Cyphon biperforatus Champion, 1924

Ruta, Rafal, 2008, Contribution to the knowledge of Seychellois Scirtidae (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea), Zootaxa 1913, pp. 49-68 : 50

Cyphon biperforatus Champion, 1924

( Figs. 1–9 )

Type material (1 female). Holotype. Mounted on card bearing number 134 [Cascade Estate, iii. 1909]; “ Type / H. T.” (round label, printed); “ Mahe, 1908-09 / Seychelles Exp.” (printed label); “Percy Sladen / Trust Exped. / Brit. Mus. / 1926-246.” (printed label); “ Cyphon / biperforatus / type Ch” (handwritten). Deposited in NHM.

Diagnosis. Uniformly yellowish-brown, elytra with a pair of oval patches adjacent to scutellum, hind wings absent, prehensor small, covered with spines, sternite 8 with a single apodeme.

Redescription. Holotype, female. Measurements: TL 1.95, EW 1.0, EL 1.63, PW 0.8, PL 0.33, HW 0.55, HL 0.25, interocular space 0.45, greatest depth of body 0.6.

Body elongate oval, moderately convex, covered with suberect yellowish hairs. Entire body yellowishbrown. Body 1.95 times as long as broad.

Head 2.2 times as broad as long, 1.2 times wider than width of interocular space, with subtle granulate punctation, eyes very small, coarsely facetted. Antennae filiform, reaching basal 1/3 of elytra; antennomeres 1 and 2 globular, antennomere 3 shortest, elongate and slender, antennomere 4 longest; length ratios of antennomeres 1.67: 1.0: 1.0: 2.0: 1.67: 1.33: 1.33: 1.33: 1.0: 1.0: 1.33; L/W ratios of antennomeres 1.67, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 2.5, 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, 1.5, 1.5, 1.6. Anterior clypeal margin straight. Labrum semirectangular, with rounded anterior angles.

Pronotum short, 2.4 times as broad as long, widest at posterior angles. Disc of pronotum with granulate punctation similar to head. Posterior margin of pronotum bisinuate. Anterior angles rounded, not produced.

Scutellum subtriangular, with subtle punctation. Base of elytra only slightly wider than base of pronotum.

Elytra elongate, without longitudinal ridges, 1.63 times as long as broad and 4.9 times as long as pronotum, somewhat acuminate along the suture. Each elytron bears an oval, dull, densely microreticulate patch (L 0.16, W 0.1) adjacent to scutellum. Sides rounded, regularly converging to apex in posterior 1/4. Humeri absent. Punctation dense, distance between punctures about 0.5 diameter. Epipleura narrow, narrowed behind metaventrite, reduced in posterior 1/4. Hind wings absent.

Prosternal process oval, with rounded apex. Mesocoxae separated by a subparallel process which slightly dilates at the posterior end (about twice as long as wide). Mesoventral cavity (fitting prosternal process) shallow, indistinct. Metaventrite short, metaventral discrimen present at apical 3/4. Ratios of ventrites’ lengths: 1.0: 2.0: 2.0: 2.2: 2.8. Setation dense in the median area of ventrite 2 and 3.

Ovipositor long (L 1.65, W 0.2); tergite 8 (L 1.1, W 0.2) with very long apodemes and without setation on anterior margin; sternite 8 (L 0.65, W 0.23) with a single apodeme only, divided into 3 lobes in apical part. Prehensor (bursal sclerite?) very small (L 0.05, W 0.05), suboval, covered with spines.

Male unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Cyphon biperforatus Champion. 1) holotype; 2) holotype, patches on elytra, close-up; 3) holotype labels; 4) tergite 8; 5) sternite 8; 6) ovipositor, apical part; 7) median area of ventrites 1 – 4; 8) prehensor, close-up; 9) prehensor and bursella. Scale bar = 0.5 mm (for Figs. 4 – 5).