Meridaphes, Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2015
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4027.2.5 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B9337E83-2035-4D74-9ADC-0B6A6F0A99CA |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3501779 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03EA8785-FFC8-FFDE-FF46-5BDAAAC3DF03 |
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Plazi |
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scientific name |
Meridaphes |
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gen. nov. |
Meridaphes View in CoL gen. nov.
Type species: Scydmoraphes venezolanus Franz, 1988: 63 (here designated).
Diagnosis. Among Neotropical Cyrtoscydmini , Meridaphes is the only genus with anterior metaventral process at base as broad as about 1/3 of metaventral width and strongly narrowing anteriorly to form subrectangular apex which meets the posterior tip of mesoventral intercoxal process, which is strongly broadened in the intermesocoxal region. Additional diagnostic characters comprise: head elongate with tempora longer than eyes, without lateral bristles; occipital constriction about as broad as frons between eyes; submentum lacking lateral sutures; hypostomal ridges present and posteriorly reaching level of posterior tentorial pits; antennae gradually thickened distally; pronotum with transverse antebasal groove connecting faint lateral impressions and with lateral edges developed in posterior third or fourth of PL; sides of pronotum with dense bristles; prosternum with basisternal part as long as about half length of coxal part; prosternal intercoxal process indistinct, diffused; procoxal sockets broadly closed; notosternal sutures and hypomeral ridges complete; prosternum entirely demarcated from hypomera; mesothorax with ventrolateral foveae; metaventral intercoxal process not separating metacoxae, subtriangular with shallow median notch; each elytron with two barely discernible rudiments of asetose foveae; and symmetrical aedeagus with slender parameres.
Description. Body of male ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 9 – 11 ) strongly convex, moderately slender, with moderately long appendages, BL slightly exceeding 1 mm; cuticle glossy, brown, sparsely setose.
Head ( Figs 10 View FIGURES 9 – 11 , 12 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 17–18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ) slightly elongate and approximately subtrapezoidal, with small eyes; occipital constriction ( Fig. 17 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; occ) in the narrowest place about as broad as frons between eyes; 'neck' region ( Fig. 17 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; nr) much broader than long, nearly as broad as vertex; tempora longer than eyes and strongly rounded; vertex strongly transverse; frons posteriorly confluent with vertex, subtrapezoidal, anteriorly not projecting at middle; frontoclypeal groove absent; antennal insertions broadly separated. Tempora and posterior margin of vertex lacking bristles.
Labrum ( Fig. 17 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; lb) transverse with rounded anterior margin. Each mandible ( Figs 13 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 17–18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; md) subtriangular, with broad and blunt subapical mesal tooth; basal mesal region not visible in studied specimens. Each maxilla with short and broad cardo ( Figs 13 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; cd), subtriangular basistipes ( Figs 13 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; bst), short mediostipes ( Figs 13 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; mst) and elongate galea ( Figs 13 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; gal) and lacinia, each with dense setae along distomesal margin, maxillary palp ( Figs 12 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; mxp) moderately long, palpomere I small but strongly elongate, palpomere II strongly elongate, nearly pipe-shaped, palpomere III large and elongate, broadest near distal third, palpomere IV subconical with slightly thickened apex. Labium with broad submentum ( Figs 13 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; smn) not demarcated laterally by sutures; subtrapezoidal mentum ( Figs 13 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; mn) and short prementum, ligula indistinct, bearing pair of bristles; labial palps ( Figs 13 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; lp) short, moderately broadly separated at bases, with palpomere II relatively long. Hypostomal ridges ( Figs 12 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; hy) distinct and recurved, posteriorly reaching posterior tentorial pits.
Gular plate ( Figs 12 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; gp) broadly subtrapezoidal with rounded sides, gular sutures ( Figs 12 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; gs) superficial. Posterior tentorial pits ( Figs 12 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 18 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; ptp) exposed, arcuate, located in front of transverse impression demarcating 'neck' region.
Antennae ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 9 – 11 ) gradually thickening distally.
Pronotum in dorsal view ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 9 – 11 ) elongate subtrapezoidal, anterior margin and sides in anterior half rounded, anterior corners indistinct, obtuse-angled, and blunt, sides in posterior half weakly narrowing toward distinct and nearly right-angled posterior corners; posterior margin shallowly bisinuate. Pronotum with lateral edges developed in posterior third or less, with distinct transverse antebasal groove connecting faint lateral impressions. Sides of pronotum with dense bristles.
Prosternum ( Figs 14 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 19 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ) with basisternal part ( Fig. 19 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; bst) indistinctly demarcated from coxal part and much shorter than the latter; prosternal intercoxal process ( Fig. 19 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; psp) feebly marked as narrow and weakly elevated carina with diffused lateral margins; procoxal sockets ( Fig. 19 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; pcs) broadly closed. Notosternal sutures ( Fig. 19 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; nss) and hypomeral ridges ( Fig. 19 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; hyr) complete.
Mesoscutellum visible between elytral bases, broadly subtriangular with elongate and rounded posterior part and concave lateral margins; mesoscutoscutellar suture present.
Mesoventrite ( Figs 15–16 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 20 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ) with distinct anterior ridge ( Figs 15–16 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 20 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; ar) and long, carinate and strongly elevated mesoventral intercoxal process ( Figs 15–16 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 20 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; msvp) extending from just behind anterior ridge of mesoventrite to middle of mesocoxae, where it is distinctly broadened and flattened ventrally. Ventrolateral foveae ( Fig. 20 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; vlf) present. Mesocoxal projections ( Fig. 20 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; mcp) prominent, with mesocoxal sockets located on their mesoventral surface and exposed in ventral view. Mesoventrite with narrow and shallow asetose pair of procoxal rests ( Figs 15–16 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 20 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; pcr); area behind procoxal rests asetose and not impressed.
Metaventrite ( Figs 16 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 20 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; v3) subtrapezoidal, broadening posteriorly and with rounded sides; anterior metaventral process ( Figs 15–16 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 20 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; amvp) present and strikingly large, with base as broad as about 1/3 of metaventral width and subtriangular in shape, with subrectangular anterior tip meeting posterior tip of mesoventral intercoxal process, sides of anterior metaventral process densely setose. Metaventral intercoxal process ( Figs 15– 16 View FIGURES 12 – 16 , 20 View FIGURES 17 – 20 ; mtvp) not separating metacoxa, subtriangular with shallow median notch. Metanepisterna and metepimera narrow. Metendosternite (metafurca) not visible in studied specimens.
Elytra ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 9 – 11 ) oval, each with two barely discernible rudiments of asetose basal foveae.
Legs ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 9 – 11 ) moderately long and slender; pro- and mesocoxae oval, metacoxae transverse; all femora weakly and gradually clavate (profemora thickest), all tibiae slender and nearly straight, broadening distally, protibiae thicker than meso- and metatibiae and with apical denticle; tarsi short and robust.
Abdominal sternites unmodified, suture between two terminal sternites indistinct.
Aedeagus ( Figs 10 View FIGURES 9 – 11 , 25–26 View FIGURES 25 – 27 ) stout, drop-shaped with truncate apex of median lobe, median lobe symmetrical, endophallus nearly symmetrical; internal armature complicated, composed of elongate sclerites surrounding median longitudinal tubular component; parameres present, moderately slender and with apical setae.
Distribution and composition. Only one species of Meridaphes is known, occurring in Venezuela.
Etymology. The name Meridaphes is composed of the Venezuelan Mérida State's name and - phes, a common ending of names in Scydmaeninae . Gender masculine.
Remarks. The following characters clearly indicate that Scydmoraphes venezolanus is not congeneric with Northern Hemisphere Scydmoraphes : submentum lacking lateral sutures (present in Scydmoraphes ); posterior tentorial pits exposed (hidden in deep transverse groove demarcating 'neck' region in Scydmoraphes ); eyes distant from occipital constriction and tempora long (eyes close to occipital constriction and tempora very short in Scydmoraphes ); mesoventral intercoxal process strongly elevated, with well-defined anterior tip and strongly broadened between mesocoxae (weakly elevated, lacking anterior tip and between mesocoxae narrowing to subtriangular rounded tip in Scydmoraphes ); anterior metaventral process extremely broad and subtriangular, at base as broad as about 1/3 of metaventral width, with subrectangular anterior tip (process short and narrow, subrectangular in Scydmoraphes ); and each elytron with two barely discernible (even in transparent mount) rudiments of basal foveae (single distinct and deep fovea in Scydmoraphes ). Moreover, Sc. venezolanus has distinctly swollen maxillary palpomere III, which is slender in Scydmoraphes .
Although the strongly elevated, keel-like mesoventral intercoxal process of Meridaphes is similar to that in Euconnus, Meridaphes differs from Euconnus in several important characters: broad occipital constriction (much narrower in Euconnus ); gular plate lacking elongate anterior part (demarcated, anterior part present in Euconnus ); absent frontoclypeal groove (present in Euconnus ); pronotum with short posterolateral edges (lacking edges, but often with sublateral carinae in Euconnus ); presence of large, subtriangular anterior metaventral process (absent in Euconnus ); and contiguous metacoxae (distinctly separated in Euconnus ). The extremely broad, subtriangular anterior metaventral process is known only in the eastern Palaearctic genus Nanoscydmus Jałoszyński, 2009.
Besides clearly different body form, Nanoscydmus has the frons and vertex with median longitudinal groove and triangular raised area demarcated by distinct edges (entirely lacking in Meridaphes ), prosternum laterally demarcated from hypomera by complete notosternal sutures (prosternum laterally fused with hypomera and notosternal sutures internalized, not marked externally in Nanoscydmus); mesoventral intercoxal process strongly broadened between mesocoxae (evenly narrowing posteriorly in Nanoscydmus); and metaventral intercoxal process without spines (with a pair of long spines in Nanoscydmus).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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