Eucurtiopsis corbarai, Tishechkin, 2009

Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2009, Discovery of Chlamydopsinae (Insecta, Coleoptera, Histeridae) in Vanuatu with the description of eight new species from Espiritu Santo Island, Zoosystema 31 (3), pp. 661-690 : 668-670

Eucurtiopsis corbarai n. sp.

( Fig. 5 )

HOLOTYPE. — “ VANUATU: Santo I., Cumberland Peninsula , Saratsi Range at 14.9626°S 166.6485°E. 600 m Flight intercept FL6B-5. 9-10 Nov 2006. A. K.Tishechkin AT648 / HOLOTYPE Eucurtiopsis corbarai sp. n. A. Tishechkin des. 2008”, ♀ point-mounted ( MNHN).

PARATYPES (3). — Same locality and date as the holotype, flight intercept trap, A. K. Tishechkin coll., 1 ♀ (coll. AKT). — Saratsi Range, 14.9657°S, 166.6521°E, 700 m, flight intercept trap, 30.XI-1.XII.2006, A. K.Tishechkin coll., 1 ♀ ( MNHN). — Saratsi Range, 14.9667°S, 166.6560°E, 900 m, flight intercept trap, 16.XI.2006, A. K. Tishechkin coll., also bears the following label “DNA Extraction TAK-0003. May 2009 Baton Rouge”, 1 ♀ ( MNHN).

ETYMOLOGY. — Th e species honours Bruno Corbara of Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand, a true leader of the IBISCA Team , in appreciation of his inspiring enthusiasm for bringing people together to study poorly known tropical insect communities and great moments of joint fieldwork across the globe.

DESCRIPTION

L: 1.36; W: 0.90; E/Pn L: 1.93; E/Pn W: 1.56; Pn W/L: 1.18; E L/W: 1.05; Pr/Py: 0.89; Sterna: 0.42, 0.08, 0.37; Tibiae: 0.36, 0.42, 0.46. Body ( Fig. 5A ) elongate, rufescent brown, with antennae and legs somewhat paler, prothorax substantially narrower than elytra. Frons ( Fig. 5D ) 1.5 times longer than wide, sides weakly arcuate, incised at antennal bases, narrowed anteriorly, covered with deep, dense, mostly elongate punctures, with two parallel, longitudinal rows consisting of four irregular blunt tubercles arranged into indistinct ridges, each tubercle with a cluster of long branched setae; labrum weakly convex, semicircular, with few setae, punctation similar to that on frons; mandibles strongly bent, with long narrow tips, with few setae and small punctures on smooth outer edges; maxillar palpi with three palpomeres, labial palpi with two palpomeres, mentum apparently present as separate sclerite, separating suture present at least in laterobasal areas; antennal scape elongate triangular, 1.4 times longer than wide, with inner edge weakly inwardly arcuate, its surface more or less flat, with apical angle bluntly rounded, disc densely punctuate throughout with oval punctures, with conspicuous long branched setae; antennal funicle and club (of female) about one-half, and three-quarters length of scape, respectively.

Pronotum ( Fig. 5A, C ) with posterior margin shallowly obtusely angular, with sides unmargined, straight, faintly narrowed anteriorly; antennal cavities partially visible from above, with pronotal margin not elevated above; medial portion of pronotal margin unelevated, weakly arcuate; marginal striae visible from above only near base, then abruptly descend downwards to meet supracoxal striae, ascend again anteriorly towards antennal sockets; pronotal dorsum strongly convex, densely and deeply punctate throughout, with eight parallel, longitudinal rows of blunt tubercles arranged into indistinct ridges, two outer ridges on each side much less regularly linearly arranged than discal ridges, each ridge consisting of four or five tubercles, clumps of elongate branched setae present on every tubercle, several single setae present along lateral sides of pronotum. Prosternum ( Fig. 5B ) with anterior margin broadly concave, marginal stria represented by series of elongate wrinkles; prosternal disc evenly convex, keel elevated between procoxae, flattened, slightly expanded posteriorly, emarginate at apex, disc densely punctate throughout, punctures primarily elongate, short branched setae scattered throughout the prothorax surface.

Scutellum ( Fig. 5A ) tiny, sunk below the elytralpronotal plane, very poorly visible. Elytra ( Fig. 5A, C ) with sides weakly arcuate, widest around anterior trichome process; humeral trichome prominent, elevated, longitudinally oriented, anterior process rising almost vertically at base till transverse ridge, weakly obliquely rising thereafter, surface of its anterior part weakly convex with slight transverse concavity in the middle; posterior process less robust, evenly rising towards anterior one, its surface evenly convex; trichome with setae only along apical edges of processes,shallowly excavate beneath setose fringe, width of the fringe more than one-third of elytral width, trichome gap wide,about one-seventh of elytra length, fringe setae long and densely packed; dorsum of elytral disc with punctation occupying most of posterior half (although only few punctures present at lateral margins near posterior one-fourth) and a small cluster of punctures around scutellum with a single row of punctures extending to the middle of anterior elytral margin, no punctation present on and between trichome elevations except of mentioned prescutellar cluster; punctures deep and elongate, sparsely spaced, branched setae present throughout, being larger and clustered into separate clumps or looser groups in punctated areas and smaller and evenly distributed across smooth surfaces; sutural stria thin, but distinct, abbreviate in posterior onethird; epipleuron smooth and glabrous, with sparsely scattered short branched setae; marginal epipleural stria distinct, elevated above metafemur, continuous with complete marginal elytral stria; no traces of accessory epipleural stria present.

Mesoventrite ( Fig. 5B ) wide, short, weakly convex, bluntly projecting at middle, no traces of marginal stria present, surface with dense, deep, elongate punctures; mesometaventral suture and median suture of metaventrite finely impressed, complete, but inconspicuous, lateral stiae of metaventrite present, elevated, enclosing largely impunctate depression for mesotibiae in repose; disc of metaventrite punctate throughout, primarily with circular punctures, with larger, denser and more elongate along anterior and lateral margins; first abdominal ventrite similarly punctate, punctures being on average larger and denser than on disc of metaventrite, with postmetacoxal line originating at metacoxa, extended directly posteriorly close to edge of sternite, curving laterad, terminating freely just before reaching epipleuron; surfaces of meso- and metaventrite and first abdominal ventrite with scattered short inconspicuous branched setae. Profemora ( Fig. 5B, C ) with dense punctures in basal two-thirds, becoming impunctate toward apex, with posterior margins obtusely angular in basal third, meso- and metafemora impunctate, their margins arcuate, metafemora much more robust than mesofemora; protibia with prominent angle at basal one-third of outer margins, meso- and metatibiae with outer margins more bluntly angulate, around midpoint; all tibiae longitudinally convex, meso- and metatibia with longitudinal sulci along inner edge; tarsi weakly compressed laterally about 0.6-0.7 times length of corresponding tibiae; tarsal claws simple, divergent, almost straight, about 0.4 times length of corresponding apical tarsomere.

Propygidium twice as wide as midline length, weakly convex; pygidium nearly as long as wide, weakly convex; both with punctures and setae as on the posterior half of elytral disc.

Figures

FIG. 5. — Eucurtiopsis corbarai n. sp., habitus: A, dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, lateral view; D, frontal view. Scale bar: A, B, 0.5 mm.