Anthelephila comes, 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 : 197-199

Anthelephila comes sp. nov

( Figs. 19–23 , 96 )

Type locality. Nepal, Janakpur zone, southeast of Charikot, Tamba-Koshi-Khola, 2200 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘C-Nepal, Janakpur, Tamba-Koshi-Khola, SE Charikot, 900–2200 m, 16.–25.4.87, lg. Pashang [yellow label] // Formicomus basalis Krekich det. G.Uhmann 1987’ ( NMPC) . PARATYPE: 1 ♀, same data as holotype ( ZKDC).

Additional material. NEPAL: 1 ♀, Nepal centr., Janakpur Tamba-Koshi Khola Dolakha, 850–1100 m, 24.–29.v.1989, C. Holzschuh leg. ( NKME).

Description (male, holotype). Body length 4.4 mm. Head and pronotum reddish; elytra largely brown except reddish basal third and lateral margins, with paired transverse dark brown spot on humeri; legs reddish brown, antennae reddish.

Head 1.3 times as long as wide, slightly produced posteriorly, its base somewhat less distinctly differentiated from short neck; tempora strongly narrowing posteriad, posterior angles absent. Eyes medium-sized, rather convex. Dorsal surface largely smooth and rather glossy, finely punctate, somewhat uneven and corrugate anteriorly on frons. Setation mostly subdecumbent, with a few longer erect setae. Antennae slightly enlarged in terminal third; antennomere X 1.5 times and antennomere XI 2.1 times as long as wide.

Pronotum 1.5 times as long as wide, distincly narrower than head across eyes, evenly rounded anteriorly, narrowed and moderately but distinctly impressed and constricted postero-laterally in dorsal view; pronotal disc largely evenly shaped, with slightly protruding transverse rugosity in posterior third, its outline more or less convex in anterior half, slightly uneven in posterior half in lateral view. Dorsal surface finely punctate, transversely wrinkled shortly before base; antero-lateral sides mostly impunctate, smooth and glossy; postero-lateral impressions shortly and coarsely wrinkled; base dorso-laterally with some coarser punctures densely arranged in short longitudinal row; dorsal punctation similar to that on head, with a few scattered coarser punctures. Setation as that on head.

Mesosternum and metasternum simple.

Elytra 1.8 times as long as wide, conjointly rounded apically; humeri somewhat rounded but distinct; postscutellar impression slightly indicated. Surface glossy, distinctly punctate; punctures slightly coarser and more widely spaced than those on head. Setation pale, longer than that on head, evenly developed, subdecumbent to decumbent, with scattered erect setae, especially in apical third.

Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Fore legs modified ( Fig. 19 ); profemora with small dent-like and finely setose protuberance; protibiae nearly simple, with short inconspicuous edge on inner side distally; penultimate tarsomere widened and flattened distally, with terminal tarsomere articulated dorsally in all tarsi. Setation normally developed, short, fine, rather subdecument.

Abdominal characters as in Figs. 20–23 ; tergum VII simple, rather widely rounded posteriorly; paired prongs of sternite VIII armed with three sharply pointed, thorn-like denticles ventrally at the level of apex of lateral bacillary process; apical portion of tegmen 0.7 times as long as basal piece, trilobed apically.

Female. Externally differing from male by simple legs and evenly rounded apices of sternum and tergum VII.

Variation. Body length (J ♀) 4.4–4.5 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Anthelephila comes sp. nov. is very closely related to A. umbratilis ( Krekich-Strassoldo, 1928) , as suggested by the overall similarity including male characters. It differs from the latter species by a much smaller and finely setose profemoral process (bearing a fringe of stiff setae in A. umbratilis ) and detailed morphology of male sternite VIII: apical portion of prongs narrower, simple with only three denticles ventrally near base (cf. Figs. 21 and 83 ).

Etymology. From Latin comes (attendant, companion); named in reference to its close relationships with A. umbratilis . Noun in apposition.

Distribution. Nepal.

Anthelephila coniceps (Pic, 1913)

Distribution. India (reliably known only from Sikkim, see below).

Remarks. This species was described by PIC (1913) from Sikkim and redescribed by KEJVAL (2000) from the single holotype specimen deposited in MNHN. It was recorded from Nepal and Sikkim and listed for the Indian state of Uttarakhand by TELNOV (2003a). These data are given in the last catalogue ( CHANDLER et al. 2008). However, A. coniceps is probably somewhat more restricted in distribution. At least the records from Nepal ( TELNOV 2003a) were found to be based on misidentified specimens of A. psiloptera , A. pokharensis , A. pseudocorrusca and A. uhmanni (see the species in question).

Figures

Figs. 19–23. Anthelephila comes sp. nov., holotype (male). 19 – profemur and tibia; 20 – sternum VII; 21 – sternite VIII in dorsal view (one half); 22 – tergite VIII; 23 – apical portion of tegmen of aedeagus. Scale = 0.5 mm: A – Figs. 19, 20; B – Fig. 22; C – Fig. 21; D – Fig. 23.

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.

Figs. 82–84. Anthelephila umbratilis (Krekich–Strassoldo, 1928), syntype (male). 82 – sternum VII; 83 – prong of sternite VIII in ventro-median view;84 – apical portion of tegmen of aedeagus; 85 – male profemur and tibia,specimen from vicinity of Juido (ZKDC). Scale = 0.2 mm: A – Fig. 6; B – Fig. 3; C – Fig. 5; D – Figs. 2, 4; E – Fig. 1.