Discheramocephalus vasilii

Darby, Michael, 2013, Studies of Madagascan Ptiliidae (Coleoptera) 1: The Tribe Discheramocephalini including eighteen new species, Zootaxa 3718 (3), pp. 239-266 : 241-245

Discheramocephalus vasilii sp.n

( Figs. 2 , 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28)

Length 0.70–72 mm. Colour dark reddish brown, sparsely pubescent, smooth and shining, legs and antennae uniformly dusky yellow. Antennomeres 1,2 large, 3 attenuated, 4 almost parallel sided, 5–9 rounded, 10 almost spherical, 11 slightly elongate, both 10 and 11 bearing visible sensillae and together forming a club, ( Fig. 28 ). Head broad, with large, shallow, setae bearing pits on the vertex and a transverse sulcate groove behind eyes not bridged laterally from eye to temple, ventral interruption approximately 1/3 width of the head. Pronotum 0.18 mm long and 0.23–0.24 mm wide, with two longitudinal furrows on each side adjacent to midline and not shorter than 90% of pronotal length, flanked laterally by a single basal depression; posterior edge with a rounded emargination fringed by hairs in front of scutellum. Scutellum with a central longitudinal keel separating two large circular foveae at base and two smaller, deeper foveae at the anterior angles. Wings present of usual Ptiliid form. Elytra 0.42–0.43 mm long, 0.27–0.28 mm wide, with a shallow depression at the humerus delimited laterally by a short carina. Mesoventrite with front angles strongly toothed. Abdominal ventrite VIII with two large circular foveae at lateral margins.

FIGURES 9–18. Habitus. 9, D. rahanitriniainae ; 10. D. ravelosoni ; 11, D. fabrum ; 12, D. nigerrimum ; 13, D. pilosum ; 14, D. andasibense ; 15, D. longulum ; 16, D. imitatum ; 17, D. delicatum ; 18, D. subinsulsum .

Female: spermatheca Fig. 26 . Indistinguishable in normal preparations from bisulcatus .

Male: aedeagus Fig. 25 . Large, extending into the metaventral cavity. Sperm. very long and spirally orientated (visible in the female).

Etymology. Named in honour of Vasily Grebennikov for his work on the genus and his help to the writer.

Remarks. Easily distinquished from bisulcatus by the larger size, presence of four longitudinal furrows on the pronotum, and by the more bulbous antennomeres 3–8. The pronotal characters are shared by two other species of the genus, elisabethae Grebennikov and mikaeli Grebennikov. From both of these vasilii may be separated by the presence of the large shallow seta bearing pits on the head.

Type data. Holotype: ♂, Andasibe N.P., Circuit Indri 2, 20.xi.2010, S. Rahanitriniaina (BMNH). Paratypes: all by sifting and Winkler apparatus extraction from the Ambohitantely Spec. Res. except where otherwise stated. 2 exs, ABT/10/2011, plant residues under Pandanus , S. 18o11’39.2’’ E.47o17’12.6’’, 1674 m, 19.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson, (BMNH); 3 exs, ABT/ Nov/2011/02, forest litter,, S. 18o11’49.1’’ E.47o17’05.6’’, 1547 m, 16– 17.xi.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & P.Banar, (BMNH); 5 exs, ABT/ Nov/2011/01, forest litter under big Pandanus , S. 18o11’52.7’’ E.47o17’0.4’’, 1603 m, 16.xi.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & P.Banar, (BMNH); 4 exs, ABT/ Sept/2011/02, forest litter under Pandanus , S. 18o 11’ 44.2’’ E.47o 17’ 12.2’’, 1608 m, 1.xi.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 14 exs, ABT/ Nov/2011/4, forest litter under Pandanus , S. 18o11’22.7’’ E.47o17’07.8’’, 1623 m, 21.xi.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 27 exs, ABT/ Nov/2011/04, forest litter under palm tree and big rotten trunk, S. 18o11’56.5’’ E.47o17’26.1’’, 1561 m, 17.xi.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 11 exs, ABT/ Nov.2011/09, forest litter, 1610 m, 18.xi.2011, P. Banar (BMNH);11 exs, ABT/ Nov/2011/10, forest litter under palm tree, 1600 m, 18.xi.2011, P. Banar, (BMNH); 1 ex, ABT/ Nov/2011/11, forest litter, S. 18o10’52.6’’ E.47o17’22.5’’, 1497 m, 18.xi.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 1 ex, ABT/ Nov/2011/13, forest litter, S. 18o10’56.9’’ E.47o17’21.9’’, 1497 m, 18.xi.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 9 exs, ABT/ Nov.2011/15, forest litter under Pandanus ; S. 18o11’32.0’’ E.47o17’08.7’’, 1634 m, 21.xi.2010, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 23 exs, ABT/ Nov/2011/16, forest litter under Pandanus ; S. 18o11’42.6’’ E.47o17’10.8’’, 1620 m, 21.xi.2010, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 1 ex, ABT/ Nov/2011/19, forest litter, S. 18o10’56.9’’ E.47o21’17.9’’, 1497 m, 23.xi.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 1 ex, ABT/ Nov/2011/18, litter under group of palm trees, S. 18o11’48.7’’ E.47o17’11.3’’, 1614 m, 22.xi.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 6 exs, ABT/ Sep/2011/29, forest litter under Pandanus , S. 18o11’54.2’’ E.47o17’05.5’’, 1613 m, 6.ix.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 13 examples, ABT/ Sept.2011/03, forest litter under Pandanus , S.18˚11’46.4’’ E.47˚17’09.9’’, 1570 m, 1.ix.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 1 ex, ABT/ Sept.2011/08, forest litter (bamboo, Pandanus ), S.18˚10’52.3’’ E.47˚17’21.3’’, 1493 m, 2.ix.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); ABT/ Sept.2011/11, forest litter under palm tree close by waterfall, S.18˚10’58.3’’ E.47˚17’22.2’’, 1518 m, 3.ix.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH);1 ex, ABT/ Sept.2011/13, forest litter under Pandanus and by big tree, S.18˚10’58.4’’ E.47˚17’22.6’’, 1525 m, 3.ix.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 6 exs, ABT/ Nov.2011/03, forest litter, S.18˚11’42.9’’ E.47˚17’20.3’’, 1640 m, 17.xi.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH); 4 exs, ABT/ Nov.2011/07, forest litter under Pandanus very dry material, S.18˚11’48.5’’ E.47˚17’09.3’’, 1595 m, 17.xi.2011, P. Banar (BMNH); 10 exs, ABT/ Sept.2011/04, forest litter under Pandanus , S.18˚11’46.4’’ E.47˚17’09.9’’, 1570 m, 1.ix.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina (BMNH);

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Habitus. 1, Discheramocephalus bisulcatus; 2, D. vasilii; 3, Cissidium banari ♀; 4, C. banari ♂; 5, Dacrysoma ranomafanense; 6, D. varium; 7, D. denticulatum; 8, D. fusum.

FIGURES 25 – 28. Discheramocephalus spp. 25, D. vasilii showing aedeagus in abdomen; 26, D. vasilii spermatheca; 27, D. bisulcatus antennomeres 3 – 11 (hairs omitted); 28, D. vasilii antennomeres 3 – 11 (hairs omitted).