Neosternus higonius (Lewis, 1887) Lewis, 1887

Dai, Cong-Chao & Zhao, Mei-Jun, 2013, Genus Microsternus Lewis (1887) from China, with description of a new genus Neosternus from Asia (Coleoptera, Erotylidae, Dacnini), ZooKeys 340, pp. 79-106 : 94-98

Neosternus higonius (Lewis, 1887) comb. n. Figs 34-35, 38, 43, 48, 53, 55-56, 65-68, 76

Microsternus higonius Lewis, 1887.

Material examined.

CHINA: Fujian Prov.: 1♂, Wuyishan City, Guadun village, 27°44'N, 117°38'E, alt. 1200 m, 29.V.2012, Peng & Dai leg. (SNUC)

Description.

Body (Figs 34, 35, 76) elongate oval, length: 2.2-3.0 mm; width: 1.1-1.4 mm. Head and elytra reddish-brown; pronotum general black with reddish-brown sides; legs, palpi and base of antennae reddish-brown. Each elytron with three or four black bands.

Head width between eyes = 8 times eye diameter in dorsal view; punctation coarse, sparse, separated by 3-4 puncture diameters; epistome truncate, lacking marginal line on anterior margin; stridulatory files not evident. Eyes coarsely facetted. Antennomere III about 1.8 times as long as IV; antennomere VIII slightly wider than VII, about 1.2 times as wide as long; antennomere IX trapezoidal; antennomere X transverse; antennomere XI almost elliptic; relative lengths of antennomeres II–XI: 15: 18: 10: 10: 10: 10: 10: 14: 15: 17. Maxillary and labial terminal palpomeres acuminate, sensory area restricted to apex. Mentum broad with anterior projection, almost triangular, slightly more than 3.5 times wider than long.

Pronotum arched, widest at base (pl/pw = 0.55); narrowed from base to apex, with a deep sulcus along each side, which is broadly margined and the bordering gradually widened anteriorly (Fig. 48), which formed thicken lines in lateral view (Fig. 53); disk coarsely and sparsely punctured, except the impunctate medio-basal area, which is limited by an arched transverse row of coarse punctures.

Prosternum (Fig. 38) with median area including its process elevated in an elongate triangular plane, which is distinctly bordered by a ridge on both sides and shortly rounded-subtruncate in front, bearing a few fine punctures; sides rugose, coarsely and densely punctured. Mesosternum almost concealed by prosternal process, impunctate as the mesepisterna, which is somewhat concave. Metasternum rather sparsely and strongly punctured on lateral areas, some finer punctures on median area, with a pair of mesocoxal lines strongly divergent posteriorly. Abdomen rather strongly and closely punctured, but median areas of four basal visible sternites and medio-basal area of last visible sternite with few punctures respectively; without metacoxal lines on basal visible sternite. Legs rather robust.

Scutellum pentagonal, with each corner rounded, flattish and almost impunctate on surface.

Elytra strongly convex, with eight striae of distinct punctures on each elytron and each interstice with a row of extremely fine punctures.

Male genitalia (Fig. 65) with flagellum (Fig. 66) curved, bearing a dorsal, arched, cartilaginous mass on apical quarter; flagellar apex acute with a well-separated ventral process; dorsal lobe of internal sac with separated front and triangular end (Fig. 67); ventral lobe of internal sac trident-like (Fig. 68).

Distribution.

China, Japan.

Diagnosis.

Characterized by its small body and black pronotum.