Machilontus (s. str.) medogensis Song & Huang, 2011

Song, Zhi-Shun, Huang, Fu-Sheng & Liang, Ai-Ping, 2011, Machilontus (s. str.) medogensis Song & Huang, sp. nov. from Tibet, the northernmost record of the genus Machilontus Silvestri, 1912 and the first record of the family Meinertellidae (Insecta: Microcoryphia: Machiloidea) in China, Zootaxa 2822, pp. 61-68 : 65-67

Machilontus (s. str.) medogensis Song & Huang , sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 –16)

Diagnosis. Lateral paired ocelli each with small dark pigmented patch on inner edge; frons with a pair of patches between lateral ocelli, a pair of V-shaped stripes above median ocellus and a large spot in the inner antennal base; clypeus with a rounded field of numerous spine-like setae below median ocellus; article II of maxillary palp in males with dorsal apophysis elongate, pointed and directed inward, not incurved; legs rarely pigmented.

Description. Male length (tip of head to tip of abdomen) 8.1–9.0 mm; maximum antennae length 9.9 mm; cerci and caudal filament incomplete, not measured. General color yellowish brown in scaled areas, paler in areas where scales abraded. Head and appendages devoid of scales, with a few violet-brown hypodermal patches or stripes ( Fig. 2).

Compound eyes black, large, convex, with ratios of length to width 0.90–0.93, line contact to length 0.66–0.69. Lateral paired ocelli reddish, with small dark pigmented patch on inner edge; ocelli narrow ellipsoidal, the outer area slightly wider than the inner one, nearly three times as wide as long (Figs. 3–4). Frons with several setae between paired ocelli; with a pair of patches between paired ocelli, a large V-shaped stripe above median ocellus and a relatively large very dark spot in the inner antennal base (Fig. 3). A surrounding small area above median ocellus much darker (Fig. 3). Clypeus with oval field of numerous spine-like setae below median ocellus (Fig. 3). Antennae much longer than body; scapus about twice as long as wide (Fig.8), with light oblong spot on inner base and very small spot on inner apex; maximum number of flagellum divisions about 22, provided with cilia and short sensory setae.

Article I of maxillary palps with outer apophysis well developed, much longer than inner coiled process, slightly shorter than maximum diameter of article (Fig. 7); article II with dorsal apophysis elongate, pointed and directed inward, not incurved (Figs. 6–7); articles III–VII much more slender than proximal articles; article V with 0–3 hyaline spines in the apical dorsal area; articles VI and VII with 10–15 and 20–25 hyaline spines in the dorsal margins, respectively. Ratio of length of articles VII: VI: V = 1: (1.07–1.11): (1.37–1.43). Distribution of pigmented patches on inner surface as in Fig. 6 and on outer surface as in Fig. 7.

Labium and labial palps as in Fig. 5, without distinct patches. Mentum with some long setae on median ventral area. Apical article of labial palps clavate, expanded apically, with numerous sensorial cones longer than the neighbouring setae, longitudinally grooved and with 4–6 minute processes.

Legs rarely pigmented; coxae, trochanters and tarsi of all legs without distinct patches, only femora with small transverse spot on apex and tibia with dorsal band on subbase. Distributions of pigmented patches and chaetotaxy of legs as in Figs. 14–16. Fore legs with coxae, femora and tibiae slightly thicker than middle and hind legs; hind legs slightly longer than the other legs. Fore tibia with field of numerous brownish setae on ventral border (Fig. 14).

Abdominal coxosternites I–VII with 1+1 eversible vesicles, coxosternites II–IX with styli. Coxosternites I distinctly shorter than coxosternites II, without urosternite (Fig. 9). Coxosternites II (Fig. 10) rounded and expanded laterally, with large triangular urosternite; styli long and robust, with several long hyaline spine-like setae on inner subapex. Coxosternites III–VIII glabrous; styli with numerous short setae (Figs. 11–12). Ratios of styli (without terminal spine) to corresponding coxosternites as follows: 0.78–0.85 for coxosternite II, 0.45–0.51 for coxosternite V, 0.56–0.60 for coxosternite VIII, 0.68–0.73 for coxosternite IX. Ratios of terminal spines to corresponding styli as follows: 0.37–0.40 for coxosternite II, 0.97–1.00 for coxosternite V, 1.08–1.12 for coxosternite VIII, 0.48–0.53 for coxosternite IX.

Penis small, length about one-third of coxosternite IX (Fig. 13). Parameres absent.

Female unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: ♂, Southwestern China: Tibet, Medog, Beibeng , elev. 800 m, 20 August 1974 (F.S. Huang) . Paratypes: 1 ♂, same data as holotype ; 2 ♂, Tibet, Medog , 800 m, 3 September 1974 (F.S. Huang) ; 2♂, Tibet, Medog, Maniweng , elev. 800 m, 11 September 1974 (F.S. Huang) (all in IZCAS) .

Etymology. The species is named for its occurrence in Medog, Tibet, southwestern China.

FIGTURES 3–10. Machilontus medogensis . 3. head, front view; 4. eyes and ocelli, right lateral view; 5. labium and labial palp; 6. maxillary palp, inner view; 7. maxillary palp, outer view; 8. base of antenna; 9. coxosternite I; 10. coxosternite II.

FIGTURES 11–16. Machilontus medogensis . 11. coxosternite V; 12. coxosternite VIII; 13. coxosternite IX; 14. fore leg, outer view; 15. middle leg, outer view; 16. hind leg, outer view.

Remarks. Sturm (1990) described M. (s. str.) martensi from Nepal, based on a single female specimen, and at that time was the northernmost record of Machilontus . The new species M. medogensis was collected from Medog, Tibet, southwestern China, at about 30°N, 95°E.

The new species can be separated from M. (s. str.) martensi by its narrow and long lateral paired ocelli, the outer margin slightly wider than the inner margin, with a small dark pigmented patch on the inner edge (large and broad, shoe-shaped, without patch on inner edge in M. martensi ); clypeus with a field of numerous brownish bristles below the median ocellus (setal field absent in M. martensi ); and the coxal styli on hind legs slightly longer than the width of hind coxae, without long setae near the tip (relatively small, with prominent long dark setae near the apex in M. martensi ). The new species is also similar to M. (s. str.) lawrencei Bach , but can be distinguished from the latter by its clypeus with numerous spine-like setae below median ocellus, forming a oval setal field; and article II of the maxillary palps nearly glabrous (with a series of small rigid setae, arranged in a group of 18–20 on the outer face and before the apophysis in M. lawrencei ).