Neotriplax minima, Ren, Jing Li Guo-Dong & Dong, Jian-Zhen, 2006

Ren, Jing Li Guo-Dong & Dong, Jian-Zhen, 2006, One new species of the genus Neotriplax (Coleoptera: Erotylidae) from China, Zootaxa 1333, pp. 63-67 : 64-66

Neotriplax minima new species

( Figs 1–20 )

Type material. Holotype male, CHINA: Yunnan Province, Lushui County, 25°58' N 98°49' E, 11 May 2004, X.J. Yang & Y.S. Liu leg. (Hebei University). Paratypes: one male and three females, same data as holotype.

Diagnosis. This new species is similar to Neotriplax arisana Miwa but differs in having head black with only basal area brown, punctures on head sparse, and posterior border of pronotum strongly narrowed backwards, with a narrow lobe in the middle.

Description. Body oval, convex in lateral view; general color brown to reddish brown and shining; head (except the basal area brown) and legs black.

Head ( Fig. 1 ) sparsely punctured, with a pair of stridulatory files ( Figs 17–18 ) on the vertex. Clypeus strongly narrowed anteriorly, with anterior border feebly emarginate and finely margined throughout, with a fovea on each side of the base. Compound eye ( Fig. 16 ) prominent laterally; joints of ommatidia covered with sparse hairs. Antennae ( Fig. 8 ) with brown hairs; 3rd segment slightly curved and flatted, about 2.14 times as long as 4th; 7th slightly wider than 6th; 8th obtuse triangular; 9th cupulate; 10th crescented; 11th almost oval, slightly constricted in middle, with three kinds of sense organs: sensilla trichodea, sensilla cheatica and sensilla styloconica ( Fig. 15 ); relative length of 2nd to 11th segments: 3.0: 7.5: 3.5: 4.0: 3.0: 4.0: 3.0: 8.0: 7.0: 6.0. Terminal segment of maxillary palpus ( Fig. 9 ) nearly triangular (terminal segment of maxillary palpus height/terminal segment of maxillary palpus width ratio = 0.45–0.50; mean = 0.47), with two kinds of sense organs ( Figs 19–20 ). Elevated part of mentum ( Fig. 7 ) pentagonal, pointed apically, with fine and close punctures.

Pronotum ( Fig. 2 ) transverse (pronotum length/pronotum width ratio = 0.48–0.54 (mean = 0.50), widest at base; sides gently rounded, gradually narrowing to apex; punctures sparser than those on head; anterior and posterior angles obtuse. Prosternum ( Fig. 3 ) strongly and sparsely punctured; prosternal process wider than long, gradually dilated apically; lateral carinae sinuate.

Scutellum cordiform, finely and sparsely punctured.

Elytra (elytra length/elytra width ratio = 2.25–2.43; mean = 2.35) widest at middle; sides weakly arcuate from base to middle, then sharply narrowed toward apex; each elytron with 8 rows of seriate punctures; intervals between rows finely punctured. Wings ( Fig. 6 ) well developed; radial cell triangular; medial fleck tadpole-shaped.

Mesoventrite ( Fig. 4 ) transverse, strongly and sparely punctured. Metaventrite ( Fig. 5 ) finely and sparsely punctured in the median area, strongly and closely punctured on the lateral areas, with a longitudinal depression medially.

Male genitalia ( Figs 10–12 ) slender; median lobe strongly narrowing from basal three fourths to apex and bluntly rounded at apex in lateral view; median strut short, nearly 0.8 times as long as media lobe. Female genitalia as in Figs 13 and 14 .

Body length: 3.0– 3.5 mm; width: 2.1–2.2 mm.

Distribution. China: Yunnan.

Etymology. This name is derived from the small body.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 14. Neotripla x minima sp. nov., male: 1, head; 2, pronotum; 3, prosternum; 4, mesoventrite; 5, metaventrite; 6, wing; 7, mentum; 8, antenna; 9, terminal segment of maxillary palpus; 10 – 12, aedeagus in ventral, dorsal and lateral views; female: 13 – 14, dorsal and ventral views of ovipositor. Scale bar: 1.00 mm for 6; 0.80 mm for 7, 9; 0.50 mm for 1 – 5, 8, 10 – 14.

FIGURES 15 – 20. Scanning electron micrographs of Neotriplax minima sp. nov. 15, sense organs of terminal segment of the antenna (A, sensilla trichodea; B, sensilla cheatica; C, sensilla styloconica); 16, right compound eye; 17, cephalic stridulatory file; 18, details of stridulatory file; 19, sense organs of terminal segment of the maxillary palpus (D, small sense organs; E, large sense organs); 20, details of D in 19. Scale bar: 10 m for 15, 18, 19, 20; 100 m for 16, 17.