Derocrania (Neoderocrania) nietneri (Motschulsky, 1859)

Abeywardhana, Lakmini, Mallawarachchi, Yashas & Dangalle, Chandima Deepani, 2021, The arboreal tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) of Sri Lanka recorded from recent investigations, Zootaxa 5068 (3), pp. 378-398 : 392-393

Derocrania (Neoderocrania) nietneri (Motschulsky, 1859)

Material examined: ♂ (n = 1), ( DOZE / UOCSL / LA009 ), 6.7245°N, 80.1559°E, Bodinagala , Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka, 30.8 m, 11 January 2018, D.L. Abeywardhana, forest .

Measurements: BW 12.4, BL 11.54, HL 1.23, HW 1.63, ML 0.50, PL 3.55, PW 0.96, PI 3.69, EL 6.76, EW 2.03.

Diagnosis and description: Diagnosed at the generic level by small and slender body, large head that is always wider than the elytra in males and more or less equal in females, interocular excavation shallow, prominent eyes, narrow labrum with outward protruding lateral teeth, thin and sharp mandibles, significantly longer and thinner antennae, pronotum that is not parallel-sided, pronotum slender and narrow with a length/ width ratio of 2.0 to 3.0, elytra are welded, but separable and elytral apex is truncated. Aedeagus very thin and bent dorsally at the apex. Included in the subgenus Neoderocrania , as body length is lesser than 14 mm, slender body with a short head, short vertex behind the eyes, shallow interocular cavity, smooth pronotum. The species is defined by the metallic bright appearance of the body with bronze or greenish reflection, very smooth and curved head, antennae that are light brown in colour, pronotum with a curved medial lobe and an anterior narrow and long neck, enlarged and oval elytra with a grainy sculpture that is smooth towards the apex, elytra widened greatly at the middle, high gibbosity at apical part of body, legs with reddish coloured femur and dark brown tarsi ( Fig. 10 ).

Distribution: Balangoda, Bogawantalawa, Nuwara Eliya, Nalanda ( Horn 1904); Balangoda Ridge, Kandy ( Fowler 1912); Bogawantalawa, Elkaduwa, Hayes, Polonnaruwa ( Naviaux 2002); Urugalla, Rakwana, Bulutota, Balangoda, Bandarawela (National Museum, Colombo); Kandy (HORDI, Gannoruwa). Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu, South India.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Derocrania (Neoderocrania) nietneri Male