Rhyparus fijiensis, Minkina & Anichtchenko & Vasiljeva & Skelley, 2022

Minkina, Ÿukasz, Anichtchenko, Alexander, Vasiljeva, Anastasija & Skelley, Paul E., 2022, Four new species of the genus Rhyparus Westwood, 1845 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) with modified pygidium and last abdominal ventrite in females, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 22 (1), pp. 81-101 : 86-88

Rhyparus fijiensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 7–9 , 22 , 28 )

Type locality. Fiji, Viti Levu Island , Navai .

Type material. Holotype (): Fiji | Viti Levu , Navai | vii.2016 || ( Ÿ MCN) . Paratypes (27exx.): 2exx.: Fiji | Viti Levu , Navai | xii.2016 || ( Ÿ MCN) ; 6exx.: Fiji | Viti Levu , Navai | xii.2016 || (4exx. CNCW, 1ex. DUBC, 1ex. ISEA) . 2exx.: Fiji | Viti Levu | Savura Creek, 31.vii.1975 | P.A. Maddison, M.V. light || ( NZAC) ; 1ex.: Fiji | Viti Levu | Colo­i­Savu | 4.viii.1985 | T. Kepa, M.V. light || ( NZAC) ; 2exx.: Fiji | Viti Levu | Colo­i­Savu | 18.i.1975 | P.A. Maddison, M.V. light || ( NZAC) ; 4exx.: Fiji | Viti Levu | Nandrau | 750m, 19.x.1977 | G.Kuschel || ( NZAC) ; 9exx.: Fiji | Viti Levu | Savu | 10.x.1977 | G. Kuschel [duplicate specimens in alcohol] || (6exx. FSCA; 3exx. NZAC) ; 1ex.: Fiji | Vanjua Levu | “forest nr. Niurudi Navonu” | 3­ 6.x.1975, P. S. Maddison, M.V. light || ( NZAC) .

Description of the holotype. Dorsum ( Fig. 7 ). Length: 8.0 mm; maximum width: 2.3 mm. Body large­sized for members of this genus, elongate, not so distinctly convex, flattened in central part; shiny; apparently almost glabrous, though partly clothed with very small yellowish macrosetae on head and all longitudinal costae on pronotum and elytra. Brownish to dark brown; antennae, tarsomeres and mouth parts pale brown.

Head ( Fig. 22 ) weakly shiny; transversely sub­hexagonal; clypeus trapezoidal in outline, anteriorly weakly sinuate, on sides weakly upturned as obtuse, quite distinct tooth, and later sinuous on either side; genae distinctly more excavate than eyes; clypeal disc distinctly convex, ringed by a deep groove; convexity with a pair of quite distinct, very short, convergent ridges, nearly on whole surface with distinct, fine punctures bearing small macrosetae. Frons with four distinct, longitudinal ridges with similar structure as ridges on clypeal convexity. Head covered by quite regularly spaced, quite dense, moderately large punctures bearing small macrosetae.

Pronotum shiny; with eight distinct costae and seven intercostae, with two lateral, rounded lobes on each side. Anterior lobes very weakly higher and distinctly narrower than posterior, on the top are the widest part of pronotum. Costae of third and fourth pair not interrupted in basal part of apical half, very gently convergent, distinctly convergent in the middle of apical third; median and second pair of costae distinctly interrupted in basal part of apical half; costae on each side with very small punctures bearing very small macrosetae. All intercostae in anterior part without additional short costae. Median intercostae with dense punctures, distinctly concentrated around median part into longitudinal line, all intercostae in basal part with distinct, dense punctation.

Scutellum almost imperceptible.

Elytra shiny. Each elytron with six elevated costae, and five flat intercostae. Costae on sides with very small punctures bearing very small macrosetae. Preapical glandular area relatively small. Intercostae first to fourth with two distinct rows of

Minkina Ł., Anichtchenko A., Vasiljeva A., Skelley P.E.

punctures; on third intercostae there is short additional costae with additional row of punctures untill half of length of elytra. Fifth intercosta with one row of punctures; in basal part of fourth intercosta there is region with extremely short additional costa, with some additional punctures here. External caudal bulb distinctly reduced, area between external caudal bulb and sides of elytra not divided; external and medio­internal caudal bulbs not divided; medio­internal caudal bulb shortened, transversally rounded, internally stretched.

Pygidium ( Fig. 28 ) with dense, irregularly spaced punctation, with distinct longitudinal rib in the middle and deep concavitieson its sides; with distinctly longitudinal apex in the shape of volcano with narrow, truncate top.

Venter ( Fig. 8 ) shiny. Meso­metaventral plate flattened in the middle, with distinct, narrow, quite deep longitudinal furrow; punctation of meso­metaventral plate dense, regularly spaced, irregular in size; all punctures bearing short macrosetae. Abdominal ventrites moderately shiny, on sides with rows of punctures; with an additional punctured furrow in basal part. Last abdominal ventrite with dense punctures, which are slightly larger than on last but one ventrite; in basal half in the middle part with dense, very deep, longitudinal rows; in apical part in the middle with very deep groove, clearly located much below apex of pygidium.

Mesofemora with two distinct tubercles on lower border; metafemora without any tubercles on lower border; all femora shiny, with regular, very distinct, rather small, very dense punctation; all punctures bearing small macrosetae.

Variation. Length of body: 7.4–8.2 mm. Intercostae of pronotum and elytra usually are shiny, but sometimes less shiny – untill subopaque. Lateral lobes of pronotum may be more or less distinctly developed. Density of punctation of pronotal and elytral intercostae is quite distinctly variable. Degree of concentration of punctures in median intercostae of pronotum is quite variable. Usually elytral costae are convex and narrow, rarely may be flattened and quite wide. Additional rows of fine punctures observed usually on third elytral intercostae – between main rows, but there are specimens with some punctures on all rows.

Sexual dimorphism. Shape of meso­metaventral plate (in both sexes), apex of mesotibiae (in both sexes) and shape of last abdominal ventrite and pygidium of males are typical for sexual dimorphism in genus Rhyparus . Last abdominal ventrite and pygidium of females is distinctly elongate at apex ( Fig. 28 ). Last abdominal ventrite and pygidium of males are not modified.

Etymology. Toponymic; an adjective derived from the name of Fiji Islands – where the type series was collected.

Affinity. See discussion and tables 1 and 2.

Figures

Figs. 7–9. Rhyparus fijiensis sp. nov.,, holotype: 7 – dorsal view; 8 – ventral view; 9 – lateral view. Scale lines: 1.0 mm.

Figs. 20–25. Heads: 20 – R. bacanensis sp. nov.,, holotype; 21 – R. buruensis sp. nov.,, holotype; 22 – R. fijiensis sp. nov.,, holotype; 23 – R. stebnickae sp. nov.,, holotype; 24 – R. paraphilippinensis Ochi & Kakizoe, 2021,; 25 – R. sepikensis Stebnicka, 1998,, paratype. Scale lines: 1.0 mm.

Figs. 26–33.Abdominal apexes with black­white miniatures of pygidium on left­down side: 26 – R. bacanensis sp. nov.,, holotype; 27 – R. buruensis sp. nov.,, holotype; 28 – R. fijiensis sp. nov.,, holotype; 29 – R. stebnickae sp. nov.,, holotype; 30 – R. approximans Fairmaire, 1893,; 31 – R. loebli Paulian, 1983,; 32 – R. paraphilippinensis Ochi & Kakizoe, 2021,; 33 – R. sepikensis Stebnicka, 1998,, paratype. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.