Kuschelidium sarawakense, Darby, Michael, 2019

Darby, Michael, 2019, New Ptiliidae (Coleoptera) from Sarawak in the spirit collection of the Natural History Museum, London, European Journal of Taxonomy 512, pp. 1-50 : 23-24

Kuschelidium sarawakense sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8B032B6E-E974-4BA3-99CA-0B3917C53279

Fig. 11

Diagnosis

Quickly separated from the two other species of Kuschelidium by the large size of the spatulate mesoventral plate.

Etymology

Named after the district where it was found.

Type material

Holotype MALAYSIA-BORNEO • ♀; Sarawak, Mulu ; 13 Mar. 1978; N.M. Collins leg.; pitfalls in alluvial forest; BMNH.

Description

SIZE. Habitus ( Fig. 11A ), length 0.72 mm.

COLOUR. Body ovoid, narrowing posteriorly, dark yellowish, densely covered with fine pubescence. Legs and antennae paler yellow.

HEAD. Head and antennal insertions concealed beneath pronotum in dorsal view but eyes visible; distance across eyes 0.29 mm, antennal grooves present ( Fig. 11B ). Mentum very contracted length 0.03 mm, width 0.06 mm, without prominent setae in the anterior corners and with a wide anterior margin; submentum with two setae only ( Fig. 11B ). Labrum densely pubescent. Antennomeres III–VIII length 0.13 mm, antennomere V slightly longer than IV and VI, antennomeres IX–XI length 0.12 mm forming a loosely jointed club.

PRONOTUM. Strongly domed, anterior margin with projecting corners to acco mmodate eyes, posterior margin sinuate the medial portion shallowly concave and the corners acutely angled. Prosternum almost absent in front of procoxae. Mesosternum with a large spatulate plate of length 0.22 mm, width 0.25 mm, covering the pro- and mesocoxae and extending over half of the metaventrum, the hind margin with an incursion to allow for the raised medial portion of the metasternum ( Fig. 11D ).

ELYTRA. Length 0.44 mm, width 0.42 mm, leaving three abdominal tergites exposed.

VENTRUM. Metaventrum short, no epiventral sutures apparent, metacoxae almost contiguous separated by short rounded process, coxal plates large rounded/triangular ( Fig. 11C ). Wings of usual ptiliid form.

ABDOMEN. Pygidium ( Fig. 11E ).

FEMALE GENITALIA. Spermatheca very small and difficult to locate ( Fig. 11B ).

MALE GENITALIA. Not known.

Remarks

Placed in Kuschelidium on grounds of priority. The size of the mesoventral spatulate plate which is much larger than that of any described species of Kuschelidium begs the question as to whether the new species belongs in a different genus. I have seen an undescribed species from Tioman, Malaysia, with a similar plate of smaller size but larger than K. maori and given the presence of this possibly transitional species, it seems safer to assign the new species to Kuschelidium until more specimens have been found to provide a better basis for analysis. Although the specimen was not found in association with termites its peculiar morphological modifications do suggest a life adapted for the hostile environment of the termites’ nest.

Figures

Fig. 11. Kuschelidium sarawakense sp. nov. A. Dorsal habitus. B. Spermatheca. C. Head ×695. D. Ventral habitus ×370. E. Pygidium.