Anthelephila kali, Kejval & Cz, 2010

Kejval, Zbyněk & Cz, Domažlice, 2010, Studies on the genus Anthelephila (Coleoptera: Anthicidae) 11. New species and records from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Oman, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50 (1), pp. 189-234 : 208-210

Anthelephila kali sp. nov.

( Figs. 41–46 , 100 )

Type locality. India, Karnataka state, Gersoppa, Jog Falls, ca. 600 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘S. India: Karnataka, Gersoppa (Jog Falls) 19–24.xi.1977 c. 600 m Zool. Mus. Copenhagen Exp. // Formicomus praeses LaF. det. D. Telnov, 1998’ ( ZMUC) . PARATYPES: 2 ♀♀ [both pinned], ‘S. India: Karnataka, Mudigere area , c. 900 m 2–10.xi.1977 Zool. Mus. Copenhagen Exp. // Formicomus praeses LaF. det. D. Telnov, 1998’ ( ZMUC) ; 1 ♀, ‘S INDIA, Karnataka, 20 km W of Talguppa , JOG FALLS, 14°14′N 74°44′E, 500± 200 m, 22–28.v.2002, L.Dembický leg.’ ( ZKDC) ; 1♀, same data, but: P. Pacholátko leg. ( ZKDC) ; 1J, ‘ INDIA – KARNATAKA YELLAPUR, 22.4.2005 14°57′N, 74°41′E leg. M. Halada, 500 m’ ( ZKDC) .

Description (male, holotype). Body length 5.0 mm. Body piceous black; legs largely black, profemoral process, narrowed portion of femora and tarsi paler, brownish, antennae brown black.

Head 1.2 times as long as wide, nearly evenly rounded posteriorly, its base well differentiated from short neck; tempora narrowing posteriad, posterior temporal angles absent. Eyes medium-sized, rather convex and protruding. Surface glossy, distinctly punctate, corrugated dorsally in anterior half; dorsal punctation somewhat sparser at base, concealed by corrugation in anterior half. Setation pale, subdecumbent, with scattered, moderately longer erect setae. Antennae exceeding elytral humeri, slightly enlarged in terminal third; antennomere X 1.6 times and antennomere XI 2.2 times as long as wide.

Pronotum 1.2 times as long as wide, as wide as head across eyes, widely rounded anteriorly, narrowing posteriad, moderately but distinctly impressed laterally shortly before base; dorsal outline more or less convex over entire length in lateral view, dorsal side evenly shaped, without impressions or bulges. Surface glossy, distinctly punctate dorsally, largely smooth, impunctate laterally; postero-lateral impressions shortly wrinkled and adjacent basal area coarsely punctate to somewhat rugose; postero-dorsal area with some transverse wrinkles shortly before base, vaguely interconnecting lateral corrugations; dorsal punctation similar to that of head. Setation as that on head.

Mesosternum and metasternum simple.

Elytra 1.9 times as long as wide, conjointly rounded apically; humeri protruding; postscutellar impression moderately indicated. Surface glossy, distinctly punctate; punctation double, coarse basal punctures about as large as those on head, becoming finer towards elytral apices. Setation evenly developed, generally longer than that on head, decumbent, with numerous longer erect setae.

Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Fore legs modified ( Fig. 41 ); profemora with conspicuous pointed process and with sharp outer edge reaching as far as basal constriction; protibiae with moderate dilatation on inner side distally; metatibiae slightly dilated and with longitudinal edge on inner side; penultimate tarsomere flattened distally, with terminal tarsomere articulated dorsally in all tarsi.

Abdominal characters as in Figs. 42–46 ; median process of sternum VII projecting from dorsal side close before posterior margin, its apical portion less sclerotized, with fine and somewhat rolled setose margins; tergum VII simple; apical portion of tegmen 0.5 times as long as basal piece, trilobed apically.

Female. Externally differing from male by simple legs and sternum VII.

Variation. Body length (J ♀) 4.5–5.1 mm. Moderately variable in the prominence of body punctation and form of head (angulately produced postero-medially in a paratype from Jog Falls); basal antennomeres may be paler coloured, reddish brown.

Differential diagnosis. Anthelephila kali sp. nov. is close to A. semiopaca (Pic, 1903) , S. spiniventris Krekkich-Strassoldo, 1914 and several species occurring in India and Sri Lanka; see KREKICH- STRASSOLDO (1928). It resembles especially A. spiniventris from Tamil Nadu and Kerala in having black coloured, rather sparsely punctate and glossy body, rounded head base and longer, more raised body setation. It differs from the latter species by smaller eyes, anteriorly more widely rounded pronotum, nearly simple metatibiae (flattened on inner side distally and distinctly sinuous in A. spiniventris ), distinctly larger male profemoral process and many details in the morphology of male sternum VII and sternite VIII.

Etymology. Named after Kali (which means The Black), a form of the Indian goddess Devi; referring to the black body colouration. Noun in apposition.

Distribution. India (Karnataka).

Figures

Figs.41–46. Anthelephila kali sp. nov., holotype (male). 41 – profemur and tibia; 42 – sternum VII; 43 – sternite VIII in dorsal view (one half); 44 – prong of sternite VIII in lateral view; 45 – tergite VIII; 46 – apical portion of tegmen of aedeagus. Scale = 0.2 mm: A – Fig. 46; B – Fig. 43; C – Figs. 42, 44; 0.5 mm: D – Figs. 41, 45.

Figs. 93–100. Anthelephila spp., body in dorsal view (males, holotypes). 93 – A. adivasi sp. nov.; 94 – A. bacillipes sp. nov.; 95 – A. bheri sp. nov.; 96 – A. comes sp. nov.; 97 – A. insperata sp. nov.; 98 – A. interposita sp. nov.; 99 – A. kailasa sp. nov.; 100 – A. kali sp. nov.