Goudotostes rafanomezantsoai, Ballerio, 2021

Ballerio, Alberto, 2021, The Ceratocanthinae of Madagascar and Comoro Islands: a revision of the genera Synarmostes and Goudotostes, and of the flightless Philharmostes, with description of 64 new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea, Hybosoridae), Fragmenta entomologica 53 (2), pp. 105-282 : 191-192

Goudotostes rafanomezantsoai sp. nov.

( Figs 71 a-j, 77) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7A358C7AC53A-4A4B-8034-E833C684D83E

Type series. Holotype, ♂, deposited in the collection of the Field Museum of Natural history, Chicago, IL, USA, labelled as follows: / Madagascar: Province de Mahajanga, Rés. Anjanaharibe-Sud, Befingotra (6.5 km SSW), 14° 45’ S 49° 30’ E, 875 m, 19.X.1994, FMHD94-54, rainforest, Winkler extraction of sifted litter, B.L. Fisher, 1070 / Goudotostes rafanomezantsoai n. sp. det. A. Ballerio 2020 Holotypus ♂ / [distended, glued on card, dissected, male genitalia glued in DMHF resin on a separate card, same pin]. Paratypes [1 ♂ dissected]: 3 ♂♂ and 2 ♀♀, same collecting data as holotype (3 in FMNH and 2 in ABCB), same collecting data as holotype. 1 ♂ ( FMNH): Madagascar: Province de Mahajanga, Rés. Anjanaharibe-Sud, Befingotra (9.2 km WSW), 14° 45’ S 49° 25’ E, 1200 m, 9.XI.1994, FMHD94-56, montane rainforest, Winkler extraction of sifted litter, B.L. Fisher, 1192 /.

Diagnosis. Goudotostes rafanomezantsoai sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Goudotostes by the following combination of characters: a) small size, b) dorsal ocular area absent, c) clypeal apical projection pointed, d) clypeal punctation made of dense large deeply impressed simple punctures, e) fronto-clypeal tubercle present, f) pronotal anterior carina bilobate, g) pronotal basal carina bilobate, h) pronotal disc covered by relatively dense (interpunctural distance inferior than punctural diameter) large simple deeply impressed punctures, i) elytral dorsal area covered by sparse irregular blunt short carinae and tubercles, j) elytral first interstria (area between sutural stria and first longitudinal carina) with dense punctation (interpunctural distance inferior than punctural diameter), k) left paramere with ventral margin invaginated (a character which places this species in the laevis group of species), l) the distinctive shape of parameres (as in Figs 71 g-j). Within the laevis species group, Goudotostes rafanomezantsoai sp. nov. can be confused with Goudotostes rajemisonae sp. nov., from which differs mainly because of the elytral sculpturing: in G. rajemisonae sp. nov. elytra are covered by at least three rows of longitudinal carinae, sometimes shortly interrupted, whereas in G. rafanomezantsoai sp. nov. the longitudinal carinae are replaced by sparse irregular tubercles mixed to few very short carinae. The shape of paremeres is different too, with right paramere of G. rafanomezantsoai sp. nov. subtruncated, whereas in G. rajemisonae sp. nov. is broadly pointed.

Description. Size: HL = 0.9 mm; HW = 1.2 mm; PL = 1.1 mm; PW = 1.9 mm; EL = 2.0 mm; EW = 1.2 mm. Overall morphology as in generic diagnosis. Small-sized Goudotostes . Body strongly convex. Black, shiny, dorsum with extremely short fine setation (50×), underside, tarsi and antennae dark reddish-brown, setation yellowish-brown. Head: W/L ratio = 1.43; clypeal apex obtuse, sides almost rectilinear with slightly unaligned genae in correspondence with the genal suture; dorsal ocular area absent, genal canthus indistinct, ventral ocular area small-sized, genae acute, distinctly protruding outwards, genal suture indistinct; head dorsal surface uniformly covered by dense large impressed simple punctures, fore margin marked by few irregular transverse lines. Fronto-clypeal tubercle weakly raised. Interpunctural distance inferior than punctural diameter on clypeal disc. Pronotum: subrectangular (dorsal view) (W/L ratio = 1.85), convex and unevenly sculptured (discal area gently raised with respect to sides), fore angles broadly subtruncate; pronotal surface covered by dense large deep simple punctures becoming sparser smaller and comma-shaped at sides, area near fore angles with few irregular lines, interpunctural distance mostly as long as punctural diameter; pronotal bead complete although not visible from above along base; bilobate basal carina raised; bilobate anterior carina raised; pronotal sculpturing made of large and gently raised tubercles and carinae as follows: sides of disc with one gently raised transverse short carina and another distinctly raised transverse longer carina reaching outer margin. Scutellum : basal area and sides smooth, remaining surface covered by impressed transverse large comma-shaped punctures. Elytra: longer than wide (W/L ratio = 0.90), subovoidal (dorsal view), strongly convex; humeral callus marked by a tubercle; elytral surface covered by small deep sparse comma-shaped punctures with opening directed backwards, inwards or outwards, interpunctural distance almost equal to three times punctural diameter. Striated articular area hardly visible in lateral view, relatively narrow and short; inferior sutural stria visible complete; marginal area large-sized; elytral articular process well developed, smooth and shiny, isolated from remaining elytral surface by a deep furrow. Elytral sculpturing as follows: base with one raised large tubercle below articular process with apex directed backwards (parasutural tubercle), next to it a humeral oblique larger raised tubercle with apex directed backwards (humeral tubercle), dorsal area of elytra with sparse raised asymmetrically spaced out tubercles, sides and apical third with denser raised tubercles. Wings: flightless. Male genitalia: aedeagus (L = 1.3 mm) with parameres as in Figs 71 g-j, spiculum gastrale (L = 1.2 mm) as in Fig. 71 f .

Etymology. Noun in the genitive case. Named after Jean-Jacques Rafanomezantsoa ( Madagascar Biodiversity Center, Antananarivo), member of the Malagasy field team of CAS.

Distribution and habitat. Known only from the type locality. Collected by sifting litter in tropical dry forest. For details on the collecting locality see under Goudotostes simplicipennis sp. nov..

Figures

Fig. 71 – Goudotostes rafanomezantsoai sp. nov., a, holotype, dorsal view of distended specimen; b, paratype, ventral view of rolled up specimen; c, paratype, dorsal view of rolled up specimen; d, paratype, lateral view of rolled up specimen; e, paratype, pronotum of rolled up specimen; f, holotype, spiculum gastrale; g–j, holotype, four views of aedeagus.