Paromalus acutangulus Zhang & Zhou

Zhang, Ye-Jun & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2007, Taxonomy of the tribe Paromalini Reitter (Coleoptera: Histeridae, Dendrophilinae) from China, Zootaxa 1544, pp. 1-40 : 31-33

Paromalus acutangulus Zhang & Zhou , n. sp.

(Figs. 181–191)

Type material. Holotype. China: Yunnan: male, Xishuangbanna, Menghai, Mangao, 1200 m, dead wood, 2004. II.5, Jie Wu coll.; Paratypes. CHINA: Yunnan: 3 males, same data as holotype.

Description. Body length 1.29 mm, body width 0.81 mm. Body oblong, moderately convex, dark brown and glossy, legs, mouthparts and funicles of antennae brown, clubs of antennae fulvous. Head surface densely punctate, punctures becoming smaller and sparser anteriorly. Frontal stria deep and complete.

FIGURES 181–191. Paromalus acutangulus Zhang & Zhou , n. sp. 181. Pronotum and elytra; 182. Propygidium and pygidium; 183. Prosternum, meso- and metaventrite, and the first visible abdominal sternum; 184–185. Aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views; 186–187. Male 8th tergite, dorsal and lateral views; 188–189. Male 9th and 10th tergites, lateral and dorsal views; 190–191. Male 8th sternum, lateral and ventral views. Scale bars: 181, 183 = 0.5 mm; 182 = 0.25 mm; 184–191 = 0.1 mm.

Pronotum (Fig. 181) with sides arcuate and convergent anteriad, and strongly so in anterior half; anterior margin broadly emarginate and bisinuate behind head. Marginal pronotal stria complete and carinate along anterior and lateral margins. Surface with dense and large punctures, medially and laterally punctures smaller; sometimes mixed with fine punctures.

Scutellum not visible in dorsal view.

Elytra (Fig. 181) with sides slightly arcuate. Dorsal striae absent, only an oblique rudiment left in middle of elytral basal 1/3; oblique humeral striae feebly impressed. Surface of elytra densely punctate, punctures larger and sparser than those of pronotum; basal 1/3 near elytral suture sparsely and finely punctured; narrow band along median 1/3 of elytral suture elevated and impunctate; narrow band along basal margin impunctate. Epipleura smooth; marginal epipleural stria fine and present in apical 2/3; marginal elytral stria complete, its apical end extending along apical margin of elytra and attaining middle of the margin.

Propygidium (Fig. 182) densely punctate, punctures round and similar to those of pronotum, but fine along margins; narrow band along anterior margin impunctate. Pygidium (Fig. 182) densely punctate, punctures smaller than those of propygidium.

Prosternal lobe (Fig. 183) with anterior margin rounded; marginal stria complete along anterior and lateral margins; surface finely punctate, medially punctures sparse. Prosternal keel (Fig. 183) lacking carinal striae; punctation similar to that of prosternal lobe and becoming sparser and smaller posteriorly. Lateral prosternal stria short and strongly carinate.

Mesoventrite (Fig. 183) with anterior margin strongly emarginated medially. Marginal mesoventral stria complete laterally, broadly and shallowly impressed, its posterior end of outer side connected with lateral metaventral stria and posterior end of inner side connected with transverse stria of mesoventrite. Surface with punctures similar to those in anterior part of prosternal keel. Transverse stria with two acute angles sharply protruding anteriad, with one longitudinal impression crossing each angle; median part of the stria about two times as long as lateral parts, strongly arcuate posteriad, lateral parts curved. Meso-metaventral suture feeble and nearly straight.

Intercoxal disk of metaventrite (Fig. 183) along midline with broad smooth and impunctate band; posterior half of disk (except the band) with large and sparse punctures, mixed with fine ones, the large punctures shallow and oblong medially, but deep, round and relatively dense laterally; anterior half (except the band) with scattered shallow punctures, smaller than those of posterior half. Metaventral longitudinal suture absent. Lateral metaventral stria strongly carinate, impressed with sparse and large punctures, extending postero-laterally through anterior 2/3. Lateral disk sparsely and finely punctate, interspace between punctures with alutaceous microsculptures. Post-mesocoxal stria running along posterior margin of mesocoxa, and then moderately bending posteriad.

Intercoxal disk of the first visible abdominal sternum (Fig. 183) with punctures similar to those in posterior part of intercoxal disk of metaventrite, broad band along midline smooth and impunctate. Lateral stria strongly carinate and complete.

Protibia dilated, outer margin with four denticles. Outer margin of mesotibia with three spinules. Outer margin of metatibia with one spinule near apex.

Male genitalia as in Figs. 184–191.

Remarks. This new species is similar to P. vernalis , but can be distinguished from the latter by a different form of the transverse stria of mesoventrite: in P. acutangulus the stria has two angles sharply protruding anteriad, while in P. v e r n a l i s the angles are not as acute.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from Latin words “ acutus ” (sharp) and “ angulus ” (angle).