Cryptosphaeroides ankaranensis, Ballerio, 2008

Ballerio, Alberto, 2008, Descriptions of two new endemic genera and four new species of Ceratocanthinae (Insecta, Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Hybosoridae) from Madagascar, Zoosystema 30 (3), pp. 605-628 : 615-616

Cryptosphaeroides ankaranensis n. sp. ( Figs 6 ; 8 F-I)

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype ♂ ( CASC): “ Madagascar: Antsiranana Province, Réserve Spéciale de l’Ankarana, 22.9 km 224° SW Anivorano Nord, 10-16 Feb. 2001 / 12°54’32” S 49°06’35“ E, coll. Fisher, Griswold et al., Calif. Academy of Sciences , sifted litter tropical dry forest, 80 m, collection code: BLF2858” [specimen in good condition, distended and glued on a card, the dissected aedeagus, abdomen and genital segment are mounted in DMHF resin on a separate card on the same pin].

Paratypes: 4 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ ( CASC), 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (coll. ABCB): same data as holotype [3 ♂♂ dissected].

ETYMOLOGY. — From the type locality, the Tsingy formation of Ankarana.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. — See under C. hippocrepis n. sp.

DIAGNOSIS. — Th is species can be easily identified on the basis of parameres and puncturation of head (uniformly transversely comma-shaped) and, above all, of elytra (made of very sparse comma-shaped punctures).

DESCRIPTION

HL = 0.60 mm; HW = 1.15 mm; PL = 1 mm; PW = 1.70 mm; EL= 1.60mm; EW = 1.58 mm.

Black to dark brown, shiny; underside alutaceous, yellowish/reddish-brown; head, pronotum and elytra with yellowish/whitish sparse long clavate pubescence.

Head: surface almost uniformly covered by deeply impressed large transverse very short comma-shaped punctures, regularly spaced out (their distance being usually shorter than their width). Pubescence shorter and finer than on pronotum and elytra.

Pronotum: surface with relatively sparse puncturation (their distance being larger than their width) made of large deeply impressed punctures bearing an erect long clavate seta. Scutellum: punctures transversely comma-shaped and impressed. Elytra: surface with very sparse puncturation made of extremely short longitudinal and transversal commashaped punctures of variable size, although always small, often having a setigerous pore next to them, punctures very spaced out from each other. Pseudoepipleuron indistinct. A hint of 2 or 3 longitudinal broad weakly raised carinae at each side of elytra, starting at distal third.

Parameres: Fig. 8 G-I. Genital segment: Fig. 8F .

Figures

FIG. 6. — Cryptosphaeroides ankaranensis n. sp.: A, male dorsal view; B-D, rolled up male specimen; B, ventral view; C, dorsal view; D, lateral view. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIG. 8. — A-E, Cryptosphaeroides tenrec n. sp.; A, outline of genital segment; B-E, aedeagus; F-I, Cryptosphaeroides ankaranensis n. sp.; F, genital segment; G-I, aedeagus. Scale bar: 4 mm.