Microdacne gloriousa Skelley, Leschen & Liu, 2021

Skelley, Paul E., Leschen, Richard A. B. & Liu, Zhenhua, 2021, New Australian Erotylinae with notes on Dacnini (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea Erotylidae), Zootaxa 4948 (3), pp. 363-380 : 370-371

Microdacne gloriousa Skelley, Leschen & Liu , new species

Figures 9–17 , 29

Diagnosis. A member of Microdacne as defined above, most readily distinguished from the other species by the long distinct sublateral sulcus on the pronotum and being found on Mt. Glorious, Queensland.

Description. Length 2.7–3.8 mm; width 1.2–1.7 mm. Body and antennal club dark brown; antennal base, palpi and legs tan ( Figs. 9–11 ); elytra with two bands, basal band not touching suture leaves a large brown spot over humerus, narrow band on apical third constricted in middle appearing as two spots.

Head broad, dorsal interocular distance = 8× ocular width in dorsal view; surface with distinct setose punctures, sparse and fine medially, becoming denser and coarser laterally and anteriorly; clypeus with anterior margin narrow; gena and lateral gula with scattered coarse punctures same size as facets; mentum transverse, width = 2.7× length; anterior margin of plate evenly arcuate. Antennomeres shortly, sparsely setose; antennomere 11 transversely oval, obliquely truncate apically.

Pronotum strongly convex, widest near middle; punctures of central disc little coarser than on head, half diameter of facet, reduced laterally; anterior margin deeply emarginate next to anterior angle, strongly projecting medially; lateral margin with fine marginal bead; strong, deep sublateral sulcus separated from margin by distance = diameter of eye, sulcus present on posterior 2/3 of pronotum, sulcus basally connected to groove of posterior marginal bead ( Fig. 29 ); posterior marginal bead strong medially, with few coarse punctures in groove either side of mid-line, stopping at base of sulcus, not present near posterior angles.

Elytra strongly convex, short, length = 1.1× width; base nearly straight; strial punctures small, distinct on disc, absent laterally; minute punctures with short setae widely scattered over surface. Prosternal process nearly parallel-sided, almost truncate apically, medial knob bluntly rounded. Mesoventrite lateral tubercles more closely set, distance between them = 1.5× basal width, central concavity evenly rounded. Abdominal ventrite 1 with coxal lines extending onto ventrite 1/3 distance to posterior margin.

Male with protibial base distinctly curved; pronotum longer than wide, length = 1.5× width; genitalia ( Figs. 14–17 ) with penis narrowly rounded at apex; internal sac with a dense subbasal patch of microtrichia, and a basal patch of less dense microtrichia, folds visible in Figures 16–17 indicate there may be additional fleshy structures present.

Female with protibial base normally curved; pronotum slightly wider than long, width = 1.2× length; genitalia ( Figs. 12–13 ) without notable difference from others.

Material examined. The male holotype of Microdacne gloriousa ( Fig 9–11 , 29 ) label data: “ 27.20S 152.46E / Mt. Glorious, QLD / 19-21 Dec. 1990 / J.F. Lawrence, under bark & in rotten Wood” // “[orange paper with camera symbol] ANIC / Image” // “[red paper, printed] HOLOTYPE ♂ / Microdacne / gloriousa / Skelley, Leschen, Liu” ( ANIC) .

Paratypes (10 total). AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Mt. Glorious, 630m, 14 Nov. 1986 – 30 Jan. 1987, T. Hiller, flight intercept trough trap, rainforest (6 ♂♂, allotype ♀, 1 ♀: ANIC, FSCA); Mt. Glorious , 20km NW Brisbane, 700m, 20 Mar. 1993, ex: rainforest litter, Chris Carlton (1 ♂ [slide-mounted], 1 ♀: NZAC, SEMC) .

Etymology. The species name, “ glorious ”, for the type locality, with the reduced suffix from “-ia” to “-a” indicating “from”. This name also expresses our excitement on this new genus.

Figures

FIGURES 9–17. Microdacne gloriousa sp. nov.: 9–11) habitus, holotype; 9) dorsal view; 10) ventral view; 11) lateral view; 12) ovipositor, allotype; 13) spermatheca, allotype; 14–17) Male genitalia, paratype; 14) abdominal segment VIII–IX, ventral view; 15) tegmen, dorsal view; 16) penis, lateral view; 17) penis, dorsal view. Scale bars: 9–11 = 1.0 mm; 12, 14–17 = 0.2 mm; 13 = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 29–32. Microdacne spp., holotypes, anterolateral dorsal oblique view of head and pronotum: 29) M. gloriousa; 30) M. lamingtonia; 31) M. nardia; 32) M. styxia. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.