Scirtes seychellensis Champion, 1924

Ruta, Rafal, 2008, Contribution to the knowledge of Seychellois Scirtidae (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea), Zootaxa 1913, pp. 49-68 : 57-59

Scirtes seychellensis Champion, 1924

( Figs. 30–37 )

Type material (15 males). Lectotype (present designation), male. Mounted on card bearing number 84 [Mare aux Cochons District, 1000-2000ft., 26.i.1909]; “ Type / H. T.” (round label, printed); “ Mahe, 1908-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “Percy Sladen / Trust Exped. / Brit. Mus. / 1926-246.” (printed label); “ Scirtes / seychellensis / type Ch” (handwritten); “ LECTOTYPUS / Scirtes seychellensis / Champion, 1924 / des. R. Ruta 2007 ” (red label, printed). Deposited in NHM. Paralectotypes. 3 males: Mounted on cards bearing number 84 [Mare aux Cochons District, 1000-2000ft., 26.i.1909]; “ Type / H. T.” (round label, printed); “ Mahe, 1908-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “Percy Sladen / Trust Exped. / Brit. Mus. / 1926-246.” (printed label); “ Scirtes / seychellensis / type Ch” (handwritten); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Scirtes seychellensis / Champion, 1924 / des. R. Ruta 2007 ” (red label, printed). Deposited in NHM. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 97 (or 94?, illegibly handwritten) [Cascade Estate, c. 1000ft., ii-iii.1909]; “ Type / H. T.” (round label, printed); “ Mahe, 1908-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “Percy Sladen / Trust Exped. / Brit. Mus. / 1926-246.” (printed label); “ Scirtes / seychellensis / type Ch” (handwritten); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Scirtes seychellensis / Champion, 1924 / des. R. Ruta 2007 ” (red label, printed). Deposited in NHM. 1 male: Mounted on card bearing number 94 [Cascade Estate, c. 1000ft., ii-iii.1909]; “ Mahe, 1908-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Scirtes seychellensis / Champion, 1924ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2007 ” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 2 males: Mounted on cards bearing number 95 [ Mahe, Cascade Estate, forest, 1000-2000ft., ii. 1909]; “ Mahe, 1908-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “PARALECTOTY- PUS / Scirtes seychellensis / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 3 males: Mounted on cards bearing number 84 [Cascade Estate, c. 1000ft., ii-iii.1909]; “ Mahe, 1908- 9. / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Scirtes seychellensis / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ. 4 males: Mounted on a single card bearing illegible notes (handwritten in pencil); “Marsh at summit of / pass, 2000 ft., Mare aux / Cochons district, 26.i - / 2.ii.1909 / Mahe 1908-9. / Seychelles Exp.” (handwritten/printed label); “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Scirtes seychellensis / Champion, 1924, ɗ / des. R. Ruta 2008” (red label, printed). Deposited in CUMZ.

Diagnosis. Externally identical to S. confinis sp. nov.; distinguishable from this and other similar species on the base of morphology of male genitalia (penis symmetrical, with long parameroids, tegmen symmetrical, tergite 8 consisting of two hemitergites with setae on apices).

Redescription. Lectotype, male. Measurements: TL 1.9, EW 1.2, EL 1.63, PW 0.9, PL 0.43, HW 0.55, HL 0.23, interocular space 0.33, greatest depth of body 0.63.

Body oblong oval, flattened, covered with yellowish hairs. Elytra, scutellum, head and ventrum brown, pronotum lighter, yellowish-brown. Legs light brown, antennae with first 3 antennomeres yellow, remaining ones brown. Body 1.58 times as long as broad.

Head 2.4 times as broad as long, 1.67 times wider than interocular space, with subtle granulate punctation, eyes moderately protuberant. Antennae filiform, reaching base of elytra, antennomere 1 subcylindrical, 2 subglobular, antennomere 3 shortest, antennomere 4 longest; length ratios of antennomeres 1.5: 1.5: 1.0: 1.75: 1.75: 1.75: 1.75: 1.5: 1.5: 1.25: 1.5; length/width ratios of antennomeres 1.5, 1.5, 2.0, 2.33, 2.33, 2.33, 2.33, 2.0, 2.0, 1.67, 2.0. Clypeus semirectangular, with slightly emarginate anterior margin, lateral edges explanate. Labrum reduced, hidden under clypeus. Mandibles subtriangular, small, reduced.

Pronotum small, almost semicircular, anterior angles rounded, 2.1 times as broad as long, widest at posterior angles. Pronotum with subtle punctation. Posterior margin of pronotum bisinuate.

Scutellum subtriangular, with subtle punctation. Base of elytra only slightly wider than base of pronotum.

Elytra elongate oval, without longitudinal ridges, 1.36 times as long as broad and 3.8 times as long as pronotum. Sides rounded, regularly converging to apex. Humeri slightly protruding. Punctation relatively dense and deep, punctures fusing into transverse lines, distance between punctures = 0.5 diameter. Epipleura gradually narrowing, reduced in apical part. Hind wings fully developed.

Prosternal process elongate, laminar, forming a sharp ridge, apex tempered. Mesocoxae separated by a very long (ca. 4 times as long as wide) process with subparallel sides slightly dilating in apical portion, metaventral discrimen indistinct. Metacoxae touching one another. Ratios of ventrites’ lengths: 1.0: 2.0: 1.9: 1.9: 1.7. Last ventrite emarginated. Ventrite 2 with a few larger punctures on mesal portion of anterior margin. Metafemora enlarged, ca. 5 times broader than metatibia. Metatibial spurs present, almost straight, as long as 2/3 length of 1st tarsomere, with small tooth on margin. Shorter spur as long as 0.4 length of the length of the longer spur.

Male genitalia. Penis (L 0.16, W 0.06) with very narrow parameroids and reduced centema; tegmen (L 0.24, W 0.07) bifid in apical half; sternite 9 (L 0.11, W 0.07) minute, subrectangular, explanate at apices; tergite 8 (L 0.30, W 0.15) consisting of two hemitergites, each with several setae at apex; tegite 9 (L 0.24, W 0.17) with row of setae on apical margin.

Variability. Total length 1.83–2.0 (mean 1.92, n = 15). Coloration almost invariate, pronotum always distinctly lighter than head and elytra, yellowish. Elytra and head brown.

Female unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 30 – 37. Scirtes seychellensis Champion. 30) habitus; 31) lectotype labels; 32) male genitalia; 33) penis; 34) tegmen; 35) sternite 9; 36) tergite 8; 37) tergite 9. Scale bar = 0.2 mm (for Figs. 33 – 37).