Pseudonthobium sinuatotibiale Montreuil & Théry, 2011

Montreuil, Olivier & Théry, Thomas, 2011, Revision of the New Caledonian genus Pseudonthobium Paulian, 1984 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Epilissini), Zootaxa 2863, pp. 49-62 : 51-55

Pseudonthobium sinuatotibiale Montreuil & Théry , new species

Habitus: Fig. 4 .

Type specimens. Holotype male: NEW CALEDONIA, Mt Mou, top camp, 1150m, 27–29 Dec 2004, Monteith leg., dung trap, 22°04’S 166°21’E [ MNHN]. Paratypes (167): 3 males and 5 females — same data as holotype [QM]; 13 males and 5 females — NEW CALEDONIA, Mt Mou, summit saddle, 1100m, 27–29 Dec 2004, Monteith leg., dung trap, rainforest, 22°04’S 166°21’E [QM]; 12 males and 6 females — NEW CALEDONIA, Mt Mou, summit maquis, 1100m, 28–29 Dec 2004, Burwell & Monteith leg., dung trap, maquis, 22°04’S 166°21’E [QM]; 2 females — NEW CALEDONIA, Mt Mou, moss forest, 1150m, 27 Dec 2004, Monteith leg., hand collect, night, rainforest, 22°04’S 166°21’E [QM]; 21 males and 5 females — NEW CALEDONIA, Mt Mou, moss forest, 1150m, 27–28 Dec 2004, Monteith leg., dung trap, rainforest, 22°04’S 166°21’E [QM]; 9 males and 3 females — NEW CALEDONIA, 22°02’S 166°28’E, 950m, Dzumac Road, junction, 5 Dec 2003 – 26 Jan 2004, Monteith leg., flight int. trap [QM]; 23 males and 4 females — NEW CALEDONIA, 22°02’S 166°28’E, 950m, Dzumac Road, junction, 4–5 Dec 2003, Monteith leg., dung trap, rainforest [QM]; 1 male — NEW CALEDONIA, 22°02’S 166°28’E, Dzumac Road, junction, 26 January 2004, Monteith leg. [QM]; 1 male — NOUVELLE CALEDONIE, Montagne des Sources, II.1958, Orstom Paris, Rageau leg. [ MNHN]; 46 males and 8 females — NEW CALEDO- NIA, 21°57’S 166°32’E, 1280m, Massif du Kouakoué, 17–23 Mars 2008, Soldati leg., pièges à excréments [ MNHN, QM, CBPG, IAC, CTT].

Description (male). 7.0– 10.5 mm. Dark reddish-brown, setae yellowish-brown. Tegument feebly shiny.

Head. Frons flat, clypeus feebly depressed in the middle. Clypeus bidentate, lateral margins subconvex.

Pronotum. Punctation same size as on head, fine, dense; punctures separate by approximately their diameter, slightly larger on feeble medioposterior depression. Base strongly bilobate, distinctly concave at middle, obliquely divergent and concave on each side. Posterior edge obtuse. Lateral margin straight, feebly convergent then strongly convergent anteriorly. Anterior edge feebly sharp.

Elytra. Interstriae flat, feebly microreticulate, with fine punctation; punctures evenly dispersed, much smaller than those on pronotum, separated by about 1–2 times their diameter, bearing thin, short setae. Anterior margin straight then abruptly projected obliquely from base of 5th stria fitting basal margin of pronotum. Side of elytra evenly curved anteriorly, curve interrupted near middle and elongated by more open curve. Setae numerous, short, with even distribution on all interstriae.

8th tergite. Smooth, shiny, with fine, even punctation. Deep furrow along inner side of margins; apical margin strongly enlarged, notched in middle of inner border.

Sternites. Last sternite strongly enlarged; tegument feebly microreticulate, shiny, completely covered with strong punctation. Other sternites normally developed, feebly microreticulate, less shiny, punctate only on sides.

Legs. Outer margin of protibia tridentate in apical third, median tooth closer to the apical tooth, basal tooth obsolete. Inner margin sinuate before apex and strongly enlarged from the middle, enlargement extended by a lamella ( Fig. 21 ). Base of posterior margin of metafemora notched; metatibia not quite straight, almost as long as metafemora ( Fig. 28 ).

Aedeagus ( Fig. 13 ). Left paramere evenly projected laterally in apical third, notched before apex on outer margin. Right paramere distinctly curved outwards in dorsal view, spiny at apex, narrow and curved at apex in lateral view.

Notes. Female similar to male, with simple inner margin of protibia; 8th tergite short, very transverse, furrow more superficial near apical margin.

Specimens from Dzumac junction are smaller in size (7.0–8.0 mm), those from Kouakoué of intermediate size (8.5–9.5 mm), and those from Mt. Mou are the largest in size (9.0– 10.5 mm).

Distribution. This species is known only from Mt. Mou in southeast New Caledonia.

Etymology. This species is named after the characteristic shape of its protibiae, which are strongly enlarged in the middle of their inner margin.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Habitus of Pseudonthobium. 1, P. fracticolloides Paulian, male; 2, P. doense n. sp., male; 3, P. genieri n. sp., male; 4, P. sinuatotibiale n. sp., male; 5, P. humboldtense n. sp., male; 6, P. paniense n. sp., male; 7, P. monteithianum n. sp., male; 8, P. foveolatum n. sp., female; 9, P. fracticolle (Fauvel), male. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURES 18 – 25. Right protibia of male Pseudonthobium, dorsal view. 18, P. fracticolloides Paulian; 19, P. doense n. sp.; 20, P. g e n i e r i n. sp.; 21, P. sinuatotibiale n. sp.; 22, P. humboldtense n. sp.; 23, P. paniense n. sp.; 24, P. monteithianum n. sp.; 25, P. fracticolle (Fauvel). Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURES 26 – 28. Pronotum of Pseudonthobium, dorsal view. 26, P. g e n i e r i n. sp.; 27, P. fracticolloides Paulian; 28, Male posterior leg of P. sinuatotibiale n. sp., ventral view. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURES 10 – 17. Parameres of Pseudonthobium, right, dorsal and left views. 10, P. fracticolloides Paulian; 11, P. doense n. sp.; 12, P. g e n i e r i n. sp.; 13, P. sinuatotibiale n. sp.; 14, P. humboldtense n. sp.; 15, P. paniense n. sp.; 16, P. monteithianum n. sp.; 17, P. fracticolle (Fauvel). Scale bar: 1 mm.