Propsephus brachypterus, Platia, 2014

Platia, Giuseppe, 2014, Second contribution to the knowledge of the click-beetles from the Socotra Island (Yemen) (Coleoptera Elateridae)., Arquivos Entomolóxicos 10, pp. 69-76 : 70

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.12713857
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D78508CA-A61C-4E14-93B7-A7C1AD4C6AD6
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03EE87A1-FF30-FFF2-FDDB-48D4FE2CFA25
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Propsephus brachypterus
status

Treatment

Tribe Dicrepidiini Thomson, 1858

Propsephus brachypterus n. sp.

( Figs. 3, 3a View Figs , 7, 7a View Figs , 10, 11 View Figs , 15, 16 View Figs )

Material examined. Holotype ♂ - Yemen, Socotra Isl., Hagher Mts. , Scand Mt. eNv. (12°34.6’N, 54°01.5’E), 1450 M, 16-18.VI.2012, Socotra expedition 2012, J. Bezdek, J. Hajek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovsky, J. Niedobova & L. Purchart ( NMPC). 29 Paratypes (28 ♂♂, 1 ♀) – same data as HT ( CPG; NMPC). GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. Second species known from Socotra Island, it is immediately separated by the darker colour, second and third articles of antennae subequal in length and shape, reduced wings not able to fly.

Description.

Male. Moderately shiny; entirely dark-brown and generally with apices of posterior angles of pronotum, elytral suture, last elytral intervals, antennae and legs ferruginous; covered with moderate, short, yellow-fulvous pubescence.

Head with eyes as wide as the anterior margin of pronotum, frons flat between the eyes, not or just impressed before the anterior margin, this more or less regularly arcuate, shiny and slightly thickened, not protruding and at middle touching the clypeus; puncturation very broad with punctures umbilicate, contiguous or confluent.

Antennae exceeding by about 2,5 articles the apices of posterior angles of pronotum, serrated from fourth article on; second and third articles small, second subcylindrical, third subconical, subequal in length, with shiny surface, taken together 1,3x shorter than fourth; fourth-tenth subrectangular with sculptured surface, on average 2,3x longer than wide; last subellipsoidal, longer than penultimate, moderately constricted before the apex.

Pronotum 1,12-1,14x wider than long, widest at the apices of posterior angles, strongly convex, abruptly sloping at sides and base with a clear mid-longitudinal furrow on the basal slope; sides moderately arcuate, from behind the middle gradually converging forwards, slightly sinuate before the posterior angles, the latter more or less divergent, truncate and with a feeble carina directed inside; lateral margin complete; puncturation very strong, uniformly distributed, punctures clearly umbilicate, of variable diameters, contiguous.

Scutellum shield-shaped, quadrangular, flat, with rough sculpture.

Elytra 2,75-2,85x longer than pronotum and as wide as it, convex; sides subparallel from base to behind the middle then gradually converging to the apices; striae punctured, interstriae flat to subconvex, densely and roughly punctured.

Wings reduced, just exceeding the middle of elytra and very probably not able to fly.

Aedeagus as in figs. 3, 3a (length 1,87 mm).

Female. Distinct for the shorter antennae not reaching the apices of posterior angles of pronotum with second and third articles, taken together, as long as fourth and sides of elytra moderately dilated in the posterior third.

Bursa copulatrix moderately sclerified and showing asymmetrical groups of thorns of different length (figs. 7, 7a).

Size. (♂), length: 10-12 mm; width: 2,62-3,5 mm; (♀), length: 12 mm, width: 3,8 mm.

Etymology. The name of the species is derived from the reduced wings not able to fly. Ecological notes. Collected on montane evergreen woodland (figs. 1, 2) with very cold weather conditions, foggy/rainy and windy the whole two days spent on top of mountain (J. Hajek in litteris).