Laena johorica, Schawaller & Bellersheim, 2024

Schawaller, Wolfgang & Bellersheim, Aron, 2024, New species and records of the genus Laena Dejean (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Lagriinae) from the Malay Peninsula, Zootaxa 5529 (2), pp. 396-400 : 396-397

Laena johorica sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 3 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, Malaysia, Johor, 15 km NW Johor Bahru, Gn. Pulai , westside, 300–400 m, 28.IX.2007, leg. A. Schulz & P. Schwendinger (no. 8), SMNK . Paratypes. Same data as for holotype, 14 ex. SMNK , 6 ex. SMNS .

Description. Body length 2.3–4.2 mm. Eyes in dorsal view not prominent, feebly convex.Antennomeres slender ( Fig. 1 ). Pronotum widest across middle or shortly before, dorsally covered with separate punctures, intervening spaces 1–3 puncture diameters, most punctures provided with long erect setae; surface convex in dorsal aspect and shiny, pronotal disc without longitudinal impression; lateral pronotal margin rounded, marked and crenulate but not beaded; anterior pronotal margin not excavated, posterolateral angles rounded; prothoracic hypomera with sparser punctation than that on pronotum and without setation. Elytra oval with longitudinal rows of punctures without striae, punctures in rows of similar size as those on pronotum, most punctures provided with long erect setae; intervals with a row of fine punctures, some bearing a long seta, all intervals feebly convex, elytral surface shiny, lateral elytral margin feebly crenulate; interval nine without protruding setiferous pores. All femora without denticles or angles. Tibiae in both sexes without modifications. Aedeagus as in Fig. 3 , apicale triangular with acute apex.

Diagnosis. Laena johorica sp. nov. appears quite similar to Laena jeraica Schawaller, 2014 from Kedah (northwest Malaysia). Both share the small body size (2.3–4.2 mm), the feebly convex eyes in dorsal view, the slender antennomeres, the similar shape of the pronotum and its crenulated lateral margin, the long erect setation on the pronotum and elytra, and the unarmed femora. However, in L. johorica sp. nov. the elytral interval nine is without protruding setiferous pores (setiferous pores present and slightly protruding in L. jeraica ), and the apicale of the adeagus is triangular with acute apex (triangular with rounded apex in L. jeraica ).

Etymology. Named after Johor, the southernmost Malaysian Federal State, where the type series was collected.

Figures

FIGURES 1–2. Dorsal view of Laena species from West Malaysia. 1. L. johorica sp. nov., paratype SMNS. 2. L. ledangica sp. nov., holotype SMNK. Scale bar: 2.0 mm.

FIGURES 3–4. Aedeagi of Laena species from West Malaysia. 3. L. johorica sp. nov., paratype SMNS. 4. L. ledangica sp. nov., holotype SMNK. Scale bar: 1.0 mm.