Pteroselinus, Kamiński, 2015

Kamiński, Marcin Jan, 2015, Phylogenetic reassessment and biogeography of the Ectateus generic group (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Platynotina), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 175 (1), pp. 73-106 : 92

GENUS PTEROSELINUS GEN. NOV.

Type species: Opatrinus insularis Mulsant & Rey, 1853 ; here designated.

Etymology: Pteroselinus , masculine, is derived from the Greek word ‘ pteron ’, meaning the wing, and the generic name Selinus .

Diagnosis: Pteroselinus is placed in the subtribe Platynotina based on the gula, which has transformed into a stridulatory organ, as well as the aedeagal tegmen, which has a pair of clavae.

The following character combination is unique to Pteroselinus within the whole Platynotina subtribe: (1) pronotal disc with a pair of basal indentations, (2) ratio of prothoracic width to disc height> 6.0, (3) ratio of pronotal disc height to total height of the pronotum <0.3, (4) bases of the first four elytral rows connected in the following way: 1–2, 3–4, (5) partially developed (but present) wings, (6) and long anaepisternum and metaventrite.

Description: Body length = 9.6–12.0 mm. The dorsal side of the head is mat with fine punctures (intervals between the punctures are smaller than the diameter of a single puncture). The frontoclypeal suture is invisible. The clypeal emargination is relatively deep (clypeal emargination width/depth ratio = 7.0–7.5). The mentum, with the median part, is wide. The submentum is triangular. The maxillary palp is not widened (width of maxillary palp/length of third antennomere = 1.0–1.4). The length of the antennae is slightly greater than the pronotal length (ratio of antenna/pronotum from the tip of the anterior pronotal angle to the tip of the posterior pronotal angle = 1.2−1.3). The third antennomere is relatively long (length of the ratio of the third antennomere/the second antennomere = 3.0–3.2).

The pronotal disc is transverse; it is mat with fine punctures (the intervals between the punctures are smaller than the diameter of a single puncture). The anterior pronotal angles are sharp. Basal indentations on the pronotal disc are present; apophyseal indentations are absent. The pronotal hypomera are mat, without punctures.

The elytra are oblong. The elytral striae have fine punctures (the intervals between the punctures are greater than two diameters of a single puncture). The elytral intervals are mat, nonconvex, and without punctures or very fine punctuation. The elytral base is slightly sinusoidal. The elytral humeri are rounded, not protruding laterad. Wings are present (but reduced). The elytral epipleuron is curved at the level of the base of the fifth ventrite. The apex of the elytral epipleuron is not emarginated. The scutellum is pentagonal and is situated at the level of the elytra.

The intercoxal process of the prosternum is dented in the middle. The apex of the intercoxal process of the prosternum is narrow, not wider than the width of a single coxa. The metaventrite is elongat- ed. The abdominal process is without tubercles in both sexes. The fifth abdominal ventrite is without bordering.

The protarsi are widened. The male protibiae have a shallow cavity on the inner side. Other leg segments are simple.

Male genitalia: parameres narrowing towards the apex; hook-shaped clavae. Female genitalia: the paraproct is equal in length to the coxites, which are narrow and long; the bursa copulatrix is without sclerites.

Distribution: Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Somalia, Tanzania (including Zanzibar).

Species composition (monotypic): Pteroselinus insularis ( Mulsant & Rey, 1853) comb. nov.