Ptomaphaginus luoi, Wang, Cheng-Bin & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2015

Wang, Cheng-Bin & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2015, Taxonomy of the genus Ptomaphaginus Portevin (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Cholevinae: Ptomaphagini) from China, with description of eleven new species, Zootaxa 3941 (3), pp. 301-338 : 319-321

Ptomaphaginus luoi sp. nov.

( Figs. 11 A–K)

Type material. Holotype: CHINA, Hubei: ♂, Shennongjia, Jiuchonggangou, 870 m, sifting, 19.VII.1998, Tian- Hong Luo leg. (IZ-CAS).

Description. Male. EBL: 2.37 mm. Length of different body parts: HL: AL: PL: ELL = 0.39: 0.61: 0.59: 1.32 mm; width: HW: EW: PW: ELW = 0.63: 0.09: 0.97: 1.03 mm. Proportion of antennomeres from base to tip in µm (length × width): 109 × 32, 83 × 39, 47 × 34, 34 × 34, 36 × 41, 24 × 45, 49 × 60, 17 × 61, 46 × 70, 46 × 70, 80 × 74.

Habitus elongated oval, relatively convex and lustreless. Moderately pigmented: mostly chestnut brown; mouthparts, basal six antennomeres and apical half of ultimate antennomere, base of pronotum, elytral apex, and tarsi more or less yellowish. Dorsum continually clothed with fine, recumbent and sallow pubescence. Insertions of pubescence on dorsal surfaces of head, pronotum, scutellum, elytra and femora align along transverse striolations.

Head moderately short and convex, transversely and superficially striolated, interspaces narrower than that on pronotum, HW/HL = 1.64; anterior margin round. Compound eyes slightly reduced, EW/HW = 0.09. Antennae slender ( Fig. 11 A), AL/HW = 0.96; 5th slightly longer than 4th; 6th wider than long; 9th similar to 10th, wider than long; 11th pear-like.

Pronotum transverse and convex ( Fig. 11 D), widest at hind corners, PW/PL = 1.65. Sides regularly curved, narrowing from posterior to anterior; hind corners drawn out and bluntly rounded. Posterior margin with distinct postero-lateral emargination. Surface transversely striolated, SP: 38–40, interspaces narrower than that on elytra.

Elytra slender and regularly convex, widest at about basal 1/3, ELL/EW = 1.28. Sides feebly curved, gradually narrowing from base to apices; apices nearly rounded ( Fig. 11 E). Surface transversely striolated, SE: 68–70. Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Prolegs robust, with basal three protarsomeres moderately expanded ( Fig. 11 B): TW/BTW = 1.37. Spinal arrangement on ventral side of protibia as shown in Fig. 11 C. Profemora wider than protibiae, hairs on ventral side moderately longer and stronger than that of protibiae, but much longer on inner margin. Mesotibiae moderately arcuate.

Ventrite VII with two large hook-like teeth at posterior margin ( Fig. 11 F). Ventrite VIII widely and moderately emarginate posteriorly ( Fig. 11 G). Segment IX: spiculum gastrale very wide, sharply acuminated towards anterior end ( Fig. 11 H).

Aedeagus broadly oval in dorsal view ( Fig. 11 I): median lobe widest before base and gently narrowed towards middle, then slightly widened again before middle, finally gradually narrowed towards apex; apical expansion distinctly and narrowly stuck out at apex; parameres firmly attached to median lobe, somewhat widened at apical part and more or less hided before middle. Ventral operculum poorly sclerotized, limit inconspicuous, divided in apical half, two lobes asymmetrical, rounded apically at different levels ( Fig. 11 J). In lateral view, median lobe slightly bent ventrad, sharply acuminated to a subacute apex, and three ventrally-oriented setae inserted below apex as well as two just before middle ( Fig. 11 K). Internal stylus moderately wide, multiannulate at about basal 1/2.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Hubei).

Etymology. The specific epithet is dedicated to Dr. Tian-Hong Luo (IZ-CAS, Beijing, China), the collector of this new species and a researcher on forensic coleopterology in our research team.

Remarks. This new species is sympatric with P. shennongensis sp. nov., but it seems that the former is much more rare than the latter from specimen quantity. And more, this new species is one of those of the genus Ptomaphaginus that can be identified just from external morphology without aedeagal characters, for its two particularly large and hook-like teeth at the posterior margin of ventrite VII.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Ptomaphaginus luoi sp. nov. ♂: A, antenna (dorsal view); B, proleg (dorsal view); C, protibia (ventral view); D, pronotum (dorsal view); E, elytral apex (dorsoapical view); F, ventrite VII (ventral view); G, ventrite VIII (ventral view); H, abdominal segment IX (ventral view); I, aedeagus (dorsal view); J, aedeagus (ventral view); K, aedeagus (lateral view). Scales: 0.1 mm.