Cis densus Lawrence, 2019

Lawrence, John F., 2019, The Australian Ciidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea): supplement, Zootaxa 4555 (4), pp. 451-490 : 465-467

Cis densus Lawrence sp. nov.

( Figs 11–14 , 58)

Diagnosis. This is one of the smaller members of the Cis pacificus group. It is characterised bythe very fine dorsal vestiture and lateral pronotal margins visible for their entire lengths from above. It differs from C. latemarginatus sp. nov., also from northern QLD, in having the pronotal puctures separated by less than a puncture diameter and the lateral pronotal margins somewhat narrower.

Description. With characters of the genus. Length = 1.10–1.25 (1.18 ± 0.05, n = 10) mm. Body oblong, moderately convex, with sides of pronotum distinctly rounded, those of elytra barely so. BL/EW 2.0 5–2.14 (2.08); GD/EW = 0.72–0.80 (0.77). Colour of head and pronotum reddish-brown, scutellar shield, elytra and undersides yellowish-brown legs and antennal funicle usually yellow, antennal club darker; surfaces shiny. Dorsal vestiture single, consisting of very short, fine hairs, which are barely longer than the punctures from which they arise and not visible under lower power. Frons and vertex slightly convex in female, anteriorly concave in male, with slightly raised vertexal sex patch. Longest eye diameter 0.24 times as great as head width. Frontoclypeal ridge in both sexes complete at middle and produced and elevated laterally, forming a pair of very short, rounded plates in female, and longer, triangular plates in male, separated by about two-thirds a basal width. Antennomere length ratio: 4.44: 2.89: 2.22: 2.00: 1.11: 1.22: 1.00: 2.67: 2.67: 3.89; length/width ratios: 1.54, 1.44, 2.00, 1.80, 1.00, 0.92, 0.63. 1.20, 1.09, 1.59. Apical maxillary palpomere 1.85 times as long as wide, widest near base, narrowly truncate at apex. Labial palps separated by 0.20 times basal width of one; ratio of palpomere lengths 1.00: 2.67: 1.83, apical palpomere distinctly narrower than preapical one, which is somewhat inflated. Male gula 0.53 times as wide as head, densely filled with micropores, the pores extending anteriorly onto submentum as a broad, apically rounded patch; female gula 0.37 times as wide as head. Pronotum 0.78–0.85 (0.81) times as long as wide, widest at about middle in both sexes; anterior edge strongly rounded in both sexes; lateral margins narrow but visible for their entire lengths from above with smooth edges; anterior angles not or barely produced forward and rounded; posterior angles rounded; posterior edge with very narrow but complete marginal bead; disc evenly convex; punctation coarse and dense, punctures usually separated by less than half a diameter; interspaces smooth and shiny. Prosternum in front of coxae 1.29 times as long as mid length of procoxal cavity, moderately tumid with median longitudinal carina, prosternal process 0.36 times as wide as mid length of coxal cavity, rounded at apex; procoxal cavities very narrowly open; postcoxal process narrowly acute. Elytra 1.3 1–1.38 (1.33) times as long as wide and 1.72–1.86 (1.79) times as long as pronotum; punctation dual and confused, with megapunctures slightly smaller than pronotal punctures, the interspaces distinctly sculptured but moderately shiny. Mesocoxal cavities separated by about 0.10 times shortest diameter of a cavity. Metaventrite slightly convex; discrimen about 0.5 times length of ventrite; shortest distance between meso- and metacoxal cavities about 1.43 times length of abdominal ventrite 1. Outer apical angle of protibia in both sexes with fine tooth. First abdominal ventrite 1.40 times as long as 2nd; sex patch in male weakly developed, about 0.21 times as long as ventrite 1, located at middle, circular, with partial marginal rim. Sides of sternite VIII straight and converging, its apex truncate. Pregenital ring relatively broad with rounded apex. Tegmen (Fig. 58) 2.00 times as long as wide, widest near apex, sides slightly converging to basal fourth, then gradually diverging to subapex, where they are abruptly turned inwards; apex very deeply and broadly emarginate forming a pair of slender processes, mesally curved at apex, with a long, lateral seta at point of curvature; base broadly subangulate. Penis slightly longer than tegmen and 4.42 times as long as wide, sides slightly diverging to apical third, then converging to narrowly rounded apex; base more or less truncate. Ovipositor 4.0 times as long as wide, widest at middle with sides subparallel but gradually narrowing at apical third; paraprocts slightly longer than gonocoxites, longitudinally oriented; gonocoxites 1.82 times as long as their combined widths; proximal lobe 1.6 times as long as wide, transversely subdivided into two parts; distal lobe 2.4 times as long as wide, gradually narrowed from base to about middle, then parallel-sided forming a slender apical section with narrowly rounded apex; gonostylus 0.37 times as long as distal lobe and 6 times as long as wide.

Type specimens: Holotype, ♂: “ 15.47S 145.17E Moses Ck. 4 km NbyE of Mt. Finnigan QLD 14–16 Oct. 1980 T. Weir / berlesate ANIC 694 sieved rainforest litter / ANIC Image” ( ANIC 25-014991 ).

Paratypes. QLD: Bellenden Ker Range, Westgid Ck., Nth Branch, 100m, 1.xi.1981, pyrethrum knockdown, Earthwatch / Queensland Museum; Black Mountain Rd., Julatten , 5.ix 10.x.1987, intercept trap, A. Walford-Huggins (1, ANIC) ; Cape Tribulation , 200m, 14.vii.1982, JFL Lot 82-35, Nigroporus sp., S. & J. Peck (9, ANIC) ; Cape Tribulation , 200m, 14.vii.1982, JFL Lot 82-34, Cyclomyces sp., S. & J. Peck (1, ANIC) ; Cape Tribulation , 200m, 14.vii.1982, SBP 76, leaf & log litter, S. & J. Peck (1, ANIC) ; Cape Tribulation area (16.03–05S, 145.28E), 21– 28.iii.1984, JFL 84-14, Phellinus sp., A. Calder, T. Weir (2, ANIC) ; Cape Tribulation area (16.03–05S, 145.28E), 21–28.iii.1984, ANIC berlesate 940, litter, rainforest, A. Calder, T. Weir (3, ANIC) ; Cape Tribulation , 2 km SSW 16.05S, 145.28E), 28.ii–27.iii.1996, FI Trap JCU, P. Zborowski (1, ANIC) ; Conway St. For., Brandy Creek Rd. (20.20S, 148.42E), 60m, 23.iv.1969, QM berlesate 56, rainforest, stick brushing, G. B. Monteith (4, QMB) ; Finlayson’s Point , 2 km NW Seaforth (20.53S, 148.57E), 4.iii.1983, remnant littoral vine scrub, A. Gillison (1, ANIC) ; Moses Creek, 4 km NbyE Mt. Finnigan (15.47S, 145.17E), 14–16.x.1980, ANIC berlesate 693, sieved rainforest litter, T. A. Weir (1, ANIC) ; Shiptons Flat (15.47S, 145.14E), 17–19.x.1980, ANIC berlesate 697, sieved rainforest litter, T. A. Weir .

Distribution. Northern QLD.

Biology. Collected in berlesates from sifted rainforest litter and stick brushings, in flight intercept traps, and in the basidiomes of species of Nigroporus , Cyclomyces and Phellinus .

Etymology. Derived from the Latin densus , meaning compact or close and referring to the dense pronotal punctation.

Figures

FIGURES 1–15. habitus: 1–2, Cis apodemus sp. nov.: 1, male, dorsal (1.3 mm); 2, same, lateral; 3–5, Cis bicolorellus sp. nov.: 3, male, unicoloured, dorsal (1.1 mm); 4, same, lateral; 5, female, bicoloured form, dorsal (1.2 mm); 6–7, Cis brachytrichus sp. nov.: 6, male, dorsal (2.1 mm); 7, same, lateral; 8–10, Cis christmasensis sp. nov.: 8, male, dorsal (1.4 mm); 9, female, dorsal (1.5 mm); 10, same, lateral. 11–14, Cis densus sp. nov.: 11, male, dorsal (1.2 mm); 12, same, lateral; 13, female, dorsal (1.1 mm); 14, same, lateral; 15, Cis depressus sp. nov., male, dorsal (1.3 mm).