Laricobius wittmeri Háva 2010b

Leschen, Richard A. B., 2011, World review of Laricobius (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), Zootaxa 2908, pp. 1-44 : 30-36

21. Laricobius wittmeri Háva 2010b

(figs 21, 49)

Diagnosis. Body bicolored. Head dark; ocelli present. Prothorax quadrate without well-developed lateral carina, sides not strongly explanate. Pronotum dark; posterior tooth absent. Scutellum dark. Surface of elytra incurvate; elytral punctures not posteriorly confluent. Epipleura dark. Ventrites dark. Femora light. Tibiae light. Aedeagus with medium lobe acute; apices of parameres without an internal ridge.

Description. Length 2.00. Body bicolored with chocolate brown head, prothorax, ventrites, scutellum, and flanks of elytra to striae 7 and remaining areas and appendages light tan; antenna with AI and club darker. Head with ocelli; u-shaped fovea absent; interocular distance about 2x the width of the eye; macropunctures ovate and well impressed; micropunctures coarse; setation short and decumbent, length about 1/3 the width of the eye.

Antenna with length of A3 less than A4, ratios 1.8:1.7:1.0:1.5:1.7:1.5:1.3:1.1:1.7:1.7:2.1; A11 strongly asymmetrical. Prothorax quadrate and highly convex, widest at middle, sides sinuate; about 0.84 x as long as wide (pronotal length/greatest pronotal width = 0.84); depth = 0.45; pronotum not laterally explanate, lateral carina reduced to a narrow bead; anterior angle acute, deflected, and forming a short laterally directed tooth (the angle formed between the anterior margin and lateral carina, excluding the tooth, is about 90°); posterior angle indistinct and broadly rounded and without a short tooth; anterior foveae visible only in lateral view, posterior foveae visible in dorsal view; macropunctures ovate, deep, and well-separated; micropunctures moderately coarse; setae short, decumbent, and lengths about 1/3 the width of eye. Elytra about 1.6 x as long as wide (elytral length/greatest elytral width = 1.6) and 3.40 x as long as pronotum (elytral length/pronotal length = 3.40); surface incurvate at basal third; macropunctures of striae 1 coalescing posteriorly to form grooves, separated by an average of 1 puncture diameter; micropunctures sparse; microsculpture not visible; setae suberect and short, about 1/3 length of the eye. Aedeagus with phallobase transverse, about 2/3 the length of the median lobe; median lobe projecting beyond apices of parameres, apex acute, median groove present; parameres broad, apically acute and anvil-shaped with a distinct subapical tooth, moderately short setae present subapically, internal subapical ridge absent. Spiculum gastrale apically broad.

Comments. Among the species without explanate pronotal margins, L. wittmeri is the only member of the group that lacks confluent elytral punctures (apart from the sutural striae).

This species was described from two specimens (one male and one female), and only the male type was examined, the other was not made available for study. The Holotype is subteneral, and not fully pigmented. An additional specimen that was completely teneral was located in the CNC. The previously extracted genitalia of the Holotype was distorted and the width of the median lobe, presence of the median carina, ostium, and presence of internal subapical ridge were not observed.

Distribution. Nepal.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ( NHMB). O Nepal 1980 W. Wittmer/ Mumbug, O Makalu 3500 m, 9.6./ HOLOTYPE 3 Laricobius wittmeri sp. n. J. Háva det. 2009 (red label with narrow black border).

Additional material examined. Nepal: 1, 27°58'N. 85°00'E. Mal. Tr. 2, 11, 200', 28 May 1967, Can. Nepal Exped. ( CNC).