Philharmostes rotundatus, 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 : 256

Philharmostes rotundatus sp. nov.

( Figs 83 e-h, 85 m, 89) http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:96B7F16A-310B-448C-8504-08F50E144C82

Type series. Holotype, ♀, deposited in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA, labelled as follows: / CASTYPE 20295 / Madagascar: Antsiranana Makirovana Forest elev. 550 m 1-2 May 2011 14° 09’ 38” S 049° 57’ 08” E California Acad. of Sciences , collectors: B.L. Fisher et al. rainforest, sifted leaf litter collection code: BLF 26937 / Philharmostes rotundatus n. sp. det. A. Ballerio 2020 Holotypus / [distend- ed, glued on card].

Diagnosis. Philharmostes rotundatus sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Philharmostes by the following combination of characters: a) flightlessness, b) dorsal ocular area small, c) head with clypeal disc covered by fine simple punctation, d) dorsum with brown colour, without metallic sheen, e) pronotal fore angles broadly truncate, f) pronotum with disc not raised with respect to sides, g) pronotal disc covered by dense horseshoe-shaped impressed punctation, h) elytral lateral carina complete, h) elytral lateral carina sharp, i) elytral lateral carina slightly sinuate in lateral view, j) elytral punctation made of large dense horseshoe-shaped punctures, l) outline of elytra (dorsal view) almost rounded (W/L ratio: 1).

Description. HL: 0.6 mm; HW: 1.1 mm; PL: 0.9 mm; PW: 1.7 mm; EL: 2.0 mm; EW 2.0; overall morphology as in generic diagnosis. Small flightless Ceratocanthinae . Body convex. Dark brown, shiny, dorsum with setigerous punctures bearing a very short simple seta, a few longer fine setae on fore margin clypeus (40×) and outer sides of meso- and metatibiae, fore margin of clypeus, sides of pronotum, underside, tarsi and antennae reddish-brown, setation yellowish. Head: W/L ratio = 1.36; apical margin triangular with angle blunt and obtuse and sides weakly curved; genae distinctly produced outwards, acute; genal canthus complete, fused with the occipital portion of head; dorsal ocular area medium-sized, interocular distance about nine times the maximum width of dorsal ocular area, disc uniformly covered by impressed simple punctation becoming comma-shaped distally, fore margin with some transverse large comma-shaped punctures and a few irregular impressed transverse short lines. Interpunctural distance of simple punctures two or three times larger than the punctural diameter. Interpunctural distance of large comma-shaped punctures sorter than their width. Pronotum: short and transverse (W/L ratio = 1.93), convex, surface irregular with one shallow basal transverse impression at each side generating a thick raised basal bead; base and sides broadly rounded (dorsal view); fore margin complete, fore angles truncate, surface, with the exception of sides and base, completely covered by dense medium-sized relatively shallow horseshoe-shaped punctures, with a short opening oriented centripetally. Each puncture bearing in the middle a very short simple seta. Interpunctural distance shorter than punctural diameter. Scutellum : covered by several small impressed horseshoe-shaped or ocellate punctures. Elytra: as long as wide (W/L ratio = 1.00); distinctly rounded (dorsal view) with maximum width around one quarter of elytral length; humeral callus indistinct but marked by the thick starting point of lateral carina; elytral surface convex, covered by dense (interpunctural distance much shorter than punctural diameter) relatively shallow punctation. Punctures on proximal third horseshoe-shaped with a broad opening directed outwards. A narrow portion of disc, near elytral suture, where horseshoe-shaped punctures are replaced by sparser comma-shaped punctures with opening directed towards elytral suture; the remaining surface covered by dense horseshoe-shaped punctures with a short opening directed backwards. Lateral carina distinct, thick, sharp and complete, broadly S-shaped (lateral view). Pseudoepileura covered by dense broad horseshoe-shaped shallow punctures with a broad opening directed towards lateral carina. Wings: flightless.

Etymology. Latin adjective in the nominative singular, meaning “rounded”, due to the rounded shape of the dorsal profile of elytra.

Distribution and habitat. Known only from the type locality. Collected by sifting litter in rainforest. For details on the collecting locality see under Synarmostes makirovanae sp. nov.

Figures

Fig. 83 – Philharmostes scapulatus sp. nov.. a, dorsal view of distended paratype; b, ventral view of rolled up paratype (rhc: raised humeral carina strongly protruding outwards); c, dorsal view of rolled up paratype (rhc: raised humeral carina strongly protruding outwards); d, lateral view of rolled up paratype; Philharmostes rotundatus sp. nov., holotype, e, dorsal view of distended specimen; f, ventral view of rolled up specimen; g, dorsal view of rolled up specimen; h, lateral view of rolled up specimen.