Selasia sabatinellii, Kundrata, 2017

Kundrata, Robin, 2017, New species of Selasia Laporte, 1838 (Elateridae: Agrypninae: Drilini) from Nepal and Pakistan, Zootaxa 4344 (2) : -

Selasia sabatinellii sp. n.

( Figs 3–4, 6, 11–14 )

Type material. Holotype, male, " PAKISTAN - Islamabad , 33°43'N, 73°03'E, m 600, 20.VI.–20.VII.2011, G. Sabatinelli [printed], at light [handwritten] ( PCRK). 16 paratypes : 3 males, " PAKISTAN - Islamabad , Sect. E 7, 33°43'N, 73°03'E, 1.–15.IX.2012, m 600, Leg. Sabatinelli, coll. M. Bollino, Selasia sp. E. Ruzzier det. 2017 ( MSNS) ; 13 males, " PAKISTAN, Islamabad , 15.VIII.2011, leg. G. Sabatinelli " ( PCRR, PCRK).

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by the following combination of characters: dark head and antennomeres III–XI, bicolor elytra ( Figs 3–4 ), pronotal lateral margins subparallel-sided, gradually slightly diverging posteriorly ( Fig. 11 ), aedeagal median lobe with short subapical hook, and phallobase slightly wider than long ( Fig. 14 ).

Description. Holotype, male. Body 2.80 times longer than width at humeri; yellowish brown, dorsal part of head, antennomeres III–XI, femur-tibia joints, and abdomen (except apical part) dark brown, apical 2/3 of elytra dark brown to black; body surface covered with yellow semi-erect pubescence ( Figs 3–4 ).

Head including eyes 0.85 times as wide as pronotum, without supra-antennal carina; surface rather smooth, with wide, shallow median depression, sparsely and shallowly punctured, covered with sparse, long, semi-erect pubescence. Fronto-clypeal region relatively wide, gradually sloping to base of labrum. Eyes large, their frontal distance 1.20 times as eye diameter ( Fig. 11 ). Labrum transverse, sparsely punctate, with several long, semi-erect setae. Mandibles robust, bidentate; base of mandible with long setae, apical part bare, shiny. Maxillary palpi slender, penultimate palpomere shortest, slightly longer than wide, apical palpomere more than twice as long as penultimate palpomere, widened medially, apically flattened, obliquely cut. Antennae flabellate; scape robust, gradually widened apically, pedicel short, antennomere III elongate, with robust branch, more than 2.5 times as long as antennomere II, about 1.7 times as long as antennomere IV, its branch slightly longer than stem, antennomeres IV–X short, subequal in length, with long, flattened branches; branch of antennomere IV about 4.5 times as long as its stem, branches of antennomeres V–X of about the same lengths, about 8–9 times as long as their stems, ultimate antennomere simple, longest, slightly longer than branch of penultimate antennomere; all antennomeres covered with moderately dense pubescence ( Fig. 6 ).

Pronotum slightly convex, widest at posterior angles, 1.75 times wider than length at midline. Anterior margin almost straight, lateral margins subparallel-sided, gradually slightly diverging posteriorly, posterior margin simple, widely emarginate medially. Anterior angles inconspicuous; posterior angles short, rounded, slightly produced postero-laterally ( Fig. 11 ). Lateral pronota carina incomplete at anterior pronotal margin. Surface of disc almost smooth, sparsely shallowly punctured, with sparse semi-erect pubescence, denser at margins. Hypomeron almost smooth, with sublateral carina. Prosternum transverse, prosternal lobe very short, transverse, oriented ventrally, with long semi-erect setae; prosternal process short, very narrow. Scutellum flat, tongue-like, longer than wide, anterior margin gradually declivitous, posterior margin rounded. Mesoventrite widely v-shaped, with frontal margin widely concave; mesoventral cavity narrow, shallow, with poorly defined walls. Elytra subparallel-sided, 0.70 times as long as body, slightly rugose, indistinctly striate, with apices separately rounded, very sparsely punctate, covered with long, semi-erect pubescence ( Figs 3–4 ). Legs slender, slightly compressed, with sparse, long, semi-erect setae; tarsomeres I–II subequal in length, tarsomere III slightly shorter than preceding ones, tarsomere IV shortest, minute, extended ventrally, apical tarsomere slender, long, more than twice as long as tarsomere IV; claws simple, slender, slightly curved, each with long seta basally.

Abdomen soft, ventrites with sparse shallow punctures, covered with semi-erect pubescence; penultimate ventrite widely emarginate medially. Tergite IX transverse, gradually narrowed towards apical part, tergite X apically membranous, covered with sparse setae ( Fig. 12 ). Sternite IX about 1.5 times as long as wide, slightly notched basally, rounded apically, with apex finely punctate and sparsely setose ( Fig. 13 ).

Male genitalia 1.7 times as long as maximum phallobase width; median lobe relatively short, curved in lateral view, basally with two short, divergent struts, dorsally with short subapical hook, hook less than 2 times as long as wide; parameres about 2 times as long as wide, apically partly membranous, with sparse short setae; phallobase robust, slightly wider than long, basally rounded ( Fig. 14 ).

Measurements. Holotype. BL 5.20 mm, WHum 1.85 mm, EL 3.70 mm, WHe 1.35 mm, PL 0.90 mm, PW 1.55 mm, Edist 0.65 mm, Ediam 0.55 mm. Paratypes. BL 4.00– 6.10 mm, WHum 1.40–2.15 mm, EL 2.60–4.40 mm, WHe 1.05–1.50 mm, PL 0.60–1.00 mm, PW 1.10–1.80 mm, Edist 0.45–0.75 mm, Ediam 0.40–0.65 mm.

Variability. BL/Whum 2.60–3.00, Edist/Ediam 1.15–1.20, PW/PL 1.65–1.80. The coloration of elytra changes gradually at about half or basal 1/3 from light brown to dark brown or black. Several specimens have slightly shorter and more rounded pronotal posterior angles.

Distribution. Pakistan: Islamabad.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronym in honor of Dr. Guido Sabatinelli ( Italy), the collector of the type series and many other new Elateridae in Pakistan (see Platia 2015).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 14. Habitus images of Selasia species. 1, Selasia nigrobrunnea sp. nov., dorsal view; 2, S. nigrobrunnea sp. nov., lateral view; 3, S. sabatinellii sp. nov., dorsal view; 4, S. sabatinellii sp. nov., lateral view. Antenna. 5, S. nigrobrunnea sp. nov., 6, S. sabatinellii sp. nov. Selasia nigrobrunnea sp. nov. 7, head and pronotum; 8, abdominal tergites IX – X; 9, abdominal sternite IX; 10, male genitalia. Selasia sabatinellii sp. nov. 11, head and pronotum; 12, abdominal tergites IX – X; 13, abdominal sternite IX; 14, male genitalia. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Figs 1 – 4), 0.5 mm (Figs 5 – 7, 11), 0.3 mm (Figs 8 – 10, 12 – 14).