Stenidius peplifer, Kejval, 2007

Kejval, Zbyněk, 2007, New species, synonymy and records of Endomia and Stenidius (Coleoptera: Anthicidae) from Asia, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 47, pp. 169-181 : 178-180

Stenidius peplifer sp. nov.

( Figs. 3 , 11-13 )

Type locality. India, Madhya Pradesh, ca 130 km SE of Bhopal, Pachmarhi env., 22°28′N 78°26′E.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♁, ‘ INDIA, Madhya Pradesh, ca 130 km SE of Bhopal , PACHMARHI env., 22°28′N 78°26′E, ca 1050 m, 26.-29.vi.2006, Z. Kejval lgt.’ ( NMPC) . PARATYPES: 8♁♁ 8♀♀, same data as holotype ( ZKDC; 1 specimen each in BMNH, DCDC, HNHM, and NHMW) .

Description (male, holotype). Head brown black; pronotum rufous; elytra pale rufous brown, darkened laterally in apical third, with paired, rounded, brown-black spot dorso-laterally at about midlength ( Fig. 3 ), not touching lateral margins; antennae, legs and palpi rufous, distal antennomeres rather brownish.

Head 1.2 times as long as wide, widely rounded to angulate posteriorly ( Fig. 11 ); tempora parallel, their posterior angles prominent. Eyes small, at most moderately convex. Dorsal surface less glossy, smooth but very densely punctured; punctation distinct, evenly developed. Setation short, fine, appressed; erect setae absent or quite inconspicuous. Antennae slightly enlarged in distal third; antennomere 10 as long as wide, antennomere 11 1.6 times as long as wide.

Pronotum 1.2 times as long as wide, as wide as head including eyes, widely rounded anteriorly in dorsal view, nearly straightly narrowing posteriad, only very slightly impressed laterally before base in dorsal view. Pronotal disc rather evenly shaped, moderately convex, somewhat flattened in posterior half. Dorsal surface less glossy, densely, evenly punctured (as on head). Setation as on head.

Elytra elongate, 1.9 times as long as wide, conjointly rounded apically; humeri rounded, indistinct; postscutellar impression indistinct. Surface less glossy, densely punctured; punctation slightly finer than on head, especially posteriorly. Setation somewhat more conspicuous than on head, mostly pale, with whitish setae forming X-shaped marking, appressed, with a few, sparsely scattered, short, erect setae, especially subapically.

All legs simple; profemora normally developed (not swollen); protarsi somewhat stronger (if compared with female); penultimate tarsomere narrow, with terminal tarsomere articulated subapically in metatarsi. Setation very short, fine, appressed.

Abdominal sternum VII simple, evenly rounded posteriorly. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 12 ); paired prongs simple, narrow, moderately sinuous, pointed apically, with several longer setae in apical third. Tergite VIII simple, evenly rounded posteriorly.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 13 ); apical portion of tegmen 1.2 times as long as basal-piece, simple, somewhat sinuously narrowing subapically and terminating in short, narrow and rounded apex.

Female. Differing from male by slightly narrower protarsi.

Body length (♁ ♀). 1.8-2.2 mm (holotype 1.8 mm).

Variability. Insignificant.

Differential diagnosis. Stenidius peplifer sp. nov. is similar to S. cruciger , S. signatus (Pic, 1922) , and S. saigonensis ( Pic, 1921) in sharing a similar, slender body form and the same colouration and setation of elytra (paired dark spots, X-shaped marking of whitish setae). It differs from the widespread and probably sympatric S. cruciger by the widely rounded base of head and posteriorly less narrowed pronotum (head nearly evenly rounded, sometimes slightly angulately produced postero-medially in S. cruciger ; cf. Figs. 8, 11 ), prongs of sternite VIII distinctly narrowed in basal half (wider and rather parallel-sided in S. cruciger ; cf. Figs. 9, 12 ) and apex of tegmen terminating in a short, narrow apex (tegmen evenly narrowing and with a long, narrow apex in S. cruciger ; cf. Figs. 10, 13 ). Stenidius signatus shares these distinguishing external characters with S. cruciger and displays another conspicuous differences in male sternite VIII and tegmen; for their description see KEJVAL (2002). Stenidius saigonensis is unknown to me. However, based on Pic’s description ( PIC 1921), mainly with respect to the form of head: ‘tête moins grosse, rétrécie et arquée derrière les yeux’ [= head less large, narrowed and arcuate posteriorly to eyes], this species is close to or even identical with S. cruciger .

Etymology. From Latin peplum (= brightly embroided garment) and ferre (= carry, wear); named in reference to the brightly coloured body.

Bionomics. Unknown. The type specimens were collected near the shore of a small empty artificial lake on a stream flowing through the town centre. They were running on the ground as I looked closely through the plant debris beneath sparse small bushes, and were found together with Anthelephila consul (LaFerté-Sénectère, 1849) , A. barbipes (Krekich-Strassoldo, 1931) , and several other species of Anthicidae .

Distribution. India (Madhya Pradesh).

Figures

Figs. 1-3. Habitus (paratype). 1 – Endomia graminicola sp. nov. 2 – E. litoralis sp. nov. 3 – Stenidius peplifer sp. nov.

Figs. 8-13. 8-10 – Stenidius cruciger LaFerté-Sénectère, 1849, Thailand, Pha To (ZKDC). 8 – head and pronotum, outline in dorsal view; 9 – male sternite VIII; 10 – aedeagus in ventral view. 11-13 – S. peplifer sp. nov., holotype. 11 – head and pronotum, outline in dorsal view; 12 – male sternite VIII; 13 – aedeagus in ventral view. Scale = 0.2 mm: A – Figs. 9, 12; B – Figs. 10, 13. Scale = 0.5 mm: C – Figs. 8, 11.