Anaxius pseudoloensus, Kamiński & Schoeman, 2018

Kamiński, Marcin J. & Schoeman, Colin S., 2018, Taxonomic revision of a darkling beetles genus Anaxius (Tenebrionidae: Pedinini: Helopinina), Zootaxa 4455 (3), pp. 471-485 : 481-482

Anaxius pseudoloensus sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:13054B1E-F5D9-43A0-BAE0-BAA29297C843

( Figs. 1G , 3G , 5 )

Type data. Holotype, male (TMSA): “Espungabera / 80.K.Jutha 1954”.

Etymology. The name highlights the morphological resemblance of this species to representatives of the genus Loensus Lucas, 1920 ( Pedinini : Pedinina ).

Diagnosis. This species is similar to A. campbellae by having, inter alia, protibia with shallow median cavity, widened protarsus, with subsequent tarsomeres slightly narrower, and not apically depressed intercoxal process of prostenum (lateral view). Anaxius pseudoloensus can be easily distinguished by its smaller body size (4.5 mm in pseudoloensus ; 6.5–7.0 in campbellae ), more slender elytra ( Figs 1B vs 1G), and simple mesofemora in males (with preapical denticle in campbellae ).

Description. Body—length ca. 4.5 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1G .

Dorsal side of head covered with fine punctures (0.5–1.0 diameters apart). Frontoclypeal suture not visible. Canthus rounded at base; narrower than head at level of eyes. Clypeal emargination shallow (clypeal emargination width: depth ratio ca. 8.0). Labrum wide (width: length ratio ca. 1.9); emarginate medially; with basal membrane exposed. Ligula exposed, not covered by mentum. Mentum widest in apical part; with well-developed medial keel; with exposed lateral lobes; not covering cardo or basistipes; apically with median indentation. Submentum pentagonal; short. Apical segment of maxillary palpus trapezoidal; with sensory field occupying whole proximal edge. Second segment of maxillary palpus elongate (length: width ratio ca. 2.4). Palpifer located laterally on basistipes. Anterior tentorial pit circular. Eye not dorsally shielded by any keel. Margin between maxillary fossa and antenna insertion well marked. Antenna not available for study (broken off holotype).

Pronotum slightly narrower than elytra (elytra: pronotum width ratio ca. 1.1); relatively narrow (length: width ratio of pronotal disc ca. 0.8); disc shiny, covered with fine punctures (0.5–1.0 diameters apart). Lateral sides of pronotal disc straight at basal half. Disc without apophyseal depressions. Basal, anterior, and lateral emargination of pronotal disc present. Base of pronotum straight. Posterior angles not protruding beyond base. Pronotal hypomeron dull; covered with very fine longitudinal rugosities; without submarginal indentation. Intercoxal process of prosternum not depressed apically (lateral view); apically with oval depression on ventral surface; slightly protruding towards first abdominal segment. Procoxae narrowly separated (procoxa: intercoxal process width ratio ca. 2.0).

Five elytral intervals finely marked; remaining ones indistinguishable. First interval elevated in disc. Elytron covered by fine punctures (0.1 diameters apart; sometimes confluent). Elytral base straight; not emarginate. Elytral humerus rounded. Epipleuron slightly narrowing apically, then of constant width; basally covering all elytral intervals (ventral view). Scutellum relatively large; triangular. Metathoracic wings absent.

Metaventrite extremely short (metacoxal cavity: metaventrite (between insertions of meso- and metacoxae) length ratio ca. 8.0). Process of first abdominal ventrite wide (distances between mesocoxae: metacoxae ratio ca. 0.9). Fifth abdominal ventrite without submarginal sulcus; covered with fine punctures (4–5 diameters apart).

Male protarsus widened, with subsequent tarsomeres slightly narrower. Protibia with shallow longitudinal cavity. Metafemora with fringe of setae distributed on whole length. Other leg parts simple. Meso- and metatibiae not avaliable for study (broken out of holotype).

Aedeagal tegmen widest in middle; unipartite; without basal gap. Apical part divided (up to 0.10 of whole tegmen length). Clava straight. Penis of even width along most of its length; with apical part not covered by tegmen, exposed dorsally. Basal apophyses of penis relatively short (ca. 0.4 of whole tegmen length).

Distribution. This species has been collected in the following ecoregion of Mozambique ( Fig. 5 ): Southern Miombo woodlands.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus images of the studied species. Anaxius bloubergensis (A), A. campbellae (B), A. limpopoensis (C), A. meletsensis (D), A. obesus (E), A. prozeskyi (F), and A. pseudoloensus (G).

FIGURE 3. Aedeagal tegmen morphology. Anaxius bloubergensis (A), A. campbellae (B), A. limpopoensis (C), A. meletsensis (D), and A. pseudoloensus (G).

FIGURE 5. Distribution of the species representing Anaxius.