Zarcosia srilankaensis n. sp.

(Figures 1; 3r; 4u; 5h,p; 6m)

Etymology. The species’ name refers to the geographical origin of the holotype.

Type locality. Sri Lanka: Central, Kandy district, Victoria Rendenigala Ramtembe Sanctuary [07°13’ N 80°57’ E] .

Distribution. Sri Lanka: Central, Kandy district (Figure 1).

Description. (Figure 3t). Female unknown. Body length. ♂: 2.92± 0.16 mm (n=12). Robust, sturdy, uniformly reddish brown, covered with double pubescence.

Head. Transverse, barely wider than pronotum, covered with blond pubescence, pubescence denser between antenna insertion points. Punctation coarse and very dense. Palpi dark orange, last article securiform.

Antennae. Strong, shorter than elytra, antennomere 3–10 short, at most twice longer than wide, conical. Covered with hirsute blond pubescence.

Pronotum (Figure 6m). Longer than wide, disc convex. Sides subparallel from base to the apical third, then converging markedly inward toward apical margin anteriorly. Densely punctuated, space between points smaller than the diameters of points. Covered with double pubescence, short blond hairs borne from the punctation and pulverulent interspersed hairs. Base bi-sinuated with a light fringe of golden pubescence anterior to the scutellum.

Elytra. Length: ♂: 2.03± 0.12 mm (n=12). Densely punctuated, space between points larger than the points themselves. Points larger and shallower than those of the pronotum. Covered with double pubescence. Moderately convex, depressed on disc. Apex with a tuft of long hairs along the suture (Figure 5h).

Legs. Short, sturdy. Sexual characters: foretibia with 2 large sharp teeth, one half the inner side and one apically, together carving a wrench in the tibia (Figure 5p). Mesothoracic femora with an minute apical tooth, not visible in dorsal view.

Aedeagus (Figure 4u). Sturdy, sides subparallel in dorsal view, progressively convergent in the apical fourth, truncated apically. Moderately bent in lateral view, apex not deflected upward.

Type material. Holotype (♂, UCDC). Sri Lanka: Central, Kandy district, Victoria Rendenigala Ramtembe Sanctuary, 07°13’ N 80°57’ E (445 m) (M. & J. Wasbauer) 23.VIII.1999 . Paratypes. Sri Lanka: Central, Kandy district, Victoria Rendenigala Ramtembe Sanctuary, 07°13’ N 80°57’ E (445 m) (M. & J. Wasbauer) 23.VIII.1999 (6 ♂ paratypes, UCDC; 4 ♂ paratypes, NGPC), 30.VIII.1999 (1 ♂ paratype, NGPC) ; Central, Kandy district, Victoria Rendenigala Ramtembe Sanctuary, 07°12‘ N 80°57‘ E (135 m) (M. & J. Wasbauer) 23.VIII.1999 (1 ♂ paratype, UCDC) .

Note. This species was collected together with Z. dentatifemur (Pic, 1912), Z. spinifemur n. sp., Z. brunnea n. sp. and Z. intermedia n. sp. The sample contained a large series of females, which I could not assign to the respective species. In particular, Z. brunnea n. sp., Z. srilankaensis n. sp. and Z. intermedia n. sp. form a very homogeneous group. Their males are easily distinguished by stable sexual characters (aedeagus, teeth on the tibiae, hooks on the femora), but in spite of extensive comparisons of the females collected with them, I could not decide whether these females represented one or more taxa, nor which.