kompantzevi Kirejtshuk, 1999; Epuraea (Micruria) pulliginis sp. n.; Epuraea (Micruria) reticulata Grouvelle, 1892, Epuraea (Micruria) scapha Kirejtshuk, 1999, Epuraea (Micruria) subita Kirejtshuk, 1999 and Epuraea (Micruria) subreticulata Grouvelle, 1892. It can be easily distinguished from all the members of the group in the bronze lustre on its rather dark dorsum, deep narrow depression along the middle of metaventrite and peculiar structure of aedeagus. Besides, it differs from:

Epuraea (Micruria) bergeri in the less convex pronotum narrowed at base and with more shallowly emarginate anterior edge and more clearly explanate and translucent sides, elytra more narrowing towards transversely oblique apices (not transverse), rounded apex of prosternal process, simple metafemur and metatibia, strong tooth at base of tarsal claws, ovipositor with wider base of coxites;

Epuraea (Micruria) consobrina in the subunicolorous disks of pronotum and elytra, coarser and deeper punctation (particularly on elytra), longer and denser silver pubescence, narrower explanate stripes of elytra, obliquely rounded elytral apices (not obliquely truncate), rounded apex of prosternal process, strong tooth at base of tarsal claws, narrower ovipositor with shorter coxites;

Epuraea (Micruria) kompantzevi in the more slender (not subovoid) body, denser and more clear dorsal punctation, pronotum narrowing at base, less gently sloping pronotal and elytral sides, subtruncate elytral apices (never forming a join curve), projecting subapical teeth of protibiae, lack of sexual dimorphism in elytral apices;

Epuraea (Micruria) pulliginis sp. n. in the much denser dorsal punctation, silver pubescence, elytra less narrowing towards subtruncate apices, more projecting subapical teeth on protibiae, narrower coxites of ovipositor;

Epuraea (Micruria) reticulata in the subunicolorous dorsum, much denser and more distinct dorsal punctation, denser and more conspicuous dorsal pubescence, widely rounded lobes of labrum, elytra more narrowing towards transversely oblique apices (not transverse), simple male metafemora, projecting subapical teeth of protibiae;

Epuraea (Micruria) scapha in the much more slender body, denser and more clear dorsal punctation, less gently sloping pronotal and elytral sides, subtruncate elytral apices (not forming a join curve), projecting subapical teeth of protibiae, simple male metafemora, meso- and metatibiae, and lack of sexual dimorphism in elytral apices, ovipositor with coxites shorter and narrower at base;

Epuraea (Micruria) subita in the less convex body and particularly pronotum with more clearly explanate and translucent sides, rounded apex of prosternal process, more elytra narrowing towards transversely oblique apices (not transverse), simple metafemur, strong tooth at base of tarsal claws, ovipositor with wider base of coxites.