Toktokkus, Kaminski & Gearner, 2021

Kamiński, Marcin J., Gearner, Olivia M., Kanda, Kojun, Swichtenberg, Kali, Purchart, Luboš & Smith, Aaron D., 2021, First insights into the phylogeny of tok-tokkie beetles (Tenebrionidae: Molurina, Phanerotomeina) and examination of the status of the Psammodes vialis species-group, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 191, pp. 883-901 : 895-896

TOKTOKKUS CONGOLENSIS KAMIŃSKI & GEARNER

( FIG. 3B )

lsid urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:86883CCF-78A5-4DD3-A2C6-0AFA496EB42A

Type material: Holotype ( BMNH), male: ‘ Congo / 80-32’.

Diagnosis: This species is most similar to T. waclawae due to its large, dense, confluent tubercles, but can be distinguished by the apex of the elytra, which is straight and depressed with raised margins ( Fig. 3B ), while in T. waclawae this structure is sloped and lacking a depression.

Description: Length 30.0 mm, width of pronotum 9.0 mm and elytra 12.0 mm. Head: Hypognathous. Frons finely punctate (2–4 diameters apart) except at middle; frontoclypeal suture course, with deep groove in middle; apical clypeal margin broadly shallowly emarginate to non-emarginate; clypeus projected toward front of body; apical margin of labrum shallowly emarginate medially, scattered punctation in apical half, margin of labrum densely covered with yellowish, acuminate setae. Eye comma-shaped, with reduced ventral part, strongly emarginate around epistomal base; with deep groove on temporal side. Mentum trapezoidal, with straight base, not fully filling buccal cavity; anterior margin not emarginate. Submentum semicircular, concave basally. Antenna slender, moderately covered in recumbent acuminate goldish setae; antennomere 2 short, equal to 0.2 of antennomere 3 length; antennomere 4 about twothirds of antennomere 3 length; length of antenna equal to or slightly longer than pronotal length. Prothorax: Pronotal lateral margin rounded, well visible. Pronotum widest above middle. Disc dull, impunctate; anterior margin complete, basal margin absent at middle, anterior apices strongly produced. Hypomeron convex, without submarginal groove, impunctate. Prosternal process rounded in lateral view, longitudinally depressed in middle (ventral view). Anterior margin of prosternum straight. Pterothorax: Scutellum densely covered with microtubercles. Elytra widest in basal third, slightly rounded; disc impunctate, without tubercles in middle; lateral part covered with nearly confluent tubercles organized in rows; declivous portion on each elytron with additional 3–4 tuberculate rows. Elytral slope relatively steep, elytral apex depressed with raised margin. Epipleura, impunctate, not tuberculate, clearly distinguishable from neighbouring portion of elytra, widely enfolding fifth ventrite. Mesoventrite with deep median groove and elevated sides. Metaventrite impunctate, setose. Lateral regions of metaventrite (between coxae) short. Metaepisternal suture abbreviated posteriorly. Legs: Covered with goldish setae. Procoxa exposed basally. Apex of protibia with prominent denticle on outer margin, lateral carina terminating at middle to basal third; median spur reduced, about half of outer lateral spur length. Spurs on meso- and metatibiae of equal length. Tarsi narrowed laterally. Abdomen: Ventrites 1–4 medially densely covered with goldish setae, weakly punctate and weakly rugulose; ventrite 5 without submarginal sulcus, densely punctured (~0.5 diameters apart), each puncture with single goldish setae. Terminalia: Due to scarcity of available specimens, terminalia were not dissected.

Etymology: Specific epithet is derived from type locality, Congo, an area in Central Africa surrounding the Congo River.

Figures

Figure 3. Habitus, morphological details, and labels of the newly discovered species representing Toktokkus: A, holotype of Toktokkus barclayi Kamiński & Gearner sp. nov.; B, holotype of T. congolensis Kamiński & Gearner sp. nov.; C, paratype of T. tschinkeli Kamiński & Gearner sp. nov.; D, holotype of T. herero Gearner sp. nov.; E, paratype of T. makuya Gearner sp. nov.; F, holotype of T. waclawae Kamiński sp. nov. Scale bar = 10.0 mm.