Synarmostes annamariae, Ballerio, 2021

Ballerio, Alberto, 2021, The Ceratocanthinae of Madagascar and Comoro Islands: a revision of the genera Synarmostes and Goudotostes, and of the flightless Philharmostes, with description of 64 new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea, Hybosoridae), Fragmenta entomologica 53 (2), pp. 105-282 : 123

Synarmostes annamariae sp. nov.

( Figs 4 d-f, 15 a-d, 32 a-c, 35) http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B4A43DD5-9DE1-4503-A5D2-A53B05A53017

Type series. Holotype, ♂, deposited in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences , San Francisco, CA, USA, labelled as follows: / CASTYPE 20243 / Madagascar: Province d’Antisiranana Parc National Montagne d’Ambre, 3.6 km 235° SW Joffreville elev. 925 m 20-26 Jan. 2001 / 12° 32’ 4” S 049° 10’ 46” E coll. Fisher, Griswold et al. California Acad. of Sciences sifted litter montane rainforest code: BLF2564 / Synarmostes annamariae n. sp. A. Ballerio det. 2009 /. Paratypes [2 ♂♂ dissected]: 7 ♀♀ and 7 ♂♂ (12 in CASC and 2 in ABCB), same collecting data as holotype. / 8 ♀♀ and 7 ♂♂ (8 in CASC and 6 in ABCB): / Madagascar: Province d’Antisiranana Parc National Montagne d’Ambre, 3.6 km 235° SW Joffreville elev. 925 m 20-26 Jan. 2001 / 12° 32’ 4” S 049° 10’ 46” E coll. Fisher, Griswold et al. California Acad. of Sciences pitfall trap in montane rainforest code: BLF2565 /. 2 ♂♂ and 1 ♀ ( MHNG): / Madagascar: Mt. Ambre N.P. 0, 5 km NE camp site 01.iii.2003 <12° 31’ 50” S; 49° 10’ 25” E> 1000 m leg. G. Cuccodoro #4a ex moist leaf litter in forest /.

Diagnosis. Synarmostes annamariae sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Synarmostes by the following combination of characters: a) medium size, b) ventral ocular area medium-sized, c) dorsal ocular area present, d) dorsal setation absent (20×), e) flightlessness, f) pronotum without callosities on disc, g) pronotum with discal punctation consisting of short strongly impressed dense transverse punctures (so short to look like large simple punctures), h) elytra with inner longitudinal carina occupying median and distal third, i) dorsal outline of rolled up beetle elongate subovoidal, j) carinae of elytral apical third irregular (with some weak tubercles or other irregularities), k) parameres with apical portion enlarged. Synarmostes annamariae sp. nov. belongs to the tibialis group of species and can be distinguished from the other species of the group thanks to the combination of the characters e), f), g), h), i) and k).

Description. Size: HL = 0.9 mm; HW = 1.4 mm; PL = 1.3 mm; PW = 2.4 mm; EL = 2.7 mm; EW = 2.3 mm. Overall morphology as in generic diagnosis. Medium-sized flightless Synarmostes . Body moderately convex. Black with dark bronze sheen, shiny, dorsum with setigerous punctures bearing an extremely short simple seta (50×), underside, tarsi and antennae reddish-brown, setation yellowish. Head: W/L ratio = 1.52; clypeal apex obtuse, apical projection hardly appreciable; dorsal ocular area small, interocular distance about 18 times the maximum width of dorsal ocular area, ventral ocular area medium-sized, head dorsal surface with disc covered by dense strongly impressed large simple punctation becoming comma-shaped centrifugally, mixed to some extremely shallow fine punctures. Fore margin with some transverse large comma-shaped punctures. Interpunctural distance of simple impressed punctures once or twice larger than the punctural diameter. Vertex with a deep transverse line interrupted in the middle. Pronotum: subrectangular (W/L ratio = 2.00), regularly convex, uniformly covered by large strongly impressed simple and short transverse comma-shaped punctures. Interpunctural distance shorter than punctural diameter. Scutellum : almost smooth near base, apically covered by few small impressed transverse comma-shaped punctures. Elytra: longer than wide (W/L ratio = 0.85); subovoidal (dorsal view); inferior sutural stria reaching the humeral area; humeral callus indistinct; elytral surface regularly convex, uniformly covered by impressed punctation. Punctures transverse comma-shaped near base and sides of elytra, becoming longitudinal comma-shaped on medial third and horseshoe-shaped with a broad opening directed backwards on distal third. Elytral distal third with at least eight raised longitudinal irregular carinae sometimes with a longitudinal impressed line between them (the inner longitudinal carina occupying median and distal third). Wings: flightless. Male genitalia: aedeagus (L = 1.2 mm) with parameres as in Figs 32 a-b, spiculum gastrale (L = 1.3 mm) as in Fig. 32 c .

Etymology. Noun in the genitive case. Dedicated to the memory of my mother Annamaria.

Distribution and habitat. Known only from the type locality (Montagne d’Ambre at the northern tip of Madagascar). The type series was collected by sifting leaf litter in montane rainforest. The Montagne d’Ambre is an isolated volcanic massif, which enjoys a moister climate compared to the surrounding areas. The vegetation cover consists of “moist evergreen forest” ( Goodman et al. 2018) also known as “humid forest” ( Moat & Smith 2007). The collecting localities fall within the protected area “Parc National de Montagne d’Ambre”.

Figures

Fig. 4 – Heads of Synarmostes in ventral, lateral and dorsal views (not to scale) in order to show the extent of ocular area, a–c, Synarmostes tibialis (example of large–sized ventral ocular area); d–f, Synarmostes annamariae sp. nov. (example of medium–sized ventral ocular area); g–i, Synarmostes fortis sp. nov. (example of small–sized ventral ocular area and vestigial dorsal ocular area); j–l, Synarmostes benaraensis sp. nov. (example of small–sized ventral ocular area).

Fig. 32 – Aedeagi and spicula gastrales, a–c, Synarmostes annamariae sp. nov., paratype; d–e, Synarmostes eugenii sp. nov., holotype; f–h, Synarmostes parrilloi sp. nov., holotype; i–j, Synarmostes occidentalis sp. nov., holotype; k–m, Synarmostes zahamenae sp. nov., holotype; n–p, Synarmostes niger, paratype.