Macratria conlei, Telnov, 2023

Telnov, Dmitry, 2023, New species and records of Macratriinae LeConte, 1862 (Coleoptera: Anthicidae) from the Americas with five new descriptions, Zootaxa 5389 (2), pp. 173-192 : 178-181

Macratria conlei sp. nov. ( Figures 4–5 )

https://zoobank.org/ C0717D16-F2FA-4F58-A8F5-165CA802D540

Type material designated. Holotype ♂, LOUNAZ: ECUADOR central, Prov. Pastaza, E Andes, ~18–21 km N Puyo , 500 m from 1°18’25”S 77°57’1”W (“ Tamandua ” eco-lodge), 10–12.ii.2023, 1060– 1000 m, primary lower montane rainforest, underside of Arecaceae leaves, leg. D.Telnov [printed].

Paratypes 4♂, 2 BMNH & 2 LOUNAZ: same labels as holotype. Specimens at BMNH each with an additional printed label: BMNH{E} 2023–29 Dr. D.Telnov .

Derivatio nominis. Patronymic. Named for Oskar V. Conle (Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Germany) to commemorate his investment into the study of phasmids.

Measurements, holotype male, total body length 4.4 mm; head length 0.9 mm, head width across compound eyes 0.7 mm, pronotal length 1.1 mm, maximum pronotal width 0.7 mm, elytral length 2.5 mm, combined maximum elytral width 1.1 mm. Male paratypes 4.1–4.5 mm long.

Description. Male ( Fig. 4 ). Head and elytra pale brown, pronotum black-brown. Mouthparts including maxillary palpi, antenna, front and middle legs yellow (tibiae inconspicuously darkened at base). Base of elytron, scutellar shield and lateral humeral stria dark brown. Metathoracic femur dark brown, metathoracic tibia and tarsus yellow, tibia shortly darkened at base. Head glossy dorsally and ventrally, broadly elliptical. Frons narrow, about 0.4× as wide as dorsal eye length. Compound eye large, occupying whole lateral side of head beyond antennal insertion, strongly protruding from lateral outline of head, much longer than rounded, short tempus. Interfacetal setae long, dense. Head base broadly rounded, medially slightly notched. Frontoclypeal suture or impression not observed. Head dorsal punctures variably large, moderately dense, shallow to moderately deep. Intervening spaces smooth, narrower than to twice as wide as punctures. Head dorsal setae golden, long, distinctly subdecumbent, moderately dense, not concealing dorsal surface of head. Tactile setae sparse but abundant on head base, erect, golden, longer than ordinary setae. Antenna slender and strongly filiform, not thickened at apex, extending towards base of pronotum when directed posteriorly. Basal antennomere elongate, about 1.6× as long as antennomere two. Antennomere three about 1.6× as long as antennomere two, slightly longer than each of elongate and slender antennomeres 4–8. Antennomeres 9–10 widened distally, slightly longer than previous ones. Terminal antennomere elongate cylindrical, acutely pointed, about 1.8× as long as penultimate antennomere, about as long as combined length of antennomeres 9–10. Terminal maxillary palpomere subcultriform. Pronotum moderately glossy dorsally, slightly convex in dorsal aspect, subrectangular in dorsal aspect, as wide as head across compound eyes. Anterior margin broad, subtruncate. Lateral margins nearly parallel-sided, slightly constricted posteriorly. Dorsal pronotal punctures much larger and denser than those on head, elliptical, deep. Intervening spaces smooth, narrower than punctures. Pronotal dorsal setation yellowish to golden, dense, subdecumbent, not fully concealing dorsal sculpture of pronotum. Basal area of pronotum without area of dense setae. Tactile setae sparse, erect, longer than ordinary setae. Scutellar shield small, broadly emarginate at posterior margin. Elytron moderately elongate, moderately glossy, slightly narrows posteriorly, slightly convex in dorsal aspect. Humerus broadly rounded. Postbasal transverse impression not indicated. Elytral punctures denser and deeper on basal third, becoming flat and much smaller towards apex. Intervening spaces smooth to microscopically punctate. Elytral setation yellowish, long and dense, nearly decumbent, directed posteriorly, effectively concealing dorsal sculpture of elytron. Lateral humeral stria not shifted dorsad, not visible in dorsal view. Sutural stria complete, rather broad. Metathoracic wing fully developed. Legs moderately long. Femur clavate. Tibia distally thickened, densely setose. Tibial terminal spurs paired, margins serrate; metathoracic tibial spurs about twice as long as pro- or mesothoracic ones. Basal prothoracic tarsomere strongly widened, remaining prothoracic tarsomeres strongly elongate. Basal metathoracic tarsomere about 1.3– 1.4× as long as combined length of remaining metathoracic tarsomeres. All pretarsal claws slightly dentate at base. Male tergite VII irregularly subtruncate at apical margin, provided with eight long setae, medially emarginate ( Fig. 5A ). Male morphological sternite VII broad, sinuous at posterior margin ( Fig. 5B ). Tergite VIII deeply, narrowly cleft medially at posterior margin; morphological sternite VIII pointed apically; sternite IX V-shaped ( Fig. 5C ). Aedeagus ( Fig. 5D–E ) with apicale about third length of basale, paramere narrow and short, rounded apically with few long setae, median lobe very long with prolonged, asymmetrically shaped, unipartite apex.

Sexual dimorphism. Female is unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Macratria conlei sp. nov. is peculiar among all American congeners due to the large, glossy head with huge compound eyes, the subtruncate, medially slightly notched head base, the broad, subrectangular pronotum and the peculiar shape of the male terminalia and aedeagus. No morphologically similar species yet known.

Ecology. Know from lowland rainforests. Sampled at rainforest edge from undersides of leaves of undetermined Arecaceae plants. Specimens were actively, ant-like moving in search for something. Minute undetermined coccinellids were present at the same microhabitat.

Distribution. Ecuadorean Andes (River Pastaza valley). The second Macratria species in the fauna of Ecuador.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Macratria conlei sp. nov. A—Holotype ♂, habitus, dorsal view; B—Ditto, forebody, dorsal view [not to scale].

FIGURE 5. Macratria conlei sp. nov., paratype ♂. A—Tergite VII, dorsal view; B—Morphological sternite VII, ventral view; C—Tergite VIII and morphological sternites VIII and IX, ventral view; D—Aedeagus; E—Aedeagus, apicale, enlarged [not to scale].