Anthelephila adivasi, 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 : 190-192

Anthelephila adivasi sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–6 , 93 )

Type locality. India, Meghalaya state, southwest of Cherrapunjee, 25°13–14′N, 91°40′E, 900 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘NE – INDIA, Meghalaya, SW of CHERRAPUNJEE, 25°13–14′N 91°40′E, 5.–24.v. 2005, 900 m, P. Pacholátko leg.’ ( NMPC) . PARATYPES: 23 JJ 22 ♀♀, same data as holotype ( ZKDC, 2 specimens each in BMNH, DCDC, HNHM and NHMW).

Description (male, holotype). Body length 6.0 mm. Head and pronotum dark reddish; elytra brown black, with very slight blue-green reflection, dark reddish base and lateral margins; legs reddish brown, antennae reddish, moderately darkened apically.

Head produced postero-medially and fluently passing into long neck; tempora strongly narrowing posteriad, posterior angles absent. Eyes rather large and convex. Dorsal surface glossy, finely and sparsely punctate; neck finely longitudinally corrugated. Setation mostly subdecumbent, with numerous much longer and erect bristly setae. Antennae conspicuously long, slightly enlarged in terminal third; antennomere IV–VI more than 3.0 times, antennomere X 2.4 times and antennomere XI 3.1 times as long as wide.

Pronotum 1.7 times as long as wide, narrower than head across eyes, nearly evenly rounded anteriorly, narrowed and shallowly but distinctly impressed/constricted postero-laterally in dorsal view; pronotal disc evenly shaped medially, its outline convex in anterior half and flattened to slightly impressed posteriorly in lateral view. Dorsal surface smooth, distinctly punctate, with a few inconspicuous transverse wrinkles before base; antero-lateral sides finely and sparsely punctate, impunctate near procoxal cavities; postero-lateral impression coarsely wrinkled, adjacent basal area somewhat rugose or densely punctate; dorso-median punctation moderately denser than on head, with some coarser punctures in posterior third. Setation as that on head.

Mesosternum with narrow, median longitudinal bulge, rather rounded anteriorly, narrowing and keel-like posteriorly, its outline evenly lowering posteriad in lateral view; metasternum simple.

Elytra 1.7 times as long as wide, conjointly rounded apically; humeri distinct; postscutellar impression absent. Surface glossy, distinctly punctate; punctation simple, rather sparse. Setation similar to that on head, generally more raised, evenly developed.

Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Fore legs modified ( Fig. 1 ); profemora with short edge-like protrusion; protibiae moderately arcuate, dilated and slightly lobed distally on inner side; penultimate tarsomere widened and flattened distally, with terminal tarsomere articulated dorsally in all tarsi. Setation of tibiae generally rather long and raised.

Abdominal characters as in Figs. 2–6 ; median process of sternum VII dorso-ventrally flattened, its apex finely rugose; tergum VII slightly angulately produced postero-medially, with simply rounded apex; apical portion of tegmen 0.4 times as long as basal-piece, trilobed apically.

Female. Externally differing from male as follows: median longitudinal bulge of mesosternum similar but somewhat wider, its posterior edge rather rounded; fore leg simple; sternum VII simple, slightly produced and subtruncate apically; tergum VII subtriangular.

Variation. Body length (J ♀) 4.6–6.2 mm. Rather variable in the prominence of dark reddish basal spot on elytra, which may be both reduced (faint tinge near scutellum) and conspicuous (extending behind humeri).

Differential diagnosis. Anthelephila adivasi sp. nov. belongs to the A. lagenicollis speciesgroup ( KEJVAL 2000). Males can be easily recognized by the combination of nearly simple male profemora (lacking a distinct process), simple median process of male sternum VII (flattened, rounded, not bifurcate apically) and rather distinctive morphology of male sternite VII and tegmen of aedeagus. Females of A. adivasi sp. nov. may be confused with those of A. abdita and A. latipennis (Pic, 1914) , sharing reddish colouration of head and pronotum (head black, mostly darker than pronotum in other species), but differ clearly in the morphology of mesosternum (see KEJVAL 2000).

Etymology. The word Adivasi (Ādivāsīs; old inhabitants) is an umbrella term for the aboriginal population of India. Noun in apposition.

Distribution. India (Meghalaya).

Figures

Figs. 1–6. Anthelephila adivasi sp. nov., holotype (male). 1 – profemur and tibia; 2 – sternum VII; 3 – sternite VIII in dorsal view (one half); 4 – sternite VIII in lateral view; 5 – tergite VIII; 6 – apical portion of tegmen of aedeagus. Scale = 1 mm: A – Fig. 1; 0.2 mm: B – Figs. 2, 5; C – Fig. 3; D – Fig. 6; E – Fig. 4.

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.