Niptella, 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 : 25

Niptella gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:73AC2927-0DF7-4BA7-BF3A-FBC6E0D52586

Type species

Niptella gutta gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology

The name is an anagram of the genus name Ptinella .

Description

Body shallowly convex, rather broad, with clear reticulation, densely foveolate and pubescent, the pubescence, barely overlapping, longer along the lateral margins. Head broad, with a row of pustulate setae behind the eyes; mentum with sharply pointed anterior angles, the two longer anterior setae set behind two shorter setae, disc with two rows of two setae, reticulation sharply marked, submentum with four prominent setae at lateral margins; antennae 11 segmented, antennomeres XI–XI forming a loosely jointed club. Pronotum with two depressions marked by coarser reticulation, sides evenly rounded to obtuse posterior angles, lateral and posterior margins with a fine raised border, scutellum triangular sharply pointed. Metascutellum without lateral setae. Elytra evenly rounded, without epipleura, setae arising from concave border of cells. Proventrum, reticulate, broad in front of contiguous procoxae, with a ridged anterior border and row of short setae, coxal cavities closed behind. Mesoventrum reticulate, without pubescence, collar not extending onto the humeri which are sharply toothed, lateral and posterior margins evenly rounded, keel rounded anteriorly not reaching collar, flat topped and ‘teardrop’ shaped, extending to a point between the mesocoxae. Metaventrum reticulate and pubescent, posterior margin between metacoxae broad, half the width of the sclerite, without lateral points, metepisternal sutures absent. Pygidium with a small medial point. Female spermatheca very small, globular. Male aedeagus arcuate with a short projection at the anterior end.

Remarks

The form of the mesoventral keel distinguishes this genus from all others in the Ptinellini . (Darby, unpublished). Throscidium species have a similarly shaped keel, but the sharply defined semi-circular lateral margins of the mesoventrum of that genus are entirely different.