Scirtes schlingeri, Ruta & Kiałka, 2021

Ruta, Rafał & Kiałka, Agata, 2021, The genus Scirtes Illiger of Fiji (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea: Scirtidae), Zootaxa 4926 (4), pp. 501-520 : 508

Scirtes schlingeri sp. nov.

( Figs 1C , 4 M–O)

Type material. Holotype, male ( BPBM): “ FIJI: Viti Levu , Naitasiri Prov., / 3,5km N Vaisari, logging rd. to / Waivudawa, [-18.058, 178.357], 300m / 14.II.–8.III.2003. Malaise:M03. / E.I. Schlinger. M. Tokotaa. FBA202150”.

Diagnosis. Body brownish-black, oval, strongly convex, punctation of elytra sparse, punctures separated by ca. 3.0 diameters; aedeagus symmetrical, parameres wide, much shorter than basal portion of tegmen.

Description. Holotype, male. Body oval, convex, shining, covered with brownish setae. Head, pronotum, scutellar shield and elytra dark brown. Antennae yellowish, slightly darkening until apices; legs brown.

Head of moderate size, convex dorsally, shiny, covered with small punctures separated by ca. 2.0 diameters; clypeus moderately long, slightly expanded antero-laterally, gently arcuate in front margin. Eyes moderate in size, prominent; head ca. 1.6× wider than interocular space. Antennae filiform, reaching basal 1/3 of elytra. Pronotum convex in mesal portion of the disc, punctures similar to those on head but sparser, separated by ca. 3.0 diameters; antero-lateral angles widely subtriangular; postero-lateral angles right-angled; posterior margin slightly bisinuate. Scutellar shield relatively small, finely punctate, equilateral-triangular. Elytra oval, sides rounded, punctation stronger than on pronotum, but punctures very sparse, separated by 3.0–4.0 diameters; humeri elevated. Hind tibial spurs almost straight, dorsal one as long as tarsomere 1, ventral one 0.3× as long as dorsal one.

Sternite VIII very small, transversely U-shaped (L 0.10 mm, W 0.15 mm). Sternite IX (L 0.23 mm, W 0.15 mm) V-shaped, with sparse setae on apical margins. Tergite VIII (L 0.32 mm, W 0.25 mm) with transversely rectangular apical plate, bearing a row of short setae on apical margin, apodemes as long as apical plate; tergite IX (L 0.37 mm, W 0.23 mm) with rectangular apical plate, apodemes ca. 1.5× longer than apical plate. Aedeagus symmetrical. Tegmen (L 0.58 mm, W 0.22 mm) wide, Y-shaped, with short basal portion and long parameres, widest in basal 2/3, distinctly narrowed in apical 1/3, pointed at apices ( Fig. 4M ). Penis (L 0.59 mm, W 0.14 mm) with oval pala, apical process short and narrow, hooked in lateral view, pointed at apex ( Figs 4 N–O).

Female. Unknown.

Measurements and ratios. Male (n=1): TL 2.43 mm, EL 2.13 mm, PL 0.47 mm, EW 1.87 mm, PW 1.33 mm, TL/EW 1.30, PW/PL 2.86, EL/EW 1.14, EL/PL 4.57, EW/PW 1.40.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality on Viti Levu Island ( Fig. 9D ).

Etymology. Named to commemorate one of the collectors and initiator of the Fiji Bioinventory of Arthropods Study, Evert Irving Schlinger (1928–2014), an entomologist, a recognized expert on spider-parasitoid flies of the family Acroceridae .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Scirtes spp., dorsal view of adults. A) S. natovensis Champion; B) S. navaiensis sp. nov., holotype; C) S. schlingeri sp. nov., holotype; D) S. devoensis sp. nov., holotype; E) S. humeralis Pic, male; F) S. humeralis Pic, lectotype, female; G) S. tokotaai sp. nov., paratype; H) S. veitchi Champion, lectotype, male; I) S. abacaensis sp. nov., holotype; J) S. pseudoveisariensis sp. nov., holotype; K) S. veisariensis sp. nov., holotype. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 4. Scirtes spp., male genitalia (B—sternite 8; C—sternite 9; D—tergite 8; E—tergite 9; F, G, K, M—tegmen; H–J, L, N–O—penis). A–J) S. natovensis Champion; K–L) S. navaiensis sp. nov.; M–O) S. schlingeri sp. nov. Scale bar = 0.50 mm.

FIGURE 9. Distribution of Fijian Scirtes spp. A) Scirtes humeralis Pic; B) Scirtes natovensis Champion; C) Scirtes tokotaai sp. nov.; D) remaining species.