Promethis crassihornis, Ba, Yi-Bin & Ren, Guo-Dong, 2009

Ba, Yi-Bin & Ren, Guo-Dong, 2009, Taxonomy of Promethis Pascoe (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) on Hainan Island, China, Zootaxa 2064, pp. 27-38 : 28-29

Promethis crassihornis sp. nov.

Figs. 1 – 11 , 117

Type material. Holotype 3, Mt. Diaoluo, Wanning County, Hainan Province, 17 – 18 November 2006, collected by Ren Guodong. Paratypes: 13, 1Ƥ, same data as holotype.

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to P. sinuatocollis Kaszab , but differs from the latter by: protibiae strongly incurved in apical 1/ 4 in male; pronotal punctures rounded, dense and joined; elytral intervals very convex. The new species also resembles P. pauperula , but the length of terminal segment of metatarsus is equal to the sum of the basal 3 segments; pronotal punctures joined on the sides; the base of 1st segment of abdomen without groove; aedeagus narrower, and the basal piece of aedeagus 2.0 times as long as paramera.

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latinized word “crassi” and is a combination of word “hornis”, and refers to the strong antennae.

Description. Body oblong-oval, weakly convex. Color black, head and pronotum weakly shiny, elytra shiny.

Head nearly hexagonal. Clypeus conversely trapezoidal, punctures sparse, and gradually finer and denser to apex, anterior margin straight, frontoclypeal suture narrow. Frons with dense punctures, and somewhat lessened backwards; genae broadly arcuate, and approximately parallel ahead of eyes. Eyes nearly transverse, somewhat broader than genae; the interval of eyes 2.4 times as broad as transverse diameter of eye. Antennae broad, reaching base of pronotum; the 8th, 9th and 10th segments approximately square, terminal segment rectangular; relative length (width) ratio of the 2nd to 11th segments as follows: 34(36): 72(36): 78(44): 68(48): 68(53): 62(52): 59(55): 54(55): 52(54): 75(54). Mentum conversely trapezoidal, with mushroom-form apophysis on middle, and with sparse long hairs.

Pronotum approximately square, about 1.2 times as broad as long, broadest at middle; disc roughly shagreened, rounded punctures coarse and joined, longitudinal middle groove deeply concave; anterior margin straight, bordered only on sides; lateral margins broadly arcuate, and straight near base; basal margin feebly bisinuous, thickly bordered; anterior angles roundly obtuse, posterior ones acute.

Elytra oblong-oval, about 1.8 times as long as broad, and about 3.1 times as long as pronotum; lateral margins approximately parallel, broadest at apical 1/3; striae strong; interval convex, finely and sparsely punctate.

Propleura strongly and sparsely punctate on middle, and finely and shallowly so on sides. Prosternum finely and densely punctate, prosternal process shallowly concave on middle, broadly bordered apically. Mesosternum broadly V-shaped, coarsely and densely punctate on sides, and rugose on middle. Base of 1st abdominal segment without long groove; basal 3 segments of abdomen shallowly, densely and longitudinally rugose, the 4th and 5th segments finely and densely punctate; anal segment without groove apically. Basal piece of aedeagus 2.0 times as long as paramera, lateral margin approximately parallel; paramera gradually narrowing to apex, rounded apically, dorsal view shallowly concave on median part.

Protibiae strongly incurved and with short hairs in apical 1/4. Meso- and metatibiae straight, apices feebly dilated. The ratio of relative length of metatarsi 1st to 4th segments as follows: 35: 10: 13: 60.

Female. Protibiae feebly incurved in apical 1/4.

Measurements. Body length. 22.0 mm; width. 8.5 mm.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 11. Promethis crassihornis sp. nov. 1. Head; 2. Pronotum; 3. Antenna; 4. Protibia; 5. Metatibia and tarsus; 6. Spiculum ventrale of female; 7. Spiculum ventrale of male; 8. Mentum; 9 – 11. Aedeagus in ventral, lateral and dorsal views.

FIGURES 108 – 118. Promethis spp. in Hainan Island of China 108. Promethis rectangula; 109. P. vietnamica; 110. P. guangxiana; 111. P. punctatostriata; 112. P. evanescens; 113. P. oshimana; 114. P. crenatostriata; 115. P. v a l g i p e s valgipes; 116. P. sinuatocollis; 117. P. c r a s s i h o r n i s sp. nov.; 118. P. pauperula (from Kaszab, 1988).