Scirtes devoensis, Ruta & Kiałka, 2021

Ruta, Rafał & Kiałka, Agata, 2021, The genus Scirtes Illiger of Fiji (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea: Scirtidae), Zootaxa 4926 (4), pp. 501-520 : 508-510

Scirtes devoensis sp. nov.

( Figs 1D , 6 A–B)

Type material. Holotype, male ( BPBM): “ FIJI: Taveuni , Cakaudrove Prov. , / 5.6km SE Tavuki Village, Devo / Peak, 1187m.[-16.843, -179.955], / 24.X.2002 – 31.X.2002, Malaise: M01 / E.I. Schlinger. M. Tokotaa. FBA201203” . Paratype: 1 male ( BPBM): same data as above but inventory number FBA201204 .

Diagnosis. Body elongate, depressed, identification possible only on the basis of male genital features: parameres much longer than basal portion of tegmen; apical portion of pala long and strongly narrowed with short apical processes, length of apical processes of penis equal.

Description. Holotype, male. Body elongate oval, depressed, shining, covered with brownish setae, uniformly brown.

Head of moderate size, flattened, shiny, covered with small punctures separated by ca. 1.0 diameter; clypeus moderately long, slightly expanded antero-laterally, gently arcuate in front margin. Eyes moderate in size, prominent; head ca. 1.5× wider than interocular space. Antennae filiform, reaching basal 1/3 of elytra. Pronotum convex in mesal portion of the disc, punctures similar to those on head, separated by ca. 1.0 diameter; antero-lateral angles widely subtriangular; postero-lateral angles right-angled; posterior margin slightly bisinuate. Scutellar shield relatively small, punctate, equilateral-triangular. Elytra oval, sides subparallel in basal half, regularly rounded in posterior half, punctation stronger than on pronotum, punctures separated by ca. 0.5 diameter; humeri elevated. Hind tibial spurs slightly curved, dorsal one 0.7× as long as tarsomere 1, ventral one 0.4× as long as dorsal one.

Sternite VIII very small, transversely V-shaped (L 0.05 mm, W 0.12 mm). Sternite IX (L 0.18 mm, W 0.24 mm) V-shaped, apodemes not fused at base. Tergite VIII (L 0.38 mm, W 0.29 mm) with transversely rectangular apical plate, bearing a row of short setae on apical margin, apodemes as long as apical plate; tergite IX (L 0.37 mm, W 0.21 mm) with rectangular apical plate, apodemes ca. 2× longer than apical plate. Aedeagus asymmetrical. Tegmen (L 0.91 mm, W 0.13 mm) very long and narrow, Y-shaped ( Fig. 6A ). Penis (L 0.78 mm, W 0.23 mm) elongate, pala oval in basal portion, and strongly narrowed in apical portion, apex of pala with two hooked, asymmetrical, short processes with pointed apices ( Fig. 6B ).

Female. Unknown.

Variability. TL variable, ca. 2.3–2.6 mm.

Measurements and ratios. Males (n=2): TL 2.27–2.60 mm (2.43 mm), EL 1.93–2.27 mm (2.10 mm), PL 0.40–0.53 mm (0.43 mm), EW 1.47–1.57 mm (1.52 mm), PW 1.10–1.20 mm (1.15 mm), TL/EW 1.55–1.66 (1.61), PW/PL 2.25–2.75 (2.53), EL/EW 1.32–1.45 (1.38), EL/PL 4.25–4.83 (4.54), EW/PW 1.31–1.33 (1.29).

Distribution. Known only from the type locality on Taveuni Island ( Fig. 9D ).

Etymology. After Devo Peak, the type locality of the species.

Remarks. A female specimen was found in the same locality, but as many species of Scirtes occur together, it was not certain if this was a female of Scirtes devoensis sp. nov. Genitalia of the specimen are illustrated ( Fig. 10 ) and briefly described in the ‘Discussion’ section.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Scirtes spp., dorsal view of adults. A) S. natovensis Champion; B) S. navaiensis sp. nov., holotype; C) S. schlingeri sp. nov., holotype; D) S. devoensis sp. nov., holotype; E) S. humeralis Pic, male; F) S. humeralis Pic, lectotype, female; G) S. tokotaai sp. nov., paratype; H) S. veitchi Champion, lectotype, male; I) S. abacaensis sp. nov., holotype; J) S. pseudoveisariensis sp. nov., holotype; K) S. veisariensis sp. nov., holotype. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 6. Scirtes spp., tegmen (A, C, E, F, J), penis, dorsal view (B, D, G–I, K). A–B) S. devoensis sp. nov.; C–D) S. hume- ralis Pic; E–I) S. tokotaai sp. nov.; J–K) S. veitchi Champion. Scale bar = 0.50 mm.

FIGURE 9. Distribution of Fijian Scirtes spp. A) Scirtes humeralis Pic; B) Scirtes natovensis Champion; C) Scirtes tokotaai sp. nov.; D) remaining species.

FIGURE 10. Scirtes sp., female, abdomen (A–D) and genital tract (E–F). A) abdominal ventrites; B) basal ventrites, close-up, an arrow indicates a fovea; C) ventrite 5, an arrow indicates a setal tuft; D) tergite VII; E) genital tract (bsa—bursa, bscl—bursal sclerite, bsl—bursella, gla—accessory gland, prh—prehensor); F) genital tract, close-up of prehensor.