Murmidius ovalis (Beck)

Jałoszyński, Paweł & Ślipiński, Adam, 2022, Revision of the family Murmidiidae (Coleoptera: Coccinelloidea), Zootaxa 5109 (1), pp. 1-102 : 28-30

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5109.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7B6C0651-0935-4C77-B157-3ABF53E3AD81
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038B1141-9C56-7031-D4D8-FC0BED73FA73
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Murmidius ovalis (Beck)
status

Treatment

( Figs 42–58 View FIGURES 42–50 View FIGURES 51–57 View FIGURE 58 , 67–73 View FIGURES 67–73 )

Hister ovalis Beck, 1817: 7 .

Murmidius ovalis Beck ; Hinton, 1942: 44.

Murmidius ferrugineus Leach, 1822: 41 . Synonymized by Jacquelin du Val, 1858: 227.

Ceutocerus advena Germar, 1823: 85. Synonymized by Jacquelin du Val, 1858: 227.

Type material examined. Lectotype of Murmidius ferrugineus Leach (here designated by A. Ślipiński): sex un- known, “Type”, “ Murmidius ferrugineus ” ( BMNH; the lectotype is the left specimen of three mounted on a single card) . Paralectotypes: 2 exx, mounted together on one card with lectotype ( BMNH) .

Additional material examined. Germany: 1 ex., Bavaria, ex coll. H. Lgocki ( MIZ) ; 1 ex., Dresden , ex coll. Scholz ( MNHW) . Netherlands: 3 exx, Rotterdam , ex coll. Veth ( NCB) . Great Britain: many specimens from laboratory culture, originating from Slough ( BMNH) . Sri Lanka: 2 exx, Colombo , ex cult. ( ANIC) . China: 1 ex., coll. Sharp ( BMNH) . Japan: 1 ex., without precise data, ex coll. Meliehar ( MIZ) ; 1 ex., Nara Pref., Mt. Kasuga ad Nara, 200-300 m, 31.xii.2001, under bark of standing dead tree, leg. P. Jałoszyński (cPJ) . USA: 1 ex., Maryland, Montgomery Co., Potomac , 03.04.1972, leg. W.E. Steiner ( USNM) . In addition, over 40 specimens (including both sexes) from stored food products from Poland, Germany and Slovakia were examined.

Emended diagnosis. Body oval, distinctly, but not strongly flattened, light to moderately dark brown; anterior clypeal margin microserrate; antennal club short oval; pronotum with distinct lateral longitudinal impressions and sublateral impressions, the latter rarely reaching posteriorly behind middle of pronotum and weakly impressed, anteriorly not connected by transverse groove; anterior pronotal margin not swollen; elytral punctures arranged in distinct rows on entire disc; punctures on head dorsum and pronotal disc uniform, very fine and shallow; antennal club short oval; prosternal carinae reaching anterior 2/3 of prosternum or slightly less; mesoventral plate with evenly rounded anterior margin and submarginal carina incomplete, developed only on sides; elytral epipleura not narrowed at the level of metaventrite; metaventrite with large, alveolate punctures on sides; penis not remarkably slender, in lateral view strongly curved with rounded apical region; median strut much shorter than tegmen; tegmen with divided apex bearing two pairs of short setae.

Redescription. BL 1.08–1.28 mm; BL/EW 1.38–1.52. Body elongate oval ( Figs 67–68 View FIGURES 67–73 ) and in lateral view weakly convex ( Fig. 70 View FIGURES 67–73 ); pigmentation light to moderately dark brown, legs slightly to distinctly lighter; dorsum covered with moderately sparse, short whitish setae in most specimens well-visible under magnification 40 ×; cuticle moderately glossy, on clypeus distinctly finely microreticulate, on frons microreticulation less distinct, only traces of microsculpture visible on pronotum, and barely discernible, incomplete mesh also on elytra (degree of reticulation slightly variable in studied specimens).

Head 0.30–0.35 mm wide; frons weakly convex, with fine, dense and sharply marked but shallow punctures separated by spaces subequal to their diameters; clypeus more matt than frons; eyes large, strongly convex, coarsely faceted. Antennal club ( Figs 67–69 View FIGURES 67–73 ) short, oval.

Pronotum ( Figs 67–68 View FIGURES 67–73 ) strongly transverse, widest at base; PL 0.23–0.26 mm, PW 0.55–0.68 mm, PL/PW 0.37–0.41; lateral margins nearly straight, weakly convergent anterad, with narrow lateral carinae; mesal corners of antennal cavities distinctly projecting anterad; lateral longitudinal impressions distinct, broad and deep anteriorly and reducing in width and depth toward pronotal base, subparallel to lateral pronotal margins; sublateral longitudinal impressions shallow, in most specimens posteriorly reaching middle of pronotum, in some barely discernible, anterior pronotal margin not swollen. Punctures on disc very fine, shallow, densely distributed, those on median area separated by spaces subequal to their diameters, large punctures lacking.

Prosternum ( Fig. 69 View FIGURES 67–73 ) smooth with fine, inconspicuous punctures; prosternal carinae anteriorly reaching 2/3 of prosternum or slightly less; notosternal carinae straight or slightly recurved, not reaching anterior prosternal margin, the latter with narrow marginal carina at middle.

Elytra ( Figs 67–68 View FIGURES 67–73 ) together oval, with rounded sides, broadest near middle, EL 0.88–1.00 mm, EW 0.73–0.88 mm, EL/EW 1.03–1.15. Humerus with distinct, bulging callus; each elytron with 9 longitudinal rows of distinct, large but shallow punctures, their diameter and number in each row variable among specimens, 2 lateralmost rows usually less regular; surface between rows slightly glossier than pronotum.

Hind wings fully developed.

Mesoventral plate ( Fig. 71 View FIGURES 67–73 ) with lateral longitudinal carinae anteriorly curved mesad, but middle portion of evenly rounded anterior margin lacking submarginal carina.

Metaventrite ( Fig. 71 View FIGURES 67–73 ) on most of its surface virtually impunctate, except for sides which are covered with unevenly distributed large, circular punctures with flat bottoms, with several arranged in row along posterior margin of metaventral femoral line. Discrimen externally visible in some specimens, in others indiscernible.

Tarsi with long but inconspicuous setae on tarsomeres 1–3.

Aedeagus ( Figs 72–73 View FIGURES 67–73 ) 0.38 mm long, relatively stout; penis in ventral view with rounded apex, in lateral view strongly, evenly curved and with rounded apex; tegmen with divided apex bearing two pairs of short setae; median strut much shorter than tegmen.

Distribution. Cosmopolitan, in stored food products, rarely also under bark of trees.

Remarks. The depositories of the German (Bavarian) type of M. ovalis and the probably European (without more precise data) type of Ceutocerus advena remain unknown, and therefore only a syntype (here designated as lectotype) of Murmidius ferrugineus was examined. However, there is little doubt that European specimens of the broadly distributed species traditionally identified as M. ovalis would not be conspecific with those seen by Beck (1817), as there is no other Murmidius known to occur in Europe (except for rare cases of finding adventive, nonestablished species; see remarks for M. stoicus ).

Adults of this species are variable in the body length and proportions of body parts, also the prosternal carinae may differ in relative length, usually reaching anterior 2/3 of prosternum, but in some specimens slightly shorter. Murmidius ovalis is most similar to M. australicus ; see Remarks for the latter species.