Madecorphnus tuberculatus Frolov, 2014

Frolov, Andrey V., Montreuil, Olivier & Akhmetova, Lilia A., 2016, Review of the Madagascan Orphninae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with a revision of the genus Triodontus Westwood, Zootaxa 4207 (1), pp. 1-93 : 29

Madecorphnus tuberculatus Frolov, 2014

( Figs. 12 A–D)

Madecorphnus tuberculatus Frolov, 2014: 38 .

Type material examined. Holotype ( Figs. 12 A–C), male, “ MADAGASCAR: Toamasina Prov., Reserve Betampona Camp Vohitsivalana , 37.1 km 338° Toamasina elev 520 m 1–3 Dec 2005 / 17° 53' 12" S 049° 12' 09" E California Acad. of Sciences coll. Brian L. Fisher et al. sifted litter rainforest collection code: BLF13242” ( CASC) .

Diagnosis. This species is similar to M. barclayi Frolov in having the internal sac of the aedeagus with 2 sclerites but the shape of the sclerites is different: they are much larger and heavily sclerotized. It also differs from M. barclayi in having a relatively wider body with relatively larges eyes.

Description. Male. Body length 5.8 mm. Color uniformly dark brown, legs somewhat paler ( Fig. 12 A).

Right mandible about 1.5 times longer than left, strongly curved, with a tooth behind apex. Labrum trapezoidal, with rounded anterior angles, its length about 1/8 width (in dorsal view). Mentum with 2 conical tubercles. Frontoclypeus slightly asymmetrical, almost flat anteriorly, obtuse, with a group of 4 setae displaced to the left side. Canthus and frontal suture indistinct. Head dorsally with minute punctures separated by more than 4 puncture diameters.

Pronotum 1.7 times wider than long, widest medially. Disc of pronotum convex, without any depressions, tubercles, or ridges. Punctation on pronotum finer than on head, almost indistinct. Margins with relatively wide border, lateral margins with 4 long setae: 1 seta on basal angle, 1 seta approximately in the middle of lateral margin, and 2 setae on the apical angle. Base with a row of feebly elongate punctures (smaller and sparser than in M. fisheri ).

Elytra convex, with distinct humeral and apical tubercules. Maximum width approximately in the middle. First stria distinct and reaching apex of elytron, other striae indistinct. Epipleura with long, sparse, brown setae. Base of elytra with border connected to first elytral interval. Elytra with double punctation: sparse, large punctures on disc and minute, feebly visible punctures throughout elytron.

Protibiae with 3 outer teeth, lateral margin basad of outer teeth not crenulate. Apex with robust, spur-like seta and a few smaller setae basally. Mesothoracic and metathoracic legs similar in shape, metathoracic legs slightly longer than mesothoracic legs. Longer tibial spur shorter than 2 basal tarsomeres in mesothoracic legs and as long as 2 tarsomeres in metathoracic legs.

Parameres large, about 1.3 time shorter than phallobase, wide and rounded apically (in dorsal view), with small lateral teeth and large excavations between teeth and paramere apices ( Fig. 12 B). Internal sac of the aedeagus with 2 tooth-shaped sclerites ( Fig. 12 C).

Female unknown.

Distribution and habitat. Madecorphnus tuberculatus is known from one locality in the Betampona Reserve, a patch of primary low elevation rain forest about 25 km inland of the eastern coast ( Fig. 12 D).

Figures

FIGURE 12. Madecorphnus tuberculatus. Habitus in dorsal view (A), aedeagus in lateral view and parameres in dorsal view (B), internal sac of aedeagus (C), distributional records (D).