Sicilicula teres J. Balfour-Browne

Perkins, Philip D., 2017, Hydraenidae of Madagascar (Insecta: Coleoptera), Zootaxa 4342 (1), pp. 1-264 : 202-203

Sicilicula teres J. Balfour-Browne

Figs. 193 (habitus), 198 (spermatheca), 304 (map)

Sicilicula teres J. Balfour-Browne 1958: 136 .

Type Material. Holotype (female): "[female sex symbol]; TYPE [disc with red border]; Mt. Tsaratanana 1500m cascade Inst. Scient. Madagascar, X-49, RP; Sicilicula teres Type! J. Balfour-Browne det. vii.1953; Museum Paris coll GÉNÉRALE" ( MNHN) .

Differential Diagnosis. Although males are not yet known for this species, the body shape of the female ( Fig. 193) clearly differs from that of females of other known species. The elytra of this brachypterous species are small compared to the size of the head (head width/elytral length ca. 0.50/0.96). Females of the only other brachypterous species, H. sexplanata ( Fig. 199 ), have a much larger and differently shaped explanate margin of the elytra, producing a parallel-sided shape.

Description. Size: holotype (length/width, mm): body (length to elytral apices) 1.75/0.69; head width 0.50; pronotum 0.45/0.58, PA 0.40, PB 0.38; elytra 0.96/0.69.

Dorsum black, maxillary palpi and legs brown.

Head with labrum/clypeus/frons length rations as 12/8/9. Labrum finely, moderately densely punctulate, interstices shining. Clypeus and frons strongly shining, clypeus finely sparsely punctulate, frons even more sparsely punctulate, size of punctures much small than 1xef. Clypeus slightly depressed in middle. Anteocellar sulci deep. Ocelli distinct.

Pronotum cordate, widest in front of middle; anterior angles rounded, posterior rectangular; sides finely margined, coarsely denticulate at lateral lobes; anterior margin shallowly arcuate over median 3/4, without hyaline border; discal reliefs strongly shining, very finely and very sparsely punctulate, each puncture with very fine and short recumbent seta. Punctures in foveae, median groove and along anterior and posterior ¼ much coarser and deeper. Discal foveae large and deep.

Elytra with disc not depressed in front of midlength, sides weakly arcuate, widest at posterior 2/3, apices rather sharply conjointly rounded; sutural apices distinctly dehiscent; sides smooth, moderately wide explanation ended well before apices; posterior declivity gradual, summit at ca. midlength. Serial punctures rather small, without discernable setae, on disc slightly smaller than largest pronotal punctures, interstices ca. 2xpd; without granules. Series striate-impressed, series two and three ended on posterior declivity. Intervals weakly rounded, width on disc ca. 2–3xpd; intervals with unilinear row of widely spaced, very fine and short, indistinct recumbent setae.

Mentum moderately densely punctulate, effacedly microreticulate, submentum much more finely and sparsely punctulate; interstices shining. Metaventral disc with oval impression in basal 1/2. Thoracic ventrites and abdominal ventrites 1–5 clothed with dense setae except glabrous midlongitudinal prosternal ridge, glabrous dull mesoventral plaques and small glabrous strongly shining inverted V-shaped basomedian area on mesoventrite in front of intercoxal sternite; ventrite 6 dull, with sparse short setae. Tibiae straight. Brachypterous.

Figures

FIGURE 199. Sicilicula sexplanata, habitus, holotype male dorsal (right) and lateral, and female paratype (left).