Cyphon insularius Champion, 1924

Ruta, Rafal, 2008, Contribution to the knowledge of Seychellois Scirtidae (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea), Zootaxa 1913, pp. 49-68 : 51-54

Cyphon insularius Champion, 1924

( Figs. 10–18 )

= Cyphon circumductus Champion, 1924 syn. nov.

Type material (22 males). Lectotype (present designation), male. Mounted on card bearing number 29 [Forest above Mare aux Cochons, highest point of Silhouette, 2.ix.1908]; “Silhouette, 1908. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “Percy Sladen / Trust Exped. / Brit. Mus. / 1926-246.” (printed label); “ LECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924 / des. R. Ruta 2007 ” (red label, printed). Deposited in NHM. Paralectotypes. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 34 [Mare aux Cochons and forest above, ix.1908]; “Silhouette, 1908. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “Percy Sladen / Trust Exped. / Brit. Mus. / 1926-246” (printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924 / des. R. Ruta 2007 ” (red label, printed). Deposited in NHM. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 22 [Mare aux Cochons, forest, ix. 1908]; “Silhouette, 1908. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “Percy Sladen / Trust Exped. / Brit. Mus. / 1926- 246” (printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924 / des. R. Ruta 2007 ” (red label, printed). Deposited in NHM. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 28 [Mare aux Cochons and forest immediately above, ix. 1908]; “Silhouette, 1908. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “Percy Sladen / Trust Exped. / Brit. Mus. / 1926-246” (printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924 / des. R. Ruta 2007 ” (red label, printed). Deposited in NHM. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 84 [Mare aux Cochons District, 1000-2000ft., 26.i.1909]; “ Mahe, 1908-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “Percy Sladen / Trust Exped. / Brit. Mus. / 1926-246” (printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924 / des. R. Ruta 2007 ” (red label, printed). Deposited in NHM. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 85 [Mare aux Cochons District, 1000-2000ft., 26.i.1909]; “ Mahe, 1908-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “Percy Sladen / Trust Exped. / Brit. Mus. / 1926-246” (printed label); “PARALECTO- TYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924 / des. R. Ruta 2007 ” (red label, printed). Deposited in NHM. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 120 [Cascade Estate, 800-1500ft., ii.1909]; “ Mahe, 1908-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “Percy Sladen / Trust Exped. / Brit. Mus. / 1926-246” (printed label); “PARA- LECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924 / des. R. Ruta 2007 ” (red label, printed). Deposited in NHM. 2 males: Mounted on cards bearing number 34 [Mare aux Cochons and forest above, ix.1908]; “Silhouette, 1908. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing note “Silhouette 34” [Mare aux Cochons and forest above, ix.1908]; “Silhouette, 1908. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 20 [Mare aux Cochons, forest, ix. 1908]; “Silhouette, 1908. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 22 [Mare aux Cochons, forest, ix. 1908]; “Silhouette, 1908. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “? Ψ” (handwritten/printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 85 [Mare aux Cochons District, 1000-2000ft., 26.i.1909]; “ Mahe, 1908-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “PARALEC- TOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 88 [Slopes of Morne Seychellois, 1500-2000ft., 4.ii.1909]; “ Mahe, 1908-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 94 [Cascade Estate, c. 1000ft., ii-iii.1909]; “ Mahe, 1908-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “PARA- LECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 2 males: Mounted on cards bearing number 16 [Mare aux Cochons, plateau and jungle, viii.1908]; “Silhouette, 1908. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 2 males: Mounted on cards bearing number 29 [Forest above Mare aux Cochons, highest point of Silhouette, 2.ix.1908]; “Silhouette, 1908. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 17 [Mare aux Cochons, plateau and jungle, viii.1908]; “Silhouette, 1908. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “PARALEC- TOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 25 [Mare aux Cochons and forest immediately above, ix.

1908]; “Silhouette, 1908. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “?ɗ” (handwritten/printed label); “PARALEC- TOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 114 [Morne Seychellois, over 1500ft., 4.ii.1909]; “ Mahe, ’08-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “ Cyphon / insularius / var.? Ch.” (handwritten label); “var.?” (handwritten label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ.?

Additional material studied (2 males). Male: Seychelles: Silhouette, Grande Barbe, VI 2001, 2 exx., leg. J. Gerlach. Deposited in NMW. Holotype of Cyphon circumductus Champion , male. Mounted on card with note “ Mahé. 40.” [country above Port Glaud, 500–1000ft., 5.xi.1908]; “ Mahe / Seychelles Exp.” (handwritten); “Percy Sladen / Trust Exped. / Brit. Mus. / 1926-246” (printed label); “ Cyphon / circumductus / type Ch.” (handwritten); “ Cyphon insularius / Champion, 1924 / det. R. Ruta 2007 ” (printed label). Deposited in NHM.

Diagnosis. Body usually bicoloured (rarely uniformly yellowish or dark brown), with dark brown pronotum and lighter elytra, pronotum with granulate punctation. Distinguishable from similar species on the base of morphology of male genitalia (penis broad, trifid; tegmen U-shaped; sternite 8 reduced, minute; sternite 9 Y-shaped).

Redescription. Lectotype, male. Measurements: TL 2.2, EW 1.33, EL 1.83, PW 0.98, PL 0.45, HW 0.78, HL 0.5, interocular space 0.53, greatest depth of body 0.8.

Body oblong, moderately convex, covered with whitish suberect setae. Elytra light brown, scutellum, pronotum, head, and underside of body brown. Legs, palpi, and mandibles yellowish. Antennae yellowish, darkened apically. Body 1.65 times as long as broad.

Head 1.56 times as broad as long, 1.47 times wider than width of interocular space, with strong granulate punctation, eyes protuberant. Antennae filiform, moderate in length – reaching proximal 1/3 of elytra; antennomere 1 and 2 globular, antennomere 3 smaller, antennomere 4 longest, length ratios of antennomeres 3.0: 1.5: 1.0: 2.5: 2.0: 2.0: 2.0: 2.0: 2.0: 2.0: 2.0; L/W ratios of antennomeres 2.0, 1.2, 1.33, 2.5, 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, 1.8. Anterior clypeal margin straight. Labrum subrectangular, with rounded angles and shallow emargination on margin. Right mandible with small denticle on mesal edge.

Pronotum 2.4 times as broad as long, widest at posterior angles. Pronotum with strong granulate punctation. Posterior margin of pronotum bisinuate. Anterior angles not produced.

Scutellum subtriangular, almost impunctate. Base of elytra slightly wider than base of pronotum.

Elytra without longitudinal ridges, 1.38 times as long as broad and 4.07 times as long as pronotum. Sides subparallel in proximal 2/3, in apical 1/3 regularly converging to apex. Humeri clearly evident. Punctation deep and dense, separated by 0.5–1.0 diameter. Epipleura brown, relatively narrow, narrowed behind metaventrite, reduced in apical 1/4 of elytra. Hind wings fully developed.

Prosternal process lanceolate, curved in side view, apex tempered. Mesocoxae separated by a process which dilates posteriorly (2.5 times as long as broad), metaventral discrimen complete. Ratios of ventrites’ lengths: 1.0: 1.67: 1.67: 1.47: 1.67. Ventrite 1 with crenulations on anterior margin. Ventrite 2 with a few larger punctures near anterior margin. Last ventrite regularly rounded.

Male genitalia. Penis (L 0.45, W 0.2) trifid, with parameroids slightly longer than centema, trigonium very broad, triangular; tegmen (L 0.27, W 0.12) U-shaped, with long setae on outer margin of apices; sternite 8 reduced, minute (L 0.10, W 0.08), subtriangular; sternite 9 (L 0.40, W 0.23) Y-shaped, bifid in apical part; tergite 8 (L 0.27, W 0.30) with short apodemes and a row of setae on apical margin; tergite 9 (L 0.33, W 0.2) with longer apodemes and very subtle setation on apical margin.

Variability. Total length 1.88–2.43 (mean 2.17). Body varies from uniformly yellow to uniformly dark brown. Type form is bicoloured, with dark pronotum and lighter, yellowish elytra. Coloration of elytra varies from uniformly yellow, through yellow with darkened lateral margins, to uniformly brown. Pronotum varies from yellow to dark brown. Rarely, specimens may be uniformly yellowish-brown. Sometimes both mandibles are armed with a small denticle.

Female unknown.

Remarks. The description of Cyphon circumductus was based on a slightly less convex, light coloured, and unusually small (TL 1.9) specimen.

Male genitalia of Cyphon insularius are somewhat similar to those of species classified within the chlorizans -group of Cyphon Payk. ( Ruta 2007) , although several differences not allowing to classify it within this group are noticeable: penis is broader (penis is narrower in chlorizans -group), tegmen short and U-shaped (long and Y-shaped in chlorizans -group), sternite 9 Y-shaped (U-shaped, reduced and small or asymmetrical in chlorizans -group), tergite 9 has moderately long apodemes (often very long in chlorizans -group).

Figures

FIGURES 10 – 18. Cyphon insularius Champion. 10) habitus; 11) lectotype labels; 12) Cyphon circumductus, holotype labels; 13) penis; 14) tegmen; 15) sternite 8; 16) sternite 9; 17) tergite 8; 18) tergite 9. Scale bar = 0.2 mm (for Figs. 13 – 18).