Ulobostrichus Leschen and Escalona

Leschen, Richard A. B., Escalona, Hermes E. & Elgueta, Mario, 2016, Phylogeny of the Gondwanan beetle family Ulodidae (Tenebrionoidea), Zootaxa 4138 (3), pp. 441-473 : 450-451

Ulobostrichus Leschen and Escalona , gen. n.

( Figs 4E–G , 5F–I , 8E, 8N–P )

Type species: Ulobostrichus monteithi Leschen and Escalona , sp. n.

Diagnosis. Ulobostrichus can easily be distinguished from all other ulodids by the tubulate body form and head with the vertex strongly declined. Distinctive characters for the genus are the 10-segmented antennae with 2- segmented club, which does not extend beyond the posterior margin of the pronotum, and the declivous elytra.

Description. Body about 2.2 times as long as wide, tubulate with sides parallel. Body surfaces rugose and subglabrous; unicolorous; vestiture consisting of scales, obscured in some specimens by encrustation. Head with vertex declined, mouthparts more or less directed ventrally. Antenna 10 segmented with 2-segmented club; antenna not reaching posterior edge of pronotum, length of antennomere 3 greater than 1 and 2 combined; antennomeres 9 and 10 with sensory areas demarked by a rim. Eye ovoid and entire, interfacetal setae absent. Temples absent. Frons impressed and lacking anterolateral horns in male, frontoclypeal suture absent. Incisor edge of right mandible with single tooth, but not greatly enlarged. Last maxillary palpomere not expanded, width more or less equal to preceding palpomeres; uncus present on lacinea. Prementum sclerotized. Postmental groove absent; gular sutures short or absent (posterior tentorial pits well-developed). Subocular tubercle absent. Prothorax narrowly explanate, almost as wide as elytra. Prothorax widest near middle; anterior angles angulate and produced, but short; posterior angles present. Pronotal disc uneven, paired basal pits and bead absents. Prothoracic carinae sharp and dentate. Anterior portion of prosternum longer than width of procoxae; lacking pits. Notosternal sutures complete. Protrochanteral notch absent or weakly indicated. Procoxal cavities closed behind and separated by more than their diameters. Scutellar shield present and elevated. Elytral punctation seriate and lacking scutellary striole; punctures opened. Elytral surface convex with declivous apex; bearing large tubercles and carinate. Epipleuron welldeveloped with elytral carina simple. Mesoventrite lacking prosternal rest; width of the apex of mesoventrite greater than the width of mesoventral process. Discrimen absent. Metacoxal separation narrow, mesometaventral junction less than mesocoxal width. Metendosternite lacking laminae and anterior tendons. Hind wings absent. Abdominal ventrites with abdominal flanges; glandular fields absent; apical groove of ventrite 5 absent. Tarsal formula 5-5-4; protarsomere 2 quadrate; length of tarsomere 2 of middle leg equal to 1 and 3. Sternite VIII in male with short anterior strut (spiculum relictum), weakly emarginate at apex; tergite VIII lightly sclerotized and broadly rounded. Segment IX in male with broad spiculum gastrale and moderately sclerotized laterotergites; segment X membranous. Aedeagus ( Fig. 8N–O ) with phallobase slightly larger than apicale. Penis about as long as phallobase and apicale combined, very slender and parallel-sided. Sternite VIII in female with long, slender, slightly curved anterior strut (spiculum ventrale). Ovipositor slightly longer than wide, lightly sclerotized, bursa saccular with a subacute apex and a narrow spermathecal gland ( Fig. 8E ). Coxites with gonostyli inserted subapically.

Etymology. The generic name combines the prefix ulo- derived from Ulodidae with the suffix - bostrichus with reference to the similar body form found in many tubulate wood-boring beetles.

Comments. This genus is represented by a single species found in subtropical forests of New South Wales and Queensland.

Figures

FIGURES 4 A – J. A, Trachyderas costulatum Fairmaire & Germain, length 7.3 mm; B, Trachyderastes dipsaconiae Kaszab, length 7.5 mm; C, Ulodes sp., length 4.8 mm (Australia, Queensland); D, Ulodes hispidus Pascoe, length 7.2 mm. E – G, Ulobostrichus monteithi sp. n., dorsal, lateral and anterior view, length 7.0 mm; H – J, Waitomophylax worthyi (Leschen & Rhode), head, dorsal, lateral and ventral.

FIGURES 5 A – J. A – D, Head and prothorax, ventral view: A, Ulocyphaleus valdivianus (Philippi & Philippi); B, Trachyderas costulatum Fairmaire & Germain; C, Syrphetodes marginatus Pascoe; D, Arthopus brouni Sharp. E, Trachyderastes dipsaconiae Kaszab, antenna detail; F – I, Ulobostrichus monteithi sp. n. F, antenna, G, elytral apex, H, body lateral view, I, body latero-ventral view; J, Meryx rugosa Latreille, wing.

FIGURES 8 A – P. A – B, Exohadrus volutithorax (Broun), prothorax, dorsal and ventral; C, Ulodes hispidus Pascoe, pronotum; D, Trachyderastes dipsaconiae Kaszab, abdomen; E, Ulobostrichus monteithi sp. n., female reproductive track; F – I, Arthopus brouni Sharp, F – G, tegmen, H – I penis, lateral view and apex detail; J, Dipsaconia sp., K – M, Ulocyphaleus valdivianus (Philippi & Philippi), penis, ventral, dorsal and lateral; N – P, Ulobostrichus monteithi sp. n., N – O, genitalia (N, penis, lateral view; O, ventral view of tegmen); P, female genitalia.