12. Horniella hirtella (Raffray)

Figs 1–2, 19 B, 22–23, 48G; Map 3

Hornia hirtella Raffray, 1901: 30 (preoccupied generic name).

Horniella hirtella: Raffray 1905: 434; 1908: 394; 1911: 165; Jeannel 1961: 456; Newton & Chandler 1989: 60; Hlaváč & Chandler 2005: 104.

Type material examined (1 ♂, 1 ♀). Lectotype, ♂ (here designated, housed in MNHN, examined through digital images produced by G. Cuccodoro), with eight labels: ‘Banderawella / Ceylan / H. hirtella, A. Raffray det. / TYPE [red] / MUSÉUM PARIS, 1917, COLL. A. RAFFRAY / Horniella hirtella Raffr., Cl. Besuchet, dét. i.1983 / VIDIT P. Hlaváč, 1999 / LECTOTYPE [red] ♂, Horniella hirtella (Raffray, 1901), des. Yin & Li, 2014, MNHN’ . Paralectotype (in SDEI), ♀, with seven labels: ‘ Horniella hirtella Raffr. / Raffray det. / Bandarawella [misspelled] W. Horn 1899 / Syntypus [red] / DEI Müncheberg Col-03813 / Horniella (= Honia) hirtella Raffr., Cl. Besuchet dét. vii.1971, ♀ / PARALECTOTYPE [yellow] ♀, Horniella hirtella (Raffray, 1901), des. Yin & Li, 2014, SDEI’.

Other material examined. (20 ♂♂, 20 ♀♀). 2 ♂♂, labeled ‘ Ceylan, Dambulla, 09.i.1965 - 200 m, R. Mussard’; 1 ♂, labeled ‘ Ceylan, Polonnaruwa, 13.i.1965 - 150 m, R. Mussard’; 1 ♀, same data except ‘ 14.i.1965 ’; 1 ♂, labeled ‘ Ceylan, Weragantota, 21.i.1965 - 300 m, R. Mussard’; 1 ♂, labeled ‘ CEYLAN North central, Alut Oya, 03.ii.1970, MUSSARD, BESUCHET, LÖBL’ ; 1 ♀, same data except ‘Ambagaswewa’; 5 ♀♀, labeled ‘ CEYLAN Northern, Neduukeni, 06.ii.1970, MUSSARD, BESUCHET, LÖBL’ ; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, labeled ‘ CEYLAN Northern, 2 mi. N.E. Puliyam Kulam, 06.ii.1970, MUSSARD, BESUCHET, LÖBL’; 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, labeled ‘ CEYLAN North central, Medawachchiya, 06.ii.1970, MUSSARD, BESUCHET, LÖBL’ ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, labeled ‘ CEYLAN North central, Mihintale, 07.ii.1970, MUSSARD, BESUCHET, LÖBL’ ; 1 ♀, labeled ‘ CEYLAN Central, Hasalaka, env. 250 m, 11.ii.1970, MUSSARD, BESUCHET, LÖBL’ ; 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, labeled ‘ CEYLAN Central, Kandy, env. 700 m, 14.ii.1970, MUSSARD, BESUCHET, LÖBL’ ; 1 ♀, same data except ‘ 600 m, 15.ii.1970 ’; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, labeled ‘ CEYLAN Central, Peradeniya, env. 550 m, 19.i.1970, MUSSARD, BESUCHET, LÖBL’ ; 2 ♂♂, labeled ‘ CEYLAN Uva, Haputale 1350 m, 13.i.1970, MUSSARD, BESUCHET, LÖBL, 1 ♂, labeled ‘ CEYLAN Central, S. Talatuoya, 750–1000 m, 27.i. 0970, MUSSARD, BESUCHET, LÖBL’; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, labeled ‘ CEYLAN Central, Kandy, env. 600 m, Udawattakele, Sanctuary, 19.i.1970, MUSSARD, BESUCHET, LÖBL’ ; 1 ♂, labeled ‘ CEYLAN, 28.i.1964, Madugoda, 1500 m, Mussard’ ; 2 ♂♂, same data except ‘ 30.i.1964 ’.

[All specimens are housed in MHNG, each one bears the following identification label: ‘ Horniella hirtella (Raffray 1901), ♂ (or ♀), det. Z.-W. Yin, 2014’.]

Description. Male (Figs 19 B, 23A). Length 2.90–3.28 mm. Head longer than wide, HL 0.60–0.65 mm, HW 0.52–0.55 mm; anterolateral genal projections (Fig. 1 A) weakly indicated; median sulcus between antennal tubercles very short and shallow; scapes lacking expansion at basolateral margins; clubs (Fig. 22 A) loosely formed by apical three enlarged antennomeres; venter lacking lateral spines (Fig. 1 B). Maxillary palpomeres II (Fig. 2 A) slightly broadened from base toward apex. Each eye composed of about 35 facets. Pronotum slightly longer than wide, PL 0.60–0.65 mm, PW 0.59–0.62 mm. Elytra wider than long, EL 0.77–0.86 mm, EW 1.10–1.18 mm; shallow discal striae reaching apical 3/4 of elytral length. Protrochanters (Fig. 22 B) simple, profemora (Fig. 22 B) with one short and one much longer ventral spine near base, protibiae (Fig. 22 C) slightly expanded at middle of ventral margins, with small apical denticle (Fig. 22 D); mesotrochanters and mesofemora (Fig. 22 E) simple, mesotibiae with small preapical denticle (Figs 22 F, G); tarsomeres II normal, not extending to beneath tarsomeres III. Abdomen large, AL 0.93–1.12 mm, AW 1.17–1.30 mm, tergite IV (first visible tergite) with median carina reaching apical 1/2 to 2/3 of tergal length, lateral discal carinae weakly indicated, tergite V lacking median carina. Tergite VIII (Fig. 22 I) transverse, narrowing from middle toward apex. Sternite VIII (Fig. 22 J) transverse, nearly trapezoidal, posterior margin roundly incised at middle, sternite IX (Fig. 22 K) with well-defined apical section, apical half well-sclerotized and basal half membranous. AeL 0.53 mm; aedeagus (Figs 22 L–N) with simple median lobe and somewhat reduced basal capsule; endophallus composed of broad membranous structure with small denticles at near middle.

Female (Fig. 23 C). Similar to male in general appearance; each eye composed of about 30 facets; profemora (Fig. 22 H) each with two small ventral spines near base, apices of pro- and mesotibiae lacking denticle. BL 2.97–3.22 mm, HL 0.59–0.64 mm, HW 0.52–0.55 mm, PL 0.62–0.63 mm, PW 0.58–0.60 mm, EL 0.80–0.86 mm, EW 1.13–1.19, AL 0.96–1.09 mm, AW 1.23–1.26 mm. Genital complex (Fig. 48 G) with laminated sclerites at apical portion.

Differential diagnosis. This is the type species of Horniella, and forms the core of the H. hirtella group. As discussed above, males are similar to H. simplaria by sharing the presence of one short and one much longer spine on the ventral margin of the protibiae, and share a similar form of the aedeagus. The two species can be readily separated by the protibiae lacking a triangular spine at apical 1/3 of the mesal margin, and the presence of many small denticles in the aedeagal endophallus in H. hirtella while the protibial spine is present, and the aedeagal endophallus lacks denticles in H. simplaria .

Distribution. Sri Lanka: Northern, North Central, Central, Uva (Map 3).

Collection notes. Adults were collected from leaf litter samples in mixed forests by sifting and processed by Winkler-Moczarski extractors.

Comments. Raffray did not state (1901: 30) the number of specimens on which the description was based, thus the two specimens found in MNHN and SDEI are both treated as syntypes. In order to stabilize the nomenclature and provide a unique name-bearing type for Horniella hirtella, the male syntype in MNHN bearing ‘old’ original labels is here designated as the lectotype, and the female syntype with labels that were obviously ‘subsequently printed’ is designated as the paralectotype. As for additional material, genital segments of selected males from all localities were dissected, and no obvious differences noticed. It is clear that this species is widely distributed throughout Sri Lanka and may be endemic to this island.