Scirtes affinis ( Motschulsky, 1858 ) Motschulsky, 1858

Ruta, Rafał, 2009, Revision of Scirtidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) described by Victor Ivanovitsch Motschulsky, Zootaxa 2210, pp. 26-50 : 42-43

Scirtes affinis ( Motschulsky, 1858) comb. nov.

( Figs. 12 , 60–61 )

= Cyphon affinis Motschulsky, 1858: 63

Type material. Holotype, female: [small yellow oval label]; [red rectangular label]; “ Cyphon / affinis / Motsch / Ind. or.” [rectangular yellow label]; deposited in ZMUM.

Diagnosis. Body is uniformly light brown. The only diagnostic character is the morphology of bursal sclerite, which is illustrated ( Fig. 60–61 ).

Redescription. Holotype, female. Measurements: TL 3.10, EW 1.85, EL 2.60, PW 1.30, PL 0.50, HW 0.80, HL 0.40, interocular space 0.50, greatest depth of body 0.95.

Body of moderate length, oblong oval, somewhat depressed, covered with yellowish setae. Entire body yellowish-brown, antennae slightly darkening apically. Body length 1.68X width.

Head width 2.0X length, 1.6X width of interocular space, with distinct punctation, eyes large, moderately protuberant. Antennae filiform (only left, teratological antenna is present in the holotype), antennomere 1 cylindrical, slightly curved, antennomere 2 subcylindrical, narrower and shorter than antennomere 1, antennomere 3 smallest, a bit shorter than antennomere 2, antennomeres 4 and 5 as long as 2 and 3 combined, antennomere 9 is apical, shortened and underdevelopped; length ratios of antennomeres 1.2: 1.0: 1.0: 1.3: 1.4: 1.2: 1.2: 1.1: (0.8, teratology); L/W ratios of antennomeres 1.5, 1.7, 2.5, 2.6, 2.8, 2.4, 2.4, 2.2, (1.6, teratology). Anterior clypeal margin slightly explanate, with protruding anterolateral angles. Labrum very small, transverse, partly hidden under clypeus. Mandibles symmetrical, broad in basal part with sharp, tapering apices, without denticles on mesal edges.

Pronotum width 2.6X length, pronotum widest at base. Disc of pronotum with distinct punctation, a bit stronger than on head. Posterior margin of pronotum bisinuate. Anterior angles produced, posterior angles more or less straight. Lateral margins narrowing anteriorly. Angle between pronotum and elytra not marked in dorsal outline. Scutellum subtriangular, with even punctation.

Elytra elongate, with 2 indistinct ridges, and a subtle adsutural one, length 1.4X width and 5.2X length of pronotum, broadest in the middle of its length. Lateral margins slightly explanate in anterior half. Sides regularly converging to apex in posterior half. Humeri clearly evident. Punctation dense and distinct, slightly denser than on pronotum, distance between punctures ca. 1.0 diameter. Epipleura abruptly narrowed beyond metaventrite, present till apex. Hind wings fully developed.

Prosternal process short, laminar. Mesocoxae separated by a subparallel process (length ca. 3.0X width), metaventral discrimen present in posterior 2/3. Metaventrite short, ratio of ventrites’ lengths: 1.0: 1.8: 1.5: 1.5: 2.0.

Posterior femora width ca. 5.0X width of tibia. Posterior tibia armed with long spines, the longer one as long as 0.7 length of tarsomere 1, slightly curved. Smaller spur curved, almost as long as 0.5 of the length of longer one.

Female genitalia. Ovipositor long (L 2.55), prehensor indistinct, bursal sclerite (L 0.37, W 0.12) typical for the micronesianus -group of Scirtes (see “Remarks” under redescription of Scirtes canescens ), with bifurcate dorsal outgrowth and wider ventral plate.

Remarks. The holotype is a female specimen, belonging to the genus Scirtes Ill. It very much resembles Scirtes canescens , and it is probable that this is a female of the later species. It seems however premature to synonymize both species until more specimens are available for study.

According to Champion (1918) this species occurs in Ceylon, India, Thailand ( Siam), and Burma. It seems, however, that Champion’s notes refer to several other externally indistinguishable species, and the species has more restricted distribution.

Figures

FIGURES 9 – 14. Habitus illustrations. 9) Ora nigropunctata, holotype; 10) Ora nigropunctata, male; 11) Scirtes axillaris; 12) Scirtes affinis; 13) Scirtes canescens; 14) Scirtes grandis. Scale bar = 1.0.

FIGURES 60 – 61. Scirtes affinis, bursal sclerite. 60) dorsal view; 61) lateral view. Scale bar = 0.1.