Sveculus Gimmel, 2013

Gimmel, Matthew L., 2013, <strong> Genus-level revision of the family Phalacridae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) </ strong>, Zootaxa 3605 (1), pp. 1-147 : 72-74

18. Sveculus Gimmel , gen. nov.

( Figs. 21 ; 40f, g )

Type species: Sveculus lewisi , here designated.

Type material. See account of Sveculus lewisi below.

Diagnosis. This is the only genus of Phalacridae with the following combination of characters: protibia with long ctenidium, prosternal process with apical transparent laminar process, and metatarsomeres I and II subequal in length.

Description. Very small to small, total length 1.1–2.0 mm. Dorsal color solid testaceous to rufo-testaceous ( Figs. 40f, g ). Tibial spur formula 2-2-2, tarsal formula 5-5- 5 in both sexes.

Head. Not constricted behind eyes. Eyes small to medium-sized; facets flat; interfacetal setae absent; weakly emarginate medially; without posterior emargination; periocular groove absent; with transverse setose groove ventrally behind eye. Frontoclypeus not or barely emarginate above antennal insertion; clypeal apex arcuatetruncate. Antennal club 3-segmented, club weakly asymmetrical; antennomere XI constricted on anterior edge ( Fig. 21b ). Mandible ( Fig. 21a ) with apex bidentate; retinaculum absent; mandible without ventral ridge. Maxillary palpomere IV fusiform, short, nearly symmetrical; galea short, rounded; lacinia with two stout spines. Mentum with sides divergent toward apex; labial palpomere III fusiform. Labrum with apical margin arcuate. Gular sutures short, barely evident .

Thorax. Pronotum with microsetae present, distinct; with scutellar lobe weakly to moderately developed. Prosternum anteriorly with continuous row of marginal setae, setae flattened at base; procoxal cavity without anterolateral notchlike extension; prosternal process angulate in lateral view, sometimes conspicuously setose preapically, with broad horizontal translucent process at apex, apex without row of spinelike setae. Protrochanter without setae; protibia with ctenidium on kickface, extending about two-thirds length of tibia ( Fig. 21c ). Scutellar shield small. Elytron with spectral iridescence present or absent; with one weak sutural stria or stria absent; disc without even rudimentary striae or rows of punctures; with weak to strong transverse strigae, or strigae absent; lateral margin with row of tiny, sawtooth-like setae. Mesoventral plate ( Fig. 21f ) deeply notched anteriorly, extending posteriorly to metaventrite, not forming procoxal rests; mesanepisternum with complete transverse carina; mesocoxal cavities separated by slightly more than half width of a coxal cavity. Mesotarsomere III not bilobed. Metaventral process ( Fig. 21f ) not extending to anterior level of mesocoxae; metaventral postcoxal lines narrowly separated from mesocoxal cavity margin; discrimen short, extending less than halfway to anterior margin of metaventral process; metendosternite ( Fig. 21g ) with anterior tendons moderately separated, ventral process intersecting ventral longitudinal flange behind anterior margin. Anterior margin of metacoxa with emargination sublaterally; metacoxal plate with transverse line; metatibial foreface with apical ctenidium roughly perpendicular overall to long axis of tibia, or slightly oblique; spurs cylindrical, longest spur subequal to width of tibial apex; metatarsomere I subequal to metatarsomere II or I slightly shorter, joint between I and II rigid ( Fig. 21d ). Hind wing ( Fig. 21e ) with distinct, ovate anal lobe; leading edge with incomplete row of long setae at level of RA +ScP; AA 3+4 absent; cubitoanal system unbranched apically; MP 3+4 with long, unbranched distal remnant; r4 absent; flecks present in apical field distal to rp-mp2; long transverse proximal sclerite and faint triangular sclerite present just distal to end of radial bar.

Abdomen. Abdominal ventrite I without paired lines or calli; spiracles apparently absent from segment VII. Male with aedeagus upright in repose; tegmen ( Fig. 21h ) with symmetrical anterior margin and parameres hinged to basal piece, parameres without medial longitudinal division; penis ( Fig. 21i ) narrowed apically, with pair of endophallic sclerites, apex simple; spiculum gastrale V-shaped, arms free, with oblique anterior extension. Female ovipositor weakly sclerotized, palpiform.

Immature stages. Unknown.

Bionomics. Most specimens with ecological data were collected using Malaise or flight intercept traps or by fogging. Two Mindanao specimens were collected “under bark of log,” while one was collected “on decaying fleshy, gilled bracket fungus.” No material has been identified in the adult gut. None are known to have been collected at light.

Distribution and diversity. Southeast Asia from Thailand and the Malay Peninsula through Borneo, Sulawesi, and Mindanao, to Queensland, New South Wales, and Australian Capital Territory, Australia. This genus also occurs in Madagascar. Despite having examined a large amount of material from New Guinea, I have not seen specimens from that island. There are several morphospecies in collections, all apparently undescribed.

Included species (1):

Sveculus lewisi Gimmel , sp. nov. (Distribution: southeast Asia)

Etymology. This genus is named in honor of Dr. Zdeněk Švec of Prague, Czech Republic, in recognition of his significant contributions to understanding the phalacrid fauna of the Old World. The gender of the name is masculine.

Figures

FIGURE 21. Sveculus lewisi, male. (a) Left mandible, dorsal; (b) left antenna (scale bar = 0.5 mm). (c) Left protibia and tarsus, dorsal; (d) right metatibia and tarsus, ventral (scale bar = 0.5 mm). (e) Hind wing (scale bar = 1.0 mm). (f) Meso- and metaventrite, ventral (scale bar = 0.5 mm). (g) Metendosternite (scale bar = 0.5 mm). (h) Tegmen, ventral; (i) penis, ventral (scale bar = 0.5 mm). Female. (j) Spermatheca (scale bar = 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 40. Photographs. Olibroporus punctatus: (a) dorsal. Pycinus sp.: (b) dorsal; (c) ventral. Ochrolitus rubens: (d) dorsal; (e) ventral. Sveculus lewisi, holotype: (f) dorsal; (g) ventral. Tolyphus (Tolyphus) granulatus: (h) dorsal; (i) head and pronotum laterally, showing eye facets.