Agathidium (Macroceble) apiforme, Švec, 2022

Švec, Zdeněk, 2022, Leiodidae (Coleoptera) of the Hainan Island with new faunistic records from China and with notes on the unique body modifications in the genus Agathidium, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 62 (1), pp. 155-164 : 160-161

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.37520/aemnp.2022.012
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D3830DDC-6589-4B0C-8DEE-015053395254
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/8C011006-FFCA-FFF0-FF0C-F948FC4BE17B
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Agathidium (Macroceble) apiforme
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Agathidium (Macroceble) apiforme sp. nov.

( Figs 9–11 View Figs 9–12. 9, 10 , 15 View Figs 13–16. 13, 15, 16 , 17, 18 View Figs 17–19. 17 )

Type locality. China, Hainan Island, Bawangling National Forest Park, 19º05.20′N, 109º11.80′E, 1050 m.

Type material. Hඈඅඈඍඒඉൾ: J, “ China: Hainan isl. [MF 23] / Bawangling Nat.Forest Park / 12.3 km SEE of Baotie / 19º5.20´N 109º11.80´E / 1050 m, 8.v.2011, Fikáček // rotting banana trunks at the / banks of a stream amid the / primary mountain forest” ( NMPC).

Description. Length of body 2.3 mm, head 0.4 mm, pronotum 0.8 mm, elytra 1.1 mm, antenna 0.8 mm, aedeagus 0.9 mm. Maximum width of head 1.1 mm, pronotum 1.4 mm, elytra 1.4 mm.

Body shortly oval. Dorsum dark chestnut coloured, legs and antennomere 1 chestnut, A2–A8 yellow-red, A9–A10 brown, A11 slightly lighter than A9–A10. Ventral surface brown. Dorsum punctured, without microsculpture. Sutural striae absent; femoral lines absent, metaventrite shortened.

Head very broad, shape as in Fig. 15 View Figs 13–16. 13, 15, 16 . Maximum width of head just before posterior margin of eyes. Eyes somewhat flattened, drop-shaped. Supraocular carina low all along its length. Subocular line not developed. Clypeus feebly roundly emarginate, clypeal line lacking. Antennomere 3 longer than A2 (A3/A2 = 1.3). Ratio of lengths of A2–A11 (A2 = 1.0): 1.0-1.3-0.7-0.7-0.5-0.6-0.5-1.1-1.0-1.8. Ratio of widths of A2–A11 (A2 = 1.0): 1.0-0.7-0.6-0.6-0.7- 0.9-0.9-1.4-1.6-1.7. Ratio of W/L of A2–A11: 0.6-0.4- 0.5-0.5-0.8-0.9-1.0-0.8-1.0-0.6. Surface of head smooth with distinct punctures separated by 4–5 times their own diameters. Left mandible a little stronger and longer than right one.

Pronotum. Lateral outline broadly rounded in lateral view ( Fig. 11 View Figs 9–12. 9, 10 ). Puncturation sparser and finer than that on head with punctures separated by about 4–6 times their own diameter.

Elytra widest at lateral angles, then distinctly narrowed posteriorly. Elytral margin concave behind lateral angles in lateral view ( Fig. 11 View Figs 9–12. 9, 10 ). Lateral elytral channel wider behind lateral angles than in basal part. Puncturation similar to that on head.

Legs. Pro- and mesotarsi slim, protibia a little widened, wider than mesotibia, narrower than metatibia. Metafemora distinctly bent in apical third, making their posterior margin concave. Metatibia of unique shape, widened, with dorsal longitudinal groove-shaped depression equipped by transversally oriented recumbent setae ( Fig. 17 View Figs 17–19. 17 ). This apparatus resembles pollen baskets of bees. Metatarsi unusually modified, first metatarsomere possesses an eagle beak-shaped process oriented medio-caudally ( Fig. 18 View Figs 17–19. 17 ). Tarsal formula: 5-5- 4 in male; female unknown.

Mesoventrite. Posterior part subconcave. Anterior part raised with longitudinal carina. Lateral lines developed, shortened.

Metaventrite. Distinctly shortened, MTW/MTLM = 3; MTW/MTLC = 10. Femoral lines missing.

Membranous wings absent.

Genitalia. Basal part of median lobe simple but unusually elongate (type A) ( Fig. 9 View Figs 9–12. 9, 10 ). Apical part is very specific, bearing flattened lateral process on each side in dorsal view ( Fig. 10 View Figs 9–12. 9, 10 ). Parameres terminate in flattened widened curved plates bearing appendices ( Fig. 9 View Figs 9–12. 9, 10 ).

Differential diagnosis. Agathidium (Macroceble) apiforme sp. nov. is attributed to the subgenus Macroceble Angelini, 1993 due to strongly shortened metaventrite and missing femoral lines. It can be compared to A. (Macr.) oui Švec, 2011 ( China: Sichuan) and A. (s. str.) procerum Angelini & DeMarzo, 1998 ( China: Sichuan, Yunnan, and Gansu) (Aඇ- Gൾඅංඇං & DൾM ൺඋඓඈ 1998b, Šඏൾർ 2011). All the mentioned species are similar in the shortly oval body, head broadest just before posterior margin of somewhat flattened, drop- -shaped eyes; supraocular carina is low all along its length while the subocular line is not developed, clypeus is feebly roundly emarginate, clypeal line lacking, and A3 is longer than A 2 in both compared species. All the three species also lack dorsal microsculpture and sutural striae and possess much shortened metaventrite. Agathidium apiforme sp. nov. (length of body 2.3 mm) differs from A. oui (1.5–1.8 mm) and A. procerum (1.8–2.0 mm) in larger body, darker colour of dorsum and inA3 distinctly longer thanA2 (A3:A2 = 1.3) while A3 is approximately as long as A2 or a little longer (length ratio of A3/A2 = 1.0–1.1) in A. oui and A. procerum . The new species differs from A. procerum in the absence of the femoral lines. Agathidium apiforme sp. nov. differs from all currently known species of Agathidium in the unique shape of hind tibiae in male and in the flattened lateral processes of the apex of tegmen. Also, the shape of the parameres bearing appendices is very distinctive and very specific, distinguishing the new species from all known Agathidium species except for A. cornigerum sp. nov. that also possesses apical parameral appendices, but beside the shape of genitalia both species differ also in the morphological characters mentioned in the key above.

Etymology. The name of the new species draws the attention to the specific shape of the posterior tibiae resembling pollen baskets in bees (Latin apis means bee in English). Adjective.