Macrotomoderus imitator, Telnov, 2022

Telnov, Dmitry, 2022, Revision of the Tomoderinae (Coleoptera: Anthicidae). Part III. New species and records of Macrotomoderus Pic, 1901 from China and a key to the Palaearctic species, European Journal of Taxonomy 797, pp. 1-100 : 39-42

Macrotomoderus imitator sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A37A44DE-B2B6-409B-891B-45DC6F1DABCF

Figs 22–23

Differential diagnosis

This species falls in a group of species from continental China with pronotum wider than head across eyes. Most similar to Macrotomoderus hengduan sp. nov. (see description above) and M. monstratus Telnov, 2018 ( China: Yunnan). The new species differs from M. hengduan sp. nov. in the head impressed posteroventrally opposite the anterior pronotal projection, in the presence of the rather broad anterior rim of the pronotum in dorsal view (rim very narrow in M. hengduan sp. nov.), the comparatively longer and heavier antenna (the antenna not extending towards the median third of the elytra in M. hengduan sp. nov.), and in the absence of the anteromedian impression on pronotum (present in M. hengduan sp. nov.). The new species resembles M. monstratus also in the shape of the aedeagus, differs in the truncate anterior pronotal margin (subtruncate in M. monstratus ), presence of inconspicuous, dorsal, median, longitudinal carina in the pronotal constriction (not present in M. monstratus ), the denser and coarser dorsal punctures on the pronotal constriction, without broad, glossy, intervening spaces (the pronotal constriction area dorsally with two irregular, transverse rows of punctures, smooth and glossy intervened between them), and the generally slightly larger body (3.37–3.5 mm for M. imitator vs 2.47 mm for M. monstratus ). Also see descriptions of the similarly looking M. boops and M. dali spp. nov. above and the key to species.

Etymology

From the Latin ‘imitator’ (‘an imitator’) to point on extreme similarity to Macrotomoderus hengduan sp. nov. and M. monstratus Telnov, 2018 (see description above).

Type material

Holotype CHINA • ♂; “CHINA, Yunnan, Mt. NW Mengku Town , 2125-2170 m, 25-26.v.2010 Belousov & Kabak leg. // 23°40′28″N 98°48′11″E 23°40′29″N 98°46′53″E”; ♂ ZIN. [The coordinates on the original labels are referring to Myanmar, not Yunnan, but Mengku is definitively a town in western Yunnan, not Myanmar].

Paratype (1 specimen) CHINA • 1 ♂; same labels as for holotype; DTC .

Description

MEASUREMENTS. Holotype, total body length 3.37 mm; head 0.75 mm long, across eyes 0.7 mm broad, pronotum 0.9 mm long, maximum width 0.8 mm, minimum width 0.3 mm, elytra 1.7 mm long, 1.3 mm combined wide. Male paratype is 3.5 mm long.

Dorsum and venter uniformly reddish-brown. Mouthparts, palps and legs yellowish-brown, antennae yellowish-brown with somewhat darkened antennomeres 3–8. Head elongate ovoid with small, ovoid compound eyes, which are not protruding beyond head outline laterally. Head rounded in broad arc posterior to eyes. Occiput at posteroventral side (above insertion of cranial neck and opposing triangular projection of pronotum) subtruncate or with shallow impression. Head dorsal punctures minute and inconspicuous. Head dorsal setae inconspicuous, sparse. Antennae conspicuously long and thickened, extending or nearly so towards median third of elytra. Antennomere three about 1.6–1.7× as long as antennomere two, antennomere four shortened, about as same length as antennomere two. Antennomeres 9–10 transverse. Terminal antennomere elongate triangular with pointed apex, nearly twice as long as penultimate antennomere. Terminal maxillary palpomere securiform. Pronotum with anterior lobe significantly wider than posterior and wider than head across eyes. Postmedian lateral constriction broad and medially deeply notched. Front margin of anterior lobe truncate, dorsally with rather broad anterior rim. Anterior lobe large and broad, inverted triangular; posterior lobe shorter and much narrower. Front margin of anterior lobe with short, median, anteriad-directed projection; projection is dorsally provided with a bunch of golden, dense, anteriad-pointed setae ( Fig. 22B–C ). Anterior lobe slightly convex in lateral view ( Fig. 22C ). Lateral constriction not or barely continues onto disc in lateral view ( Fig. 22C ). Lateral pronotal fovea broad and deep at lower external margin of pronotum, slightly widens upwards towards pronotal disc in lateral view, external margins protruding into a pair of strongly obtuse (in lateral view), widely separated denticles (in lateral view), which are provided with long, sparse setae. Cavity in lateral wall of pronotum between lateral denticles large, elliptical. In dorsal view, lateral pronotal fovea broad and deep, anterior and posterior pair of denticles appear obtusely angulate ( Fig. 22B ). Pronotal punctures minute on disc; lateral constriction dorsally with dense and moderately coarse, variably sized punctures and with inconspicuous, short, median longitudinal carina. Dorsal pronotal setae inconspicuous, moderately long. Scutellar shield minute, triangular. Elytra dorsally elliptical, flattened in lateral view, widened laterally around midlength, lateral margins evenly broadly rounded, shoulders obsolete (apterous species). Elytral punctures shallow, moderately dense, becoming slightly smaller and sparser towards apices. Intervening spaces about as large as to 3 × as large as punctures on anterior half of elytra. Elytral setae long and sparse, suberect. Male tergite and morphological sternite VII broadly rounded at posterior margin. Aedeagus as in Fig. 23 , large and dagger-shaped, with short, spherical basale and peculiar gonopore armature. Armature in basal portion consists of a row of large, strongly elongate, closely attached to one another, brush-like constituting pieces. Apical portion of apicale, in contrast, with delicate, irregularly shaped constituting pieces.

Sexual dimorphism

Female is unknown.

Ecology

Collected at 2125–2170 m elevation.

Distribution

Known only from the western part of Yunnan Province, SW China.

Figures

Fig. 22. Macrotomoderus imitator sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (ZIN). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Forebody, dorsal view. C. Ditto, lateral view. Scale bar: A = 1 mm; B–C = not to scale.

Fig. 23. Macrotomoderus imitator sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (ZIN), aedeagus. A–B. General view, different positions. C. Gonopore armature, median portion of apicale. D. Ditto, basal portion of apicale. Not to scale.