Madecorphnus aquilonius Frolov, 2012

Frolov, Andrey V., Montreuil, Olivier & Akhmetova, Lilia A., 2016, Review of the Madagascan Orphninae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with a revision of the genus Triodontus Westwood, Zootaxa 4207 (1), pp. 1-93 : 42-43

Madecorphnus aquilonius Frolov, 2012

( Figs. 20 A–F)

Madecorphnus aquilonius Frolov, 2012b: 162 .

Type material examined. Holotype ( Figs. 20 A–E), male, “ MADAGASCAR, Province Diego-Suarez , Sakalava Beach, dwarf littoral forest elev 10 m, 13–16 May 2001 / 12°15′46″S, 49°23′51″E R.Harin'Hala collector malaise trap — across sandy trail MA-01-04B-09 / CASENT 8014036 / HOLOTYPUS Madecorphnus aquilonius Frolov 2011 ” ( CASC) .

Diagnosis. Madecorphnus aquilonius can easily be separated from other Madecorphnus species by having characteristic internal sac armature consisting of 2 rather large sclerites: a spur-like sclerite and an asymmetrical, claw-shaped sclerite ( Figs. 20 D–E).

Description. Male. Body length 5.8 mm. Color uniformly brown ( Fig. 20 A).

Right mandible about 1/2 longer than left, without tooth behind apex. Labrum trapezoidal, with rounded sides, length about 1/6 width (in dorsal view). Frontoclypeus distinctly asymmetrical, apically obtuse, with 4 relatively long setae on the apical margin. Canthus and frontal suture indistinct. Frontoclypeus slightly depressed apicomedially. Head without traces of frontoclypeal suture, finely punctate with minute punctures separated by greater than 4 times their diameter.

Pronotum approximately 1.75 times wider than long, widest medially. Disc of pronotum convex, without any depressions, tubercles, or ridges. Punctation on pronotum as fine as that on head. Margins with relatively wide border, lateral margins with 4 long setae: 1 seta on basal angle, 1 seta approximately in the middle of lateral margin, and 2 setae on the apical angle.

Scutellum triangular, angulate apically, about 1/11 length of elytra.

Elytra convex, with distinct humeral humps, widest at basal third. First stria distinct and reaching the apex of elytron, other striae indistinct. Disc of elytra sparsely punctate with relatively large punctures. Epipleura with long, sparse, brown setae. Base of elytron with border connected to first elytral stria.

Protibiae with 3 outer teeth, lateral margin basad of outer teeth not crenulate. Apex with robust, spur-like seta and 2 smaller setae basally. Mesothoracic and metathoracic legs similar in shape to each other, metathoracic legs 1.4 times longer than mesothoracic legs. Longer tibial spur as long as 2 basal tarsomeres in mesothoracic legs and longer than 2 tarsomeres in metathoracic legs.

Parameres with small teeth laterally, narrowly rounded apically in dorsal view and curved downwards in lateral view ( Fig. 20 B). Internal sac with 2 rather large sclerites: a spur-like sclerite and an asymmetrical, claw-shaped sclerite ( Figs. 20 D–E).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution and habitat. This species is known from one locality in the northernmost Madagascar in a sandy littoral forest of the Madagascar dry deciduous forest ecoregion ( Fig. 20 F).

Figures

FIGURE 20. Madecorphnus aquilonius, holotype. Habitus in dorsal view (A), aedeagus in lateral view and parameres in dorsal view (B), labels (C), internal sac of aedeagus (D—photograph, E—schematic representation of armature), distributional records (F).