Machleida flagstaffensis sp. nov. Figs 1F, 2C, 4A, B, 5

Type material.

Holotype (Transvaal Mus.): "1.12.1988; E-Y:2593 / forest floor litter / leg. Endrody-Younga", "S. Afr., Transkei / Ntsubane forest / 31.27 S– 29.44E ". Paratypes: single specimen (Transvaal Mus.): same data as holotype; single specimen (Transvaal Mus.): "24.11.1987; E-Y:2533 / indig. Forest litter / leg. Endrody-Younga", "S. Afr., Transkei / Silaka For. Reserve / 31.33 S– 29.30E "

Diagnosis.

On account of a large body size this species is similar to Machleida devia . Both species can be separated by the characters listed in the identification key provided above.

Description.

Length 13.0-15.0 mm, width of elytra 7.0-7.5 mm. Integument brownish, often densely coated with debris. Head: frons with longitudinal median depression, densely punctate (~0.2 diameters apart), each puncture with short yellowish acuminate seta; frontoclypeal suture medially indistinguishable, weakly indented at margins, with pair of lateral depressions; apical clypeal margin broadly shallowly emarginate; clypeus projected toward front of body (Fig. 1F); apical margin of labrum sharply emarginate, densely punctate (~0.2 diameters apart), each puncture with short yellowish seta. Eye elongate oval, length approximately 6 × width, weakly emarginate around epistomal base. Mentum with rounded base, not fully filling buccal cavity, anterior margin weakly medially emarginate; densely punctate, punctures moderately sized, each with single slender setae. Submentum triangular, concave, densely punctate. Antenna moderately clothed in erect acuminate clear to yellowish setae; length of antennomeres 10+11 equal to 0.9 of antennomere 3 length; antennomeres 10+11 noticeably widended; length of antenna equal to 0.75 of pronotal length. Prothorax: pronotal lateral margin rounded, slightly elevated. Pronotum widest in middle base. Disc with two median carinae merging in middle, and lateral tubercles situated above half pronotal length; surface sparsely punctate, covered with noticeable microsculpture and extremely short, brownish setae. Median carinae and remaining tubercles apically covered with elongated scale-like setae and short elongated setae; anterior margin emarginate, densely setose; base bisinuate. Hypomeron with relatively deep antennal sulcus, impunctate. Prosternal process strongly convex, rounded at apex. Pterothorax: scutellum with median longitudinal grove. Elytra widest behind middle; surface between tubercles glabrous, covered with microsculpture; marginal costae present, tuberculate, apex of each tubercle densely covered with numerous short acuminate setae and large single scale-like seta apically, divided near humera, marginal branch extending to approximately middle of 4th abdominal ventrite, dorsal branch extending to base of 3rd abdominal ventrite, terminal tubercles transverse; disc without any trace of intervals or rows, sparsely covered with tubercles; ventral portion of elytra basally impunctate. Elytral slope steep (falling at angle of 75°). Epipleuron indistinguishable from neighbouring portion of elytra. Mesanepisternum, mesepimeron, and metepimeron sparsely punctate. Meso- and metaventrite sparsely punctate and covered with setae. Lateral regions of metaventrite (between coxae) extremely short. Legs: apex of profemora with small denticle on outer margin. Femora and tibia densely punctate and setose. Tarsi cylindrical, not flattened. Abdomen: ventrites 1-3 sparsely punctate and setose; ventrites 4 and 5 moderately punctate and setose; ventrite 5 without submarginal sulcus. Terminalia: ovipositor with paraproct much longer that coxites, plates 2-4 fused (Fig. 4A). Genital tubes similarly structured to other Asidini (Fig. 4B). Male specimens were not dissected due to scarcity of available materials.

Etymology.

The species epithet refers to Flagstaff (Eastern Cape, South Africa), a town near the collecting localities of this new species.

Distribution.

Representatives of this species have been collected in the following ecoregions of South Africa (Fig. 5): KwaZulu-Cape coastal forest mosaic, Maputaland-Pondoland bushland and thickets.