Coelocraera tishechkini Vienna & Simon-Pražák, 2025

Vienna, Pierpaolo, Simon-Pražák, Jan & Baňař, Petr, 2025, Notes on the genus Coelocraera from Cameroon with the description of four new species (Coleoptera: Histeridae: Exosternini), Zootaxa 5725 (4), pp. 551-566 : 559-561

Coelocraera tishechkini Vienna & Simon-Pražák sp. nov.

Figs 6 , 7G , 8G

Type material. Holotype: ♂: FIT_006_2_I/ CAMEROON CMR/FIT/006/2/Mt. Cameroon NP Bamboo/Camp. 30.xi–1.xii. 2022, 369 m/ N04°05’20.8” E009°.03’04.6”/FIT P. Baňař & F.L. Ewome lgt. ( MMBC) Paratypes (8): 1♀: Cameroon CMR/FIT/ECO/005/Mt. Cameroon NP. Drink Gari/ 5.xii.2021 – 4.i. 2022, 635 m FIT/ N04°05’58.4 ” E009°03’46.5” / P. Baňař & F. L. Ewome lgt. ( MMBC); 1♀: FIT_006_2_IX/ CAMEROON CMR/FIT/006/2/Mt. Cameroon NP Bamboo/Camp. 24.xi 2023– 20.i. 2024, 369 m/ N04°05’20.8” E009°.03’04.6”/FIT P. Baňař & F.L. Ewome lgt. ( PCPV); 1♀: FIT_006_2_I/ CAMEROON CMR/FIT/006/2/Mt. Cameroon NP Bamboo/Camp. 30.xi– 1.xii. 2022, 369 m/ N04°05’20.8” - E009°.03’04.6”/FIT P. Baňař & F.L. Ewome lgt. ( PCPV); 1♀: FIT_006_3_IV/ CAMEROON CMR/FIT/006/3/Mt. Cameroon NP Bamboo/Camp. 24.xi 2023– 20.i. 2024, 310 m/ N04°05’10.1” - E009°.02’59.6”/FIT P. Baňař & F.L. Ewome lgt. ( PCJSP); 1♀: FIT_006_1_VIII/ Cameroon CMR/FIT/006/1/Mt. Cameroon NP Bamboo/Camp. 14.x.–24.xi.2023 390 m / N04° 05,22.7” E009°03’06.7” /FIT P. Baňař & F.L. Ewome lgt. ( PCJSP); CAMEROON CMR/FIT/006/ECO CAMEROON /Mt. Cameron NP Bamboo camp/res. plot. 5.xii– 4.i.2022 369 m / N04°05’20.8” E009°03’04.6”, flight/Interc. trap. P. Baňař & P. Hlaváč lgt. ( MMBC); 1♂: CÔTE D’IVOIRE: MONTAGNES Km 1.8, piste du Mont Tonkoui 1120 m, 7°26’40” N 7°38’40” O 27.XI.2019, F. Génier & A. Gué forȇt de nuage, piège à interception de vol, 2019-41 ( CMN); CAMEROON: South, nr. Ambam at 2°23.08’ N 11°15.58’ E. 620 m. 23–24.iii.2008. M.Bolm ( CSCA)

Description. Measurements of holotype (in mm). Head width—0.66; width between anterior pronotal angles—0.82; pronotum maximum width—2; pronotum median length—0.9; pronotum maximum length—1.04; width across elytra—2.67; maximum length of elytron—2.16; sutural length of elytron—1.72. Body widely round, only slightly convex dorsally. Surface entirely heavily punctuated. Cuticle matte black. Head. Frons densely and coarsely punctate. Punctures separated by ½ their diameter or less. Frontal stria carinate supraorbitally, thinner in medial parts, extended onto clypeus. Fronto-clypeal area depressed. Labrum convex, emarginate, finely punctate. Mandibles with same degree of punctation as labrum. Eyes convex. Scape large, curved, punctate, with several isolated short bristles. Pedicel small. Antennomers 3–9 gradually wider creating a conical shape together with a densely setose club. Thorax. Entire pronotal surface densely and coarsely punctate with same pattern as frons. Marginal stria complete, but hardly visible in some parts due to the coarse punctuation. Basal pronotal margin widely angled. Shallow longitudinal depressions present along lateral margins. Scutellar shield very small, triangular, smooth. Elytra punctuated in same pattern as frons and pronotum. Elytral epipleuron smooth and shiny. Epipleural stria complete. Marginal sulcus narrow, present along the entire lateral elytral margin, with 12 round pits, closely spaced. Dorsal striae 1–5 and sutural elytral stria all entire, wide and with crenulate margins. Prosternum punctate (punctures separated by less than ½ their diameter). Marginal stria of prosternal lobe thin, complete. Basal suture of prosternal lobe not apparent, with a a smooth band without punctures in its position. Carinal prosternal striae keeled, with a narrow, depressed sulcus between them. Prosternal base sharply emarginate. Mesoventrite punctate, anteriorly cuspidate. Complete marginal stria angled anteriorly. Meso-metaventral suture wide and crenulate, curved anteriorly. Metaventrite punctate with very large punctures present in two elongate, medially located depressions. Inner lateral metaventral striae straight, running posteriad. Outer lateral striae curved outwards, postmesocoxal striae in same shape. Abdomen. First abdominal ventrite with diminishing punctuation posteriorly. Lateral and postmetacoxal striae parallel, in posterior half bent medially. Propygidium with punctures separated by 0,5–2 times their diameter, surface between them matte. Pygidium without punctures, matte. Legs. Profemur flat, with large punctures, stria present along the anterior margin. Protibia smooth, very small denticles around the apex. Protibial spur tiny and blunt. Short bristles along the entire inner margin. Protarsus simple, protarsomere 4 half the length of 5. Claws short. Mesofemur delicately punctate, mesotibia with only few bristles along the inner margin. Hind leg same as middle leg, but completely without bristles. Male genitalia. Phallobase about ¼ of the aedeagus length. Aedeagus straight, curved in apical ¼. Tip of aedeagus not widened, narrowly rounded.

Diagnosis. The species appears closely related to C. decellei Dégallier , from which it differs mainly in having the parallel longitudinal metaventral depressions dotted.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to our dear friend and colleague, Alexey Tishechkin, as a recognition of his great contribution to the taxonomy of Histeridae .

Because of the significant increase of new species attributed to the genus Coelocraera and the apparent nonmonophyly of the genus, we refrain from making changes to Dégallier’s key ( Dégallier, 1983) and rather await a highly necessary revision of this genus and the closely related genus Coproxenus , or even better of African Exosternini as a whole.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Coelocraera tishechkini sp. nov., holotype. A. Dorsal view. B. Ventral view. C. lateral view. D. Propygidium and pygidium. E. Head. F. Aaedeagus. G. Aedeagus tip. H. Pregenital segments.

FIGURE 7. Coelocraera species from Cameroon, dorsal views. A. C. mirifica Desbordes. B. C. burgeoni Paulian. C. C. costifera Marseul. D. C. kistneri Dégallier. E. C. mariaeclarae Dégallier. F. C. parumstriata sp. nov. G. C. tishechkini sp. nov. H. C. cohici Paulian. I. C. lucida sp. nov. J. C. sigillata Thérond. K. C. punctatifrons sp. nov. L. C. tuberiventer Kanaar. Measurement: 1 mm.

FIGURE 8. Coelocraera species from Cameroon, ventral views. A. C. mirifica Desbordes. B. C. burgeoni Paulian. C. C. costifera Marseul; D. C. kistneri Dégallier. E. C. mariaeclarae Dégallier. F. C. parumstriata sp. nov. G. C. tishechkini sp. nov. H. C. cohici Paulian. I. C. lucida sp. nov. J. C. sigillata Thérond; K. C. punctatifrons sp. nov. L. C. tuberiventer Kanaar.