Drylichus fidelitas, Kodada, Ján, Jäch, Manfred A. & Jr, Čiampor Fedor, 2009

Kodada, Ján, Jäch, Manfred A. & Jr, Čiampor Fedor, 2009, Review of the genus Drylichus Heller (Insecta: Coleoptera: Dryopidae), Zootaxa 2157, pp. 43-58 : 55-56

Drylichus fidelitas sp. nov.

( Figs 7, 10 , 22–29 , 39–40 , 44–47 )

Type locality: Xepenehe, Lifou, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia.

Material examined: Holotype 3 ( MHNP): "LOYALTY IS: LIFOU Xepenehe 6 Dec 2000 G.B. Monteith / QM Berlesate 1026 20º47' Sx 167º11' E Rainforest, 20m Sieved litter". Paratypes (CKB: 1 Ƥ mounted on a microscopic slide, NMW: 1 3, QMB: 1 Ƥ): 1 3, 2 ƤƤ, same locality data as holotype.

Diagnosis: Drylichus fidelitas is characterised by 9 or 10-segmented antennae, lack of secondary sexual characters of tibiae and by the shape of the aedeagus. In addition, it differs from D. hylesinoides in the following characters: smaller size, head and pronotum rugose, elytral striae impressed. From D. monteithi it differs in the surface structure of head and pronotum (more densely punctate, without flat granules), more distinctly impressed elytral striae, more strongly punctate elytral intervals, the apex of the elytra being visible in dorsal view, the nearly straight parameres, and the subapically widened penis.

Description: Length (TL): 33 3.24–3.25 mm, ƤƤ 3.38–3.57 mm; width (EW): 33 1.52–1.56 mm, ƤƤ 1.69–1.82 mm.

Head, scape, pedicel, pronotum and elytra dark brown; venter black; legs, mouthparts and antennal club brown. Macropunctures on head nearly as large as facets, irregularly arranged, shallow, usually confluent (mainly laterally), interstices rugose; head width: 33 0.84 mm, ƤƤ 0.87–0.91 mm. Antennae 10-segmented in the two males and one of the females; second female with two terminal antennomeres completely fused (possibly a teratology), thus antenna 9-segmented. Mandibular apex with two teeth.

Pronotal macropunctures nearly as large as facets, less sharply delimited; interstices as wide as punctures dorsally, narrower laterally, rugose; sides slightly sinuate posteriorly, moderately arcuate in anterior third; disc convex; pronotal lateral rim widest in posterior half, narrowly explanate, smooth; width (MW): 33 1.52–1.56 mm, ƤƤ 1.52–1.56 mm; length (PL): 33 0.97 mm, ƤƤ 0.97–1.10 mm. Prosternal punctures moderately smaller than facets, widely spaced on mesal portion, interstices sparsely and finely punctate, smooth, punctures smaller laterally; prosternal process impressed anteriorly, with coarse, more or less confluent punctures, mesal keel raised near apex. Hypomeron with small granules, interstices smooth or wrinkled; posterior portion with shallow groove for reception of femur. Mes- and metepisterna irregularly punctate, reticulate; metaventrite nearly as long as prosternal process, disc deeply impressed, punctate, sides raised; discrimen absent. Scutellum 1.82–1.91 (33) or 2.05–2.22 (ƤƤ) times as wide as long. Elytra moderately convex, subparallel in anterior half, widest in middle; lateral portion strongly declivous, lateral edges visible anteriorly, apex visible in dorsal view; ratio of EL/EW: 1.43–1.45 (33), 1.42–1.46 (ƤƤ); striae well impressed, their punctures as large as facets; intervals wide, moderately convex, punctures smaller than those on pronotum, interstices shiny.

Midline lengths of ventrites 1–5: 0.40(0.41)/0.23(0.22)/0.21(0.18)/0.21(0.18)/0.54(0.54) mm (33), 0.41/0.25 / 0.23 (0.22) /0.23 (0.21) / 0.69 (0.65) mm (ƤƤ); ventrites moderately convex, with distinct longitudinal wrinkles laterally, more or less transversally wrinkled and irregularly punctate medially; ventrite 1 with shallow transverse depression anteriorly; intercoxal process rugosely punctate, sides moderately raised, apex rounded; apex of ventrite 5 rounded in male, excised and with short flat mesal keel in female. Anterior process of male sternite 8 short, robust, rounded apically; in female narrow ( Fig. 40 ), as long as abdomen. Aedeagus 1.07–1.09 mm long; phallobase ca 2.16–2.25 times as long as parameres, subcylindrical, moderately bent ( Fig. 44 ), first connecting membrane with two oblique longitudinal sclerotizations. Parameres wide and short, widest basally, apical half slightly inflected ventrad ( Fig. 46 ); inner portion with short arcuate, more or less transverse stripes ( Fig 47 ); apices wide and rounded. Penis feebly shorter than parameres, widest basally, widened subapically ( Fig. 45 ); apex rounded; ventral sac with scale-like structures laterally and longitudinal stripes ventrally; fibula narrow, as long as penis. Ovipositor 2.21 mm long (longer than abdomen), valvifer about twice as long as coxite ( Fig. 39 ).

Sexual dimorphism: Female longer, head and elytra wider than in male; apex of ventrite 5 excised, with short mesal keel.

Distribution: Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 48 ).

Habitat: Litter in coastal rainforest (20 m a.s.l.).

Etymology: Fidelitas (Latin: loyalty, fidelity); named in reference to the type locality (Loyalty Islands).

Figures

FIGURE 48. Geographical distribution of the species of Drylichus. ․ D. hylesinoides; □ D. monteithi sp. nov.; • D. fidelitas sp. nov.

FIGURES 2 – 10. Drylichus Heller. 2 – 6, 8 – 9. Drylichus hylesinoides Heller, female. 7, 10. D. fidelitas sp. nov., female. 2) antenna, ventral view; 3) scape and pedicel, ventral view; 4) sensilla on anteromedian extension of antennomere 7; 5) sensilla on apex of terminal antennomere; 6) labrum, dorsal view; 7) labrum, dorsal view; 8) left mandible, dorsal view; 9) prostheca, dorsal view; 10) left mandible, mesal view.

FIGURES 20 – 29. Drylichus Heller. 20 – 21. Drylichus hylesinoides Heller, female. 22 – 29. D. fidelitas sp. nov., female. 20) apical sensory field on terminal palpomere of labial palpus, lateroventral view; 21 a) same, frontal view, b) sunken subapical sensillum, ventrolateral view; 22) head, lateral view; 23) eye, lateral view; 24) posterior leg, dorsal view; 25) same, apex of tibia and basal tarsomeres; 26) claws with empodium, ventrolateral view; 27) protarsus, lateral view; 28) left elytron, lateral view; 29) same, detail of surface structure, lateral view.

FIGURES 37 – 40. 37) Drylichus hylesinoides Heller, female, ovipositor, lateral view; 38) the same, sternite 8, ventral view; 39) D. fidelitas sp. nov., female, ovipositor, lateral view; 40) the same, sternite 8, ventral view. Scale = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 44 – 47. Drylichus fidelitas sp. nov., male; 44) aedeagus, ventral view; 45) same, dorsal view; 46) same, lateral view; 47) paramere, ventral view. Scale = 0.1 mm.