Vietnalia, Novák, 2021

Novák, Vladimír, 2021, New genera of Alleculinae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Alleculinae: Alleculini) from the Oriental Region. Part XI-Vietnalia gen. nov., Zootaxa 4920 (3), pp. 439-444 : 440

Vietnalia gen. nov.

( Figs 1–11 )

Type species. Vietnalia catcatica sp. nov.

Description. Habitus as in Fig. 1 , body outline ( Fig. 2 ), oval, slightly convex, shiny, dorsal surface almost glabrous with punctation, widest near two thirds of elytral length. Head (as in Fig. 4 ) slightly wider than long. Eyes moderately large, transverse, distinctly excised, space between eyes wider than diameter of one eye, wider than length of each antennomere, approximately as wide as width of ultimate maxillary palpomere. Antennae (as in Fig. 5 ) slightly exceeding half body length, ultimate antennomere longest, antennomere 4 approximately as long as antennomere 3. Maxillary palpus (as in Fig. 6 ), ultimate palpomere transverse, strongly widened apically, widely triangular. Pronotum (as in Fig. 4 ) glabrous, wide, transverse, widest in middle, lateral margins with angle in middle. Elytra glabrous, oval, widest near two thirds elytra length. Legs narrow, protarsomeres 3, 4, mesotarsomeres 4 and metatarsomeres 3 widened and lobed. Tarsal claws with visible teeth in inner side. Abdomen with 6 visible ventrites, penultimate ventrite with large, triangular impression in middle, ultimate ventrite with rounded impression and roundly excised in middle of apex (as in Fig. 8 ). Aedeagus unusually shaped as in Fig. 9 , apical piece as in Figs 10, 11 .

Female ( Figs 3, 7 ) has pronotum wider and shorter than in male, antenna not reaching half body length, ultimate maxillary palpomere slightly narrower and shorter than in male, abdomen with only 5 visible ventrites, penultimate ventrite without impression in middle, ultimate ventrite with shallow impression in middle and straight in apex.

Differential diagnosis. The new Alleculine genus (tribe Alleculini , subtribe Alleculina ) Vietnalia gen. nov. including the species Vietnalia catcatica sp. nov. from Vietnam (Lao Cai Province) is similar (shape of body) to the species of the genus Doranalia Novák, 2020 and Nikomenalia Dubrovina, 1975 from Southeastern or Eastern Asia. Vietnalia catcatica distinctly differs from Doranalia and Nikomenalia species particularly by antennomere 3 approximately as long as antennomere 4 in males and slightly longer than antennomere 4 in females, by ultimate maxillary palpomere widely triangular, transverse, strongly widened apically, female has antenna shorter than half body length, male abdomen has 6 visible ventrites, male ultimate and penultimate abdominal ventrites have impressions, male ultimate abdominal ventrite is excised. Male space between eyes is distinctly wider than in males of Doranalia spp. Doranalia and Nikomenalia species have antennomere 4 distinctly longer than antennomere 3, ultimate palpomere is axe shaped or knife shaped, antennae of females almost exceeding half body length, male abdomen has 5 visible ventrites, male ultimate and penultimate abdominal ventrites have no impressions, male ultimate abdominal ventrite is not excised. Males of Doranalia spp. have space between eyes very narrow.

Etymology. The compound name formed by “Viet” marking abbreviation of the place of its distribution ( Vietnam) and the ending “nalia” marking similarity to the genus Doranalia Mulsant, 1856. Gender: feminine.

Distribution. Vietnam.

Figures

FIGURES 1–11: Vietnalia catcatica sp. nov. (Figs 1, 2, 4–6, 8–11: male holotype): 1—Habitus; 2—body outline; 3—habitus of female; 4—head and pronotum; 5—antenna; 6—maxillary palpus; 7—female maxillary palpus; 8—abdomen; 9—aedeagus; 10—apical piece of aedeagus, dorsal view; 11—apical piece of aedeagus, lateral view.