Cis bicolorellus Lawrence, 2019

Lawrence, John F., 2019, The Australian Ciidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea): supplement, Zootaxa 4555 (4), pp. 451-490 : 461-463

Cis bicolorellus Lawrence sp. nov.

( Figs 3–5 , 54, 75)

Diagnosis. This is one of the smaller species in the Cis pacificus group. It is characterised by the relatively short, broad body, minute dorsal vestiture and narrow lateral pronotal margins. It is similar in some respects to Cis sellatus Blair and both species may be bicoloured; in the former, however, the elytra may be either black or red, while in the latter the elytra may be partly red and partly black. Cis bicolorellus also has the pronotal interspaces more finely sculptured and shiny.

Description. With characters of the genus. Length = 1.05–1.25 (1.13 ± 0.07, n = 9) mm. Body oblong, moderately convex, with sides slightly, independently curved: BL/EW 1.88–2.04 (1.96); GD/EW = 0.71–0.77 (0.74). Colour of head and pronotum red, elytra red or black, undersides reddish-brown, legs yellowish-brown to reddish brown, antennal funicle yellowish-brown, club darker; surfaces shiny. Dorsal vestiture single, consisting of very short, fine hairs, which are barely longer than the punctures from which they arise and not visible under lower power. Frons and vertex in female slightly convex, in male slightly concave anteriorly and with vertexal sex patch. Longest eye diameter 0.21 times as great as head width. Frontoclypeal ridge in both sexes complete at middle and produced and elevated laterally, forming a pair of very short, rounded plates in female, and longer, subtriangular plates in male, separated by about one basal width. Antennomere length ratio: 5.00: 3.25: 3.75: 1.82: 1.37: 1.25: 1.00: 3.00: 3.00: 4.50; length/width ratios: 1.18, 1.18, 3.00, 1.81, 0.92, 0.71, 0.50. 0.71, 0.67, 1.00. Apical maxillary palpomere 2.50 times as long as wide, widest near base, gradually narrowed to narrowly rounded apex. Labial palps separated by 0.2 times basal width of one; ratio of palpomere lengths 1.00: 1.33: 1.00, apical palpomere distinctly narrower than preapical one, which is not inflated. Male gula 0.51 times as wide as head, densely filled with micropores, the pores extending anteriorly onto submentum as a broad, apically rounded patch; female gula 0.37 times as wide as head. Pronotum 0.78–0.86 (0.81) times as long as wide, widest behind middle in both sexes; anterior edge very strongly rounded in both sexes; lateral margins very narrow, not or barely visible for their entire lengths from above with smooth edges; anterior angles produced forward but very small and narrowly rounded; posterior angles rounded; posterior edge with very narrow but complete marginal bead; disc evenly convex; punctation moderately coarse and dense, punctures usually separated by slightly less than one diameter; interspaces finely sculptured and more or less shiny. Prosternum in front of coxae 1.15 times as long as mid length of procoxal cavity, strongly tumid with median longitudinal carina, prosternal process 0.40 times as wide as mid length of coxal cavity, subtruncate at apex; procoxal cavities very narrowly open; postcoxal process narrowly acute. Elytra 1.16–1.29 (1.23) times as long as wide and 1.59–1.81 (1.69) times as long as pronotum; punctation dual and confused, with megapunctures about as large as pronotal punctures, the interspaces finely sculptured and moderately shiny. Mesocoxal cavities separated by about 0.15 times shortest diameter of a cavity. Metaventrite slightly convex; discrimen very short; shortest distance between meso- and metacoxal cavities about equal to length of abdominal ventrite 1. Outer apical angle of protibia in male produced to form a moderately stout, sharp tooth, in female with finer tooth. First abdominal ventrite 1.36 times as long as 2nd; sex patch in male weakly developed, about 0.20 times as long as ventrite 1, anterior to middle, circular, without marginal rim. Sides of sternite VIII straight and converging, its apex truncate. Pregenital ring relatively narrow with subacute apex. Tegmen (Fig. 54) 2.00 times as long as wide, widest at apical tenth, sides slightly converging to basal two-fifths, then diverging to apical tenth, where they converge to form a pair of short rounded lobes with a long setae at base of each; apex deeply emarginate forming a pair of slender processes with the curved rounded lobes at their apices; base irregularly subangulate. Penis 1.4 times as long as tegmen and 7.0 times as long as wide, sides almost parallel but converging subapically to form subacute apex; base more or less rounded. Ovipositor (Fig. 75) 3.25 times as long as wide, widest at base with sides subparallel but gradually narrowing at apical third; paraprocts 1.18 times as long as gonocoxites, longitudinally oriented; gonocoxites 1.54 times as long as their combined widths, distinctly divided into subquadrate proximal lobe and elongate distal lobe, the latter gradually narrowed to subtruncate apex; gonostylus 0.23 times as long as gonocoxite and 5 times as long as wide.

Type specimens: Holotype, ♂: “ 13.43S 143.19E QLD 15km WNW of Bald Hill McIlwraith Range 27 June– 12 July1989 T. A. Weir 420m weather station site / J. F. Lawrence Lot – Osmoporus strigatus / ANIC Image” ( ANIC 25-014988 ).

Paratypes. QLD: Heathlands , 12 km EbyN (11.43S, 142.41E), 18.i.1992, ANIC berlesate 1215, closed forest litter, T. A. Weir, I. D. Naumann (2, ANIC) ; Heathlands , 12 km EbyN (11.43S, 142.41E), 15–26.i.1992, fungi baited pitfall trap, closed forest litter, T. A. Weir (1, ANIC) ; McIlwraith Range , 11 km WNW of Bald Hill (13.44S, 143.20E), search party campsite, 520m, 27.vi–12.vii.1989, ANIC FIT with trough 1123, open forest, T. A. Weir (1, ANIC) ; McIlwraith Range , 15 km WNW of Bald Hill (13.43S, 143.19E), weather station site, 420m, 27.vi– 12.vii.1989, Osmoporus strigatus, T. A. Weir (20, ANIC) ; McIlwraith Range , 15 km WNW of Bald Hill (13.43S, 143.19E), weather station site, 420m, 27.vi–12.vii.1989, ANIC berlesate 1120, leaf litter, open forest, T. A. Weir (2, ANIC) .

Distribution. Known only from northern QLD.

Biology. Collected in flight intercept traps, unbaited and fungi baited pitfall traps, leaf litter berlesates and in the basidiomes of Coriolopsis strigata (= Osmoporus strigatus ).

Etymology. Derived from the Latin bis, meaning two, color, meaning hue or tint and ellus a diminutive ending and referring to the bicolored form, in which the pronotum is red and the elytra black.

Figures

FIGURES 1–15. habitus: 1–2, Cis apodemus sp. nov.: 1, male, dorsal (1.3 mm); 2, same, lateral; 3–5, Cis bicolorellus sp. nov.: 3, male, unicoloured, dorsal (1.1 mm); 4, same, lateral; 5, female, bicoloured form, dorsal (1.2 mm); 6–7, Cis brachytrichus sp. nov.: 6, male, dorsal (2.1 mm); 7, same, lateral; 8–10, Cis christmasensis sp. nov.: 8, male, dorsal (1.4 mm); 9, female, dorsal (1.5 mm); 10, same, lateral. 11–14, Cis densus sp. nov.: 11, male, dorsal (1.2 mm); 12, same, lateral; 13, female, dorsal (1.1 mm); 14, same, lateral; 15, Cis depressus sp. nov., male, dorsal (1.3 mm).