Onerunka longi, Kolibáč, Jiří, 2012

Kolibáč, Jiří, 2012, Onerunka longi, a new genus and species of Thanerocleridae (Coleoptera) from Papua New Guinea, with systematic notes on the tribe Thaneroclerini, Zootaxa 3577, pp. 71-79 : 74-78

Onerunka longi n. sp.

Type specimens: Holotype (female): “ Papua / Nll Guinéé / W. G. Ullrich”; “ PNG /EHP Prov. / Umg. Kainantu / Onerunka ”; deposited in the collection of the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle Genève, Switzerland. Unique specimen; no paratypes or other material known.

Description: Measurements (in millimeters): Body length (from elytral apex to clypeus) 4.80, pronotum maximum length 1.00, pronotum width at anterior part 1.12, pronotum width at posterior part 0.75, elytron length 2.64, elytron maximum width 0.66, elytron width at humeral part 0.55, profemur 0.62, mesofemur 0.67, metafemur 0.79, protibia 0.46, mesotibia 0.61, metatibia 0.73, protarsus 0.53, mesotarsus 0.53, metatarsus 0.61 (all tarsi measurements excluding claws), head maximum width 1.01 mm, antenna length 1.23 mm, length of antennomeres (from base to apex): 0.15-0.10-0.12-0.13-0.10-0.10-0.10-0.10-0.12-0.13-0.14.

Body cylindrical, conspicuously convex; head behind eyes as wide as prothorax; pronotum approximately as long as wide, narrowed towards base; elytra subparallel-sided, slightly wider in third quarter of length than at base; antennae extending backwards to midway along pronotum; protarsus as long as mesotarsus, metatarsus longer than both other tarsi.

Coloration ( Figs 1, 2 ): Dorsal side of head and pronotum black, glabrous; narrow stripe along anterior margin of pronotum reddish-brown; elytra black excepting two yellow-orange spots in each elytron – smaller one in humeral portion and larger one posterior to elytral mid-length. All front legs black but apical portion of femora brown, middle and hind legs mostly brown except for black apex of femora and base of tibiae. Mouth parts and antennae brown-black. Ventral side of head black except for brown gular area and base of cranium; ventral side of prothorax and anterior portion of mesothorax black; basal portion of mesothorax and whole metathorax brownblack; abdomen light brown or reddish-brown.

Sculpture ( Figs 1–3 ): Head dorsally with sparse punctation, punctures not elongate or weakly elongate (in midpart of vertex); punctures of pronotum larger than those of head, punctation denser; sculpture of elytra similar to that of pronotum. Head ventrally smooth, with several fine punctures only but vicinity of gula and ocular area with coarser and denser sculpture; prothorax and mesothorax ventrally with coarse punctation; punctation of metathorax finer and sparser than that in rest of thorax; abdomen with rows of punctures along transverse sutures of ventrites, remaining surface smooth, with very fine punctation only.

Pubescence ( Figs 1–3 ): Dorsal body surface along lateral sides, antennae and legs with sparse pubescence formed by light, erect hairs; ventral surface with sparse decumbent pubescence; prothorax with row of erect hairs along entire anterior margin.

Head ( Figs 1, 2, 3 ): Gular sutures conspicuously separated at base, strongly convergent, extending to approximately midpoint of cranium; basal (posterior) margin of cranium with distinct acumination in area of base of gular sutures; frontoclypeal suture absent; antennal grooves in ventral side of cranium absent; antennal sockets not visible from above; anterior margin of cranium deeply emarginate at dorsal side so that two conspicuous horns project forwards; longitudinal line or groove between horns (as in, for example, Trogossitidae : Nemozoma , Corticotomus , Airora ) absent; eyes relatively small (space between them approximately ten times as wide as eye diameter), flat (not distinctly elevated), not emarginate, elliptic, situated laterally. (Head of unique holotype not removed, therefore, epicranial acumination and details of mouthparts not observed.) Maxillae with elongate conical terminal palpomere; labial palpi with terminal palpomere securiform; mandibles unidentate, apical tooth acuminate; labrum relatively small, retracted into cranium.

Antennae ( Figs 1 , 8 ): comprised of 11 antennomeres with relatively loose, 3-segmented club; antennomeres symmetrical, without conspicuous sensorial fields; scape not very robust but larger than pedicel; antennomere 3 longer but narrower than pedicel; antennomere 4 longer than 3 and similar in length to antennomeres 5 to 8.

Prothorax ( Figs 1, 2 ): Anterior margin nearly straight at dorsal side but shallowly emarginate (arcuate) ventrally; anterior corners not projecting in dorsal view; lateral margins subparallel-sided; lateral edge present along whole length of pronotum, although weak; prosternal process apically dilated, its base deeply depressed; procoxal cavities externally closed, internal closure not observed (procoxae not removed); apices of postcoxal projections inserted beneath prosternal process; protrochantin concealed; midpart of hypomeron convex and glabrous.

Mesothorax ( Figs 1, 2 ): Prepectus minute, nearly inconspicuous; mesocoxal cavities externally closed; trochantin not observed; mesosternum narrow, neck-like; mesocoxal process parallel-sided, its base deeply depressed; mesonotum medium-sized, scutum relatively narrow, scutellum cordate.

Wing ( Fig. 15 ): Radial cell absent, veins of radial area reduced, with some remains of a pigmented spot; RP and r4 absent; pigmented fleck (below Rc) absent; medial field with four veins reduced in size: AA3+4 very short, AA1+2 fully developed and directly connected with short MP4, cross-vein between them absent; MP3 absent; wing poorly pigmented.

Metathorax ( Fig. 2 ): Metaventrite convex but midpart along discrimen (discriminal line) somewhat flattened; discrimen reaches towards midpoint of metaventrite; mesocoxal process of metaventrite flat, lateral sides weakly convergent (nearly parallel-sided), truncate at apex; paracoxal sutures short, visible near metacoxal process only; metepisternum elongate, partially hidden beneath elytra; metepimeron completely covered by elytra.

Elytra ( Figs 1, 2 ): Nearly parallel-sided, convex, irregularly punctate; epipleura conspicuous in humeral part only; interlocking mechanism in posterior portion absent; carinae absent.

Legs ( Figs 1, 2, 4–7 ): Procoxae projecting, spherical, narrowly separated; mesocoxae not projecting, spherical, narrowly separated; metacoxae transverse, their apices hidden beneath elytra. Trochanters relatively small, triangular; femora distinctly clavate, their bases extending ( Fig. 4 ); tibiae without spines along outer margin but apices of all tibiae with row of spines ( Figs 5–7 ); tibial apical spur formula 1-1-1; apical spurs short, blunt, not hooked. Protarsus as widened as in all known thaneroclerids ( Fig. 6 ); tarsomere 1 in all pairs of legs shortened but conspicuous; tarsomeres 2–4 approximately the same in size; tarsomere 5 as long as 1–4 combined; membraneous lobes (pulvilli) absent (lobe-like structures in figures are only composed of setae); claws without denticles, with slightly widened base only; empodium retracted ( Fig. 5 ), setae not observed (probably bisetose); tarsal formula 5- 5-5.

Abdomen ( Figs 2 , 9–14 ): five ventrites visible, the last of them (ventrite VII) with row of short hairs; female ventrite VIII with long spiculum, emarginate at base; tergite VIII also emarginate at base, with projecting basal corners; ventrites III–VII with weakly conspicuous edge along lateral margin. Ovipositor with elongate coxites; apices of coxites truncate and slightly concave; styli well-developed. Bursa copulatrix and vagina without sclerites, spermatheca not distinctly separated from bursa copulatrix, in similar fashion to that of Thaneroclerus (or damaged in this specimen).

Distribution and biology: The single known specimen lacks information about its biology or collecting site. Kainantu is situated at coordinates 6.17S- 145.51E, elevation c. 1600 m, in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The gut content of the holotype included the minute remnant of a fat body. The species is probably predatory.

Etymology: The species is named in honour of my friend Anthony (Tony) Long for his patient and meticulous help with my editorial and publishing activities over the past couple of decades.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Onerunka longi n. gen., n. sp.: (1) adult habitus dorsally; (2) adult habitus ventrally; (3) head and pronotum dorsally; (4) base of mesofemur.

FIGURES 5 – 12. Onerunka longi n. gen., n. sp.: (5) mesotarsus; (6) protarsus; (7) metatarsus; (8) antennomeres 8 – 11; (9) apical part of ovipositor; (10) part of abdominal ventrites and laterotergites I to V; (11) female abdominal tergite (a) and ventrite (b) VIII; (12) part of female internal reproductive organs.

FIGURES 13 – 15. Onerunka longi n. gen., n. sp.: (13) apical part of ovipositor dorsally (transparent view); (14) female internal reproductive organs, schematic drawing; (15) wing.