Malagophytus Gimmel, 2013

Gimmel, Matthew L., 2013, <strong> Genus-level revision of the family Phalacridae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) </ strong>, Zootaxa 3605 (1), pp. 1-147 : 116-117

32. Malagophytus Gimmel , gen. nov.

( Figs. 3b ; 42g )

Type species: Malagophytus steineri Gimmel , here designated.

Type material. See account of M. steineri below.

Diagnosis. Distinguished by the separated mesocoxal cavities, lack of a protibial ctenidium, large scutellar shield, four convergent elytral discal striae, and paired postcoxal lines on abdominal ventrite I.

Description. Very small, total length 1.3–1.5 mm. Color solid rufotestaceous ( Fig. 42g ). Tibial spur formula 2- 2-2, tarsal formula 5-5-5.

Head. Not constricted behind eyes. Eyes medium-sized; weakly emarginate medially; with broad posterior emargination; periocular groove absent. Frontoclypeus emarginate above antennal insertion; clypeal apex arcuatetruncate. Antennal club 3-segmented, club weakly asymmetrical; antennomere XI constricted on posterior edge. Mandible with apex tridentate; with weak retinaculum. Maxillary palpomere IV fusiform, short, nearly symmetrical. Labial palpomere III fusiform, pointed. Gular sutures long, extending at least halfway to ventral mouthparts.

Thorax. Pronotum with distinct, scattered microsetae; with weakly developed scutellar lobe. Procoxal cavity with anterolateral notchlike extension; prosternal process angulate in lateral view, with preapical setae, with broad translucent horizontal apical process, without spinelike setae at apex. Protibia without ctenidium on kickface. Scutellar shield large, about as wide as length of eye. Elytron without spectral iridescence; with one distinct sutural stria, plus four more-or-less complete striae, all striae convergent on sutural stria apically, with rudiments of additional striae; without transverse strigae. Mesoventral plate notched anteriorly, extending posteriorly to metaventrite, forming procoxal rests, with a moderately deep, circular, median depression for reception of prosternal process; mesanepisternum with complete transverse carina; mesocoxae approximate, separated by less than half width of a coxal cavity. Mesotarsomere III not bilobed. Metaventral process extending anteriorly just to halfway point of mesocoxae; metaventral postcoxal lines narrowly separated from mesocoxal cavity margin, arcuate; discrimen short, not extending halfway to anterior margin of metaventral process. Metatibial foreface with apical ctenidium straight, perpendicular overall to long axis of tibia; spurs cylindrical, longest spur subequal to width of tibial apex; metatarsomere I longer than metatarsomere II, but shorter than remainder of tarsus, joint between I and II rigid.

Abdomen. Abdominal ventrite I ( Fig. 3b ) with paired lines extending from metacoxal process posteriorly about 2/3 of the way to suture between ventrites I and II, divergent posteriorly. Genitalia unstudied.

Immature stages. Unknown.

Bionomics. Only one of the specimens has any collection information: “on reed litter.”

Distribution and diversity. Known so far only from two specimens (representing one species) from southeastern Madagascar ( Fig. 44b ).

Included species (1):

Malagophytus steineri Gimmel , sp. nov. (Distribution: Madagascar)

Discussion. Because this genus is known from only two specimens I did not perform a disarticulation. Accordingly, the above description lacks a number of internal and detailed external characters, and the genus was excluded from the phylogenetic analysis.

Etymology. From malago -, referring to its Malagasy homeland, and Greek phyton (a creature). The gender of the name is masculine.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Key characters for Phalacridae. (a) Prosternal process of Acylomus aciculatus Sharp (scale bar = 0.5 mm). (b) First abdominal ventrite of Malagophytus steineri Gimmel. Ovipositor of (c) Phalacrus sp.; (d) Phalacropsis dispar (LeConte); (e) Olibrus aeneus (Fabricius); (f) Litostilbus testaceus (Fabricius) (scale bars = 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 42. Photographs. Grouvelleus n.sp., Africa: (a) dorsal; (b) ventral. Litochropus n.sp.: (c) dorsal; (d) ventral. Litochrus sp.: (e) dorsal; (f) ventral. Malagophytus steineri, holotype: (g) dorsal. Neolitochrus pulchellus: (h) dorsal; (i) ventral.

FIGURE 44. Collection localities. (a) Malagasmus thalesi distribution in Madagascar; (b) Malagophytus steineri distribution in Madagascar; (c) Antennogasmus cordatus distribution in southern Africa and Madagascar; (d) Paracylomus asiaticus distribution in Sri Lanka; (e) Platyphalacrus lawrencei distribution in Western Australia.