Tmesisternus pindiuensis, Withaar, 2019

Withaar, Gerrit, 2019, Six new species of the genus Tmesisternus from New Guinea and Seram (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Tmesisternini), Sugapa Digital 11 (2), pp. 69-78 : 73-74

Tmesisternus pindiuensis spec. nov.

( Figs 5 , 9 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8668DD4C-11B3-47FA-B405-CBF30164910A

Holotype: ♂, Papua New Guinea, Huon penn. Pindiu, 870-1300m, 21-22.iv.1963 [ BPBM].

Paratypes: 1 ♂, Papua New Guinea, Tifalmin , Telefomin. Subd. W. Sepik 11.xi.1970 [ BPBM] ; 1 ♀, [ Papua New Guinea] S.E. New Guinea, Betege, 20 km. N.E. of Koroba, 1600 m, 23.ix. 1963, Leg. Straatman [ RMNH] .

Diagnosis: The species has dorsally barely any pubescens and therefore appears almost entirely black and cannot be placed in any presently known species group.

Description: Length: 9mm, width: 3mm. Female unknown.

Head pitchy and shiny, ventrally smooth and shiny, dorsally with very fine transparent pubescens, except for some elevated ridges. A double ridged groove from base to labrum, with in the middle on front an elliptical depression, lateral ridges from labrum to the antennal insertions and continuing around the upper eye lobe to the base.

Antennae brown with eleven segments. Scape somewhat darker brown and claviate.

Pronotum pitchy, shiny and from base gradually narrowing to the apex. Dorsally with punctures, except for a central area. Laterally with a small sharp tubercle in front of the apex and ventro-laterally another sharp tubercle in the middle. Ventrally with transparent pubescens.

Scutellum black, smooth and shiny and with a round apex.

Elytra pitchy and shiny. At base much wider than base of pronotum and acutely narrowing to a laterally spined apex. A wide smooth shield-shaped postscutellar area, covering the basal third of the elytra. Two strong ridges running from this smooth area, fusing and ending just behind the apex, a short ridge runs in the middle of those two ridges. Elytra entirely covered with strong punctures, some arranged in rows. At the sides of the scutellum with three deep punctures.

Legs shiny, the claviate femur and the tibia olive-brown coloured. Tarsi chestnut coloured, entirely covered with very short transparent pubescens.

Abdomen ventrally chestnut coloured, covered with transparent pubescens, except for a wide central area.

Genitalia as in fig. 9.

Distribution: Widely distributed in eastern New Guinea, at higher altitudes.

Etymology: The species is named after the village Pindiu (Huon Peninsula, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea) where the holotype was found.

Figures

Figs 1-6. Tmesisternus species, adults. Fig. 1. T. bernsteini spec. nov. holotype ♂, Waigeo Island, Papua Barat, Indonesia (RMNH); Fig. 2. T. busuensis spec. nov. holotype ♂, Busu River, Papua New Guinea (BPBM); Fig. 3. T. deyrollei spec. nov. holotype ♂, Seram Island, Moluccas, Indonesia (RMNH); Fig. 4. T. hunsteinensis spec. nov. holotype ♀, Hunsteinspitze, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea (MFNB); Fig. 5. T. pindiuensis spec. nov. holotype ♂, Pindiu, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea (BPBM); Fig. 6. T. wendesi spec. nov. holotype ♂, Wendesi, Papua Barat, Indonesia (RMNH).

Figs 9-10. Male genitalia of Tmesisternus, a. paramere lateral; b. paramere ventral; c. aedeagus ventral; d. aedeagus lateral; e. 8th ventral tergite. Fig. 9. T. pindiuensis spec. nov.; Fig. 10. T. wendesi spec. nov.