Pseudonthobium genieri Montreuil & Théry, 2011

Montreuil, Olivier & Théry, Thomas, 2011, Revision of the New Caledonian genus Pseudonthobium Paulian, 1984 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Epilissini), Zootaxa 2863, pp. 49-62 : 58

Pseudonthobium genieri Montreuil & Théry , new species

Habitus: Fig. 3 .

Type specimens. Holotype male: NEW CALEDONIA, 21°45’S 166°09’E, R/for. Ningua Res. Camp., 1100 m, 27 Nov. 01–29 Jan. 2002. G. Monteith leg., Pitfall trap [ MNHN]. Paratypes (69): 22 males and 17 females — same data as holotype [ CMN, QM]; 3 males and 3 females — NEW CALEDONIA, Ningua Res. Camp, 1100m, 12–13 Nov 2001, Burwell & Monteith leg., hand collect, 21°45’S 166°00’E [QM]; 3 males and 3 females — NEW CALEDO- NIA, Ningua Res. Camp, near summit, 1300m, 13 Nov 2001, Burwell leg., ex pig dung, 21°45’S 166°00’E [QM]; 3 males and 2 females — NEW CALEDONIA, Ningua Res. Camp, 1100m, 13–27 Nov 2001, Monteith leg., pitfall, 21°45’S 166°00’E [QM]; 8 males and 5 females — NEW CALEDONIA, Ningua Res. Camp, 1100m, 12–14 Nov 2001, Monteith leg., human dung trap, 21°45’S 166°00’E [QM].

Description (male). 6.0–8.0 mm. Dark reddish-brown, mouthparts and setae yellowish-brown. Dorsal side shiny, setose.

Head. Completely covered by a fine, dense punctation, punctures separated by their diameter. Frons flat, clypeus feebly depressed at middle. Clypeus bidentate, lateral margins subconvex.

Pronotum. Glabrous. Base feebly bilobate, straight or feebly concave at middle, straight and obliquely divergent on each side. Posterior angles obtuse. Lateral margin straight, anteriorly feebly convergent to strongly convergent. Anterior angles not sharp.

Elytra. Interstriae flat, smooth, with thin microreticulation; punctation fine, evenly dispersed; punctures much smaller than pronotal punctures, separated by about 1–2 times their

diameter; interstriae bearing inconspicuous setae and 1–2 rows of larger and feebly curved setae mainly near apex. Anterior margin straight, projecting obliquely from base of 5th stria to fit basal margin of pronotum. Side of elytra evenly curved. Setae sparse, distributed only near apex of elytra and along odd interstriae.

8th tergite. Punctation even, fine, less dense than punctation on the pronotum. Apical margin not enlarged.

Sternites. Last sternite strongly enlarged, tegument feebly microreticulate, shiny, completely covered by punctation similar to that on 8th tergite. Other sternites normally developed, strongly microreticulate, dull, punctate only on sides.

Legs. Protarsi normal. Basal tooth of outer margin of protibia well developed, median tooth closer to apical tooth. Inner margin with tooth-like lamella in front of median external tooth and deeply notched before apex ( Fig. 20 ).

Aedeagus ( Fig.12 ). Left paramere strongly projected laterally in apical third. Right paramere short, straight, even in dorsal view; enlarged, rounded, and not curved at apex in lateral view.

Notes. Female similar to male, with simple inner margin of protibia; 8th tergite short, very transverse.

Distribution. This species is known only from the Ningua Reserve in southeast New Caledonia.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of François Génier, a dung beetle specialist.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Habitus of Pseudonthobium. 1, P. fracticolloides Paulian, male; 2, P. doense n. sp., male; 3, P. genieri n. sp., male; 4, P. sinuatotibiale n. sp., male; 5, P. humboldtense n. sp., male; 6, P. paniense n. sp., male; 7, P. monteithianum n. sp., male; 8, P. foveolatum n. sp., female; 9, P. fracticolle (Fauvel), male. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURES 18 – 25. Right protibia of male Pseudonthobium, dorsal view. 18, P. fracticolloides Paulian; 19, P. doense n. sp.; 20, P. g e n i e r i n. sp.; 21, P. sinuatotibiale n. sp.; 22, P. humboldtense n. sp.; 23, P. paniense n. sp.; 24, P. monteithianum n. sp.; 25, P. fracticolle (Fauvel). Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURES 10 – 17. Parameres of Pseudonthobium, right, dorsal and left views. 10, P. fracticolloides Paulian; 11, P. doense n. sp.; 12, P. g e n i e r i n. sp.; 13, P. sinuatotibiale n. sp.; 14, P. humboldtense n. sp.; 15, P. paniense n. sp.; 16, P. monteithianum n. sp.; 17, P. fracticolle (Fauvel). Scale bar: 1 mm.