Phaedis amabilis, Ruzzier & Ando, 2021

Ruzzier, Enrico & Ando, Kiyoshi, 2021, Seven new species of the genus Phaedis Pascoe, 1866 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae Cnodalonini) from Borneo, Zootaxa 5004 (4), pp. 521-537 : 532-534

Phaedis amabilis sp. nov.

( Figs 21 , 36–40 )

Type specimen. Holotype: ♀, Borneo, Malaysia, Sabah, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Borneo Rainforest Lodge vic., 1.–3.IV.1994, R. Grimm leg. ( CRGN).

Description. Female. Body length: 6.0 mm. Oblong-oval, moderately convex above, brilliant. Colour dark reddish brown; head metallic green anteriorly and yellowish purple posteriorly; pronotum metallic green, with an ambiguous reddish purple transverse spot; elytra coppery, each elytron with a pair of iridescent humeral, apical fasciae, the humeral fascia oblong, strongly brilliant metallic green, bordered by bicolor, reddish purple and yellow, narrowly margined by metallic blue; the apical fascia oblique, yellowish purple, occupying about in apical third of elytron included with its borders which are consist of four colours anteriorly, metallic green, reddish purple, yellow and blue; basal six antennomeres, mouthparts, femora, tarsi reddish brown.

Head transversely elliptical, distinctly convex posteriad, with fine microsculpture; mCG not sinuate; epistoma transversely, moderately convex, rounded at apex, with coarse, rather dense punctures piligerous in part; frontoclypeal suture fine, roundly arcuate posteriorly; genae slightly convex, with similar punctures as on epistoma; frons broad, weakly convex,, sloping forwards, not elevated along eyes, with punctures oblong, sparser, much larger than those on epistoma; IE/TD 2.67; tempora short, almost smooth, weakly convex, slightly produced; eyes weakly transverse, moderately convex; inner ocular sulci moderately deep. Antennae reaching middle of pronotum; distal five antennomeres distinctly dilated, forming club; 11th oval. Ultimate maxillary palpomere strongly dilated, conical; endo-apical angle not produced laterad. Mentum triangular ( Fig. 36 ), strongly produced downwards, acute at apex, widely elevated in middle, narrowly excavate at sides, with a few long setae. Submentum choanoid, flattened. Gula rounded, linguiform, densely covered with lineate microsculpture.

Pronotum trapezoidal, widest at base, finely microsculptured; PW/PL 1.38; disc strongly convex, steeply descendent laterally, feebly sulcate in basal third along lateral margins, densely, moderately punctate, the punctures nearly as large as or slightly smaller than on frons; anterior margin straight though slightly produced forwards in median half, finely beaded in each lateral third; lateral margins weakly rounded, weakly sinuate before base, moderately beaded; anterior corners obtusely rounded, posterior ones rectangular, both corners not produced. Scutellum distinctly wider than long, flat, rounded posteriorly, finely microsculptured.

Elytra oval, strongly convex above, weakly divergent posteriorly, widest at apical third, finely beaded at sides; EL/EW 1.59; striae almost vestigial, finely impressed in part; strial punctures large, sparse though irregular in density, much larger than on frons, foveolate in major portions, weakly so on anterior portions of 1st to 3rd striae; intervals slightly, unevenly convex, weakly so on 7th to 9th ones, scarcely punctate; humeral callus rounded, weakly humped; epipleura slightly depressed, oblique, finely microsculptured, sparsely with microscopic piligerous punctures.

Venter with punctures piligerous. Prothoracic hypomera slightly convex, with fine isodiametric microsculp- ture and very sparse microscopic punctures. Prosternum short, oblique in front of coxae, densely microsculptured, finely rugulose, weakly beaded at apex; prosternal process ( Fig. 37 ) lanceolate, shallowly sulcate in middle, acutely pointed at apex. Mesoventral ridge short V-shaped, distinctly sloping forwards, with anterior angles obtusely angu- late in lateral view. Metaventrite strongly convex in middle, with fine, sparse punctures. Abdominal ventrites finely microsculptured, with dense, fine punctures.

Legs short, robust ( Fig. 38–40 ). Profemoral teeth normal in size, slightly directed outwards; posterior margin of mesofemora ancipital in apical two-thirds, weakly dentate at apical third of lower ridge; metafemora with posterior margin ancipital, weakly produced at apical two-fifths of lower ridge. Protibiae gently incurved, with inner margin feebly bisinuate; mesotibiae short, weakly dilated apically; metatibiae weakly incurved, with inner margin not produced behind base. Tibiae compactly articulate.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Borneo (Sabah).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the lovable habitus of this new species.

Differential diagnosis. This new species belongs to the Phaedeucyrtus species-group, and is similar in fasciate elytra and foveolate strial punctures to Phaedis niisatoi Ando, 2017 from the Philippines, but is readily separable from the latter by the characters mentioned in the following key.

- IE/TD 2.67; pronotum metallic green, with a transverse ambiguous reddish-purple spot; elytra coppery, each elytron with metallic green humeral and yellowish purple apical fasciae; frons weakly convex; tempora weakly convex and slightly produced; ultimate maxillary palpomere with endo-apical corner not produced laterad; submentum choanoid. Pronotum widest at base, feebly sulcate in basal third along lateral margins; anterior margin straight; lateral margins weakly sinuate before base; posterior corners rectangular. Elytral intervals slightly and unevenly convex, weakly so on 7th to 9th ones, scarcely punctate; elytral epipleura sparsely with piligerous microscopic punctures. Metafemora with posterior margin weakly produced at apical two-fifths of lower ridge. Metatibiae with inner margin not produced behind base............................ P. amabilis sp. nov.

- IE/TD 3.08; pronotum violet-brassy, with a pair of brilliant metallic green spots; elytra with a dark brassy-copper band on middle, and with a pair of multi-coloured humeral and apical fasciae; frons flattened; tempora neither convex nor produced; ultimate maxillary palpomere with endo-apical corner very strongly produced laterad; submentum not choanoid. Pronotum widest at middle, without sulci along lateral margins; anterior margin shallowly emarginate; lateral margins not sinuate before base; posterior corners obtusely angulate. Elytral intervals almost flat or very slightly convex, finely and sparsely punctate; elytral epipleura impunctate. Metafemora with posterior margin weakly dentate at apical four-ninths of lower ridge, thence weakly emarginate and sparsely pubescent to base. Metatibiae with inner margin weakly and lamellately produced behind base....................................................................................... P. niisatoi Ando, 2017

Figures

FIGURES 17–23. Phaedis spp., habitus.—17, Phaedis nagaii sp. nov.; 18, Phaedis tenuifasciatus sp. nov.; 19, Phaedis fusivittatus sp. nov.; 20, Phaedis choui sp. nov.; 21, Phaedis amabilis sp. nov.; 22, Phaedis minusculus sp. nov.; 23, Phaedis dilatitarsalis sp. nov.

FIGURES 36–40. Phaedis amabilis sp. nov.—36, mentum & submentum; 37, prosternal process; 38, protibia; 39, mesotibia; 40, metatibia. Scale bars: 0.1 mm for fig. 36; 0.5 mm for Figs 37–40.