Athemus (Andrathemus) similis, Švihla, 2005

Švihla, Vladimír, 2005, New taxa of the subfamily Cantharinae (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) from south-eastern Asia with notes on other species II, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 45, pp. 71-110 : 91-93

Athemus (Andrathemus) similis sp. nov.

( Figs. 42-45 )

Type locality. China, Sichuan Province, Maoxian env., 1500 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ China, Sichuan prov., Maoxian env., 1500 m, 29.vi.2003, S. Murzin lgt.’ ( NMPC) . PARATYPE: same data, 1 ♀ ( NMPC).

Description. Coloration. Head terra-cotta to rusty, frons between and behind eyes with large, subtriangular sooty spot, antennae egg-yolk yellow, gradually darkening to sienna terminally. Prothorax rusty, pronotum in anterior half with large, reverse U-shaped sepia spot reaching lateral margins and with smaller, V-shaped sepia spot before posterior margin. Legs egg-yolk yellow, tarsomeres more or less infuscate terminally. Meso- and metasternum ultra-green, abdominal sternites sepia, terra-cotta bordered, last sternite almost entirely terra-cotta. Scutellum and elytra ultra-green.

Male. Eyes large and protruding, head across eyes ca 1.2 times as wide as pronotum, temples straight and convergent posteriorly. Antennae reaching almost two thirds of elytral length, antennomeres 4-10 each with oval, small and indistinct impression. Surface of head very finely imbricate-punctate, finely yellow pubescent, matt. Pronotum as long as wide, its anterior margin widely rounded, anterior corners rounded, lateral margins slightly sinuate and diverging posteriorly, posterior corners almost sharp, posterior margin rounded. Surface of pronotum finely punctate and yellow pubescent, matt to semilustrous, with fine median longitudinal carina in posterior half. Elytra parallel-sided, elytral nervation absent, surface of elytra rugulose-lacunose, punctate basally, yellow pubescent, semilustrous, nearly lustrous basally. Aedeagus as in Figs. 42-44 .

Female. Eyes smaller and less protruding than in male, head across eyes only slightly wider than pronotum, antennae shorter, not reaching elytral midlength, elytra wider. Last sternite as in Fig. 45 .

Length J ♀: 7.5-7.7 mm.

Differential diagnosis. The coloration of A. similis sp. nov. is very similar to that of A. longipilis . However, A. similis sp. nov. differs in outer claw of fore and middle tarsus with basal projection in female (the character separating the subgenera Andrathemus and Isathemus ) and in the shape of the dorsal part of the aedeagus (cf. WITTMER 1995a). Based on the shape of the aedeagus, the new species seems to be related to A. benesi Švihla, 2004 , from which it differs in the darkened frons, spotted pronotum, antenna gradually darkening terminally, wider and tapering portions of the dorsal part of the aedeagus and in longer pubescence on the dorsal part of the aedeagus (cf. ŠVIHLA 2004).

Etymology. Similis (Latin) = similar; the coloration of the new species is very similar to that of A. longipilis .

Distribution. China: Sichuan.

Figures

Figs. 41-47. 41 – Athemus (Athemellus) bimaculicollis sp. nov., dorsal part of aedeagus. 42-45 – A. (Andrathemus) similis sp. nov. 42 – aedeagus, ventral view; 43 – ditto, lateral view; 44 – dorsal part of aedeagus; 45 – last abdominal sternite of female. 46-47 – A. (Andr.) rolciki indosinicus ssp. nov. 46 – dorsal part of aedeagus; 47 – aedeagus, lateral view. Scales a – Figs. 42-44, 46-47; b – Figs. 41, 45.