Canuschiza firmihin, Sehnal & Král & Bezděk, 2014

Sehnal, Richard, Král, David & Bezděk, Aleš, 2014, Canuschiza of Socotra Island (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) Part 1. Canuschiza insularis species group, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54, pp. 139-171 : 151-155

Canuschiza firmihin sp. nov.

( Figs 5A–D , 10D )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Firmihin plateau, Dracaena tree forest, [ca 500 m a.s.l.], 12°28.465′N 54°00.898′E.

Type material (2 specimens). HOLOTYPE: J, labelled:‘ Republic of Yemen , Socotra Isl. / Firmihin plato - Dracena tree forest / N12°28′465″, E54°00′89830″ / V. Hula lgt. 22.- 25.6.2009 [p] ’. PARATYPE No. 1 (J): ‘ YEMEN, SOKOTRA Island / DIKSAM plateau, Diksam / lake ; 1000 m a.s.l. / 12°31′23″N ; 53°57′12″E / 12.V.2004 lgt. A. REITER [p]’. Type depository. HT and PT No. 1 in NMPC .

Description of holotype (J) (left middle leg missing). Body elongate, almost parallel, weakly convex. Dorsal and ventral surface moderately shiny, chestnut brown, macrosetation pale ( Fig. 5A ). Dorsal surface of head, pronotum, scutellar shield and elytra covered with white short recumbent scale-like macrosetae, ventral surface of thorax and abdomen with white recumbent scale-like macrosetae. Head appendages and legs covered with yellowish moderately long macrosetae, mixed with a few white recumbent scale-like macrosetae on metafemora.

Head. Labrum transverse, deeply bilobed, lobes rounded, irregularly and coarsely punctate, covered with long erect macrosetae. Clypeus transverse, anterior margin weakly upturned and almost straight medially, anterior angles rounded. Fronto-clypeal suture present, forming continuous, almost straight line. Clypeus and frons densely, irregularly, coarsely punctate, each puncture with short, minute erect macroseta. Occiput smooth. Eye-canthus narrow, short, with long macrosetation. Eyes considerably large (width of both eyes combined larger than maximum width of frons between eyes), distinctly extending beyond eye-canthus. Antenna with ten antennomeres; club with three antennomeres, regularly arcuate ( Fig. 5D ), distinctly longer than antennal shaft (antennomeres I–VII combined). Antennomeres I–VII with sparse long macrosetae, club sparsely, shortly macrosetaceous. Terminal maxillary palpomere elongate, apically truncate, approximately as long as palpomeres II and III combined.

Pronotum transverse, moderately convex, widest approximately at midlength. Basal and lateral borders complete, anterior border missing. Lateral outline regularly rounded, margins slightly crenate, bare. Anterior margin regularly, broadly sinuate. Anterior angles moderately produced, obtuse-angular; posterior angles not produced posteriad, approximately rectangular ( Fig. 5C ). Basal margin regularly rounded. Punctation consisting of coarse, umbilicate, almost regularly spaced punctures becoming somewhat denser laterad; each puncture bearing short, narrow, white scale-like, almost recumbent macroseta.

Scutellar shield large, almost equilaterally triangular, sides and apex rounded, flat.

Elytra weakly convex, parallel-sided, rounded apically, apical angle approximately rectangular. Striae missing, except for feebly visible sutural stria. Humeral umbones present, vaguely swollen. Surface not microsculptured, moderately shiny; punctation coarse, almost regularly spaced, punctures separated by 1–2 their diameter. Each puncture bearing short, narrow, white scale-like, almost recumbent macroseta. Epipleuron distinct, complete, narrow, bare laterally. Macropterous.

Legs. Femora narrow, shiny, irregularly punctate, macrosetaceous. Protibia narrow, distinctly tridentate, terminal calcar inserted against medial dent. Meso- and metatibia slightly expanded apicad, with two macrosetiferous longitudinal carinae. Upper terminal calcar of metatibia flattened, slightly curved, acute apically, almost two times as long as lower, apically trunctate chisel-shaped metatibial calcar. Claws bifid, with ventrobasal teeth ( Fig. 5B ).

Ventral surface covered with mixture of short, recumbent, white scale-like macrosetae and long, semierect yellowish macrosetae. Pygidium slightly transverse, convex, all around bordered, apically broadly rounded, irregularly covered with coarse macrosetiferous punctures.

Male genitalia. Parameres symmetrical, shorter than phallobasis, regularly curved in lateral aspect, rounded apically in dorsal aspect; apex with tuft of long yellowish macrosetae ( Fig. 10D ).

Sexual dimorphism. Female unknown.

Variability. The only paratype distinctly varies in body length, see measurements below.

Measurements. Total body length: holotype (J) 9.0 mm, paratype (J) 11.3 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Canuschiza firmihin sp. nov. can be differentiated from all species of the Canuschiza insularis species group mainly by combination of the following diagnostic characters in males: antennae with ten antennomeres ( Fig. 5D ); antennal club regularly arcuate, longer than antennal shaft (antennomeres I–VII combined) ( Figs 5A,D ); anterior margin of clypeus weakly upturned, almost straight medially ( Fig. 5A,D ); eyes considerably large (width of both eyes combined larger than maximum width of frons between eyes) ( Figs 5A,D ); lateral margins of pronotum bare; posterior angles of pronotum rectangular, not produced posteriad ( Figs 5A,C ); elytra densely irregularly punctate, each puncture bearing scale-like macroseta, longer than puncture diameter; scale-like macrosetae of pronotum and elytra narrow, long, almost hair-like ( Figs 5A,C ); macropterous.

Etymology. Derived from area of origin of the new species, the Firmihin plateau, Socotra Island; noun in nominative case, in apposition.

Collecting circumstances. Both specimens known so far were captured attracted to light (V. Hula and A. Reiter, pers. comm. 2014).

Geographical distribution. Type material originates from the Firmihin Dracaena forest protected area and Diksam lake ; both localities are situated in Central Socotra, for details see BEZDĚK et al. (2012).

Figures

Figs 5A–D. Canuschiza firmihin sp. nov., male, holotype, body length 9.0 mm, dorsal view.A – habitus; B – protarsal claw; C – detail of laterobasal area of pronotum and elytron; D – head. Not to scale.

Figs 10A–D.Aedeagus in dorsal (left) and lateral (right) view:A – Canuschiza adah sp. nov., holotype; B – C. croton sp. nov., holotype; C – C. dracaena sp. nov., holotype; D – C. firmihin sp. nov., holotype. Scale bar: 1.0 mm.