Paraselinus, Kamiński, 2013

Kamiński, Marcin Jan, 2013, A new genus and species of the Afrotropical Platynotina from Tanzania (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Pedinini), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 53 (2), pp. 703-714 : 705-707

Paraselinus gen. nov.

Type species. Paraselinus iwani sp. nov., here designated.

Diagnosis. The gula transformed into a stridulatory organ ( Fig. 2 ) and the aedeagal tegmen with a pair of clavae ( Fig. 6 ) place Paraselinus gen. nov. in the subtribe Platynotina .

Paraselinus gen. nov. is similar to Aberlencus , Angolositus Koch, 1955 , Lechius Iwan, 1995 , Upembarus Koch, 1956 and Pseudoselinus due to total wing loss, transverse antennomeres 7–11 and the specific prothoracic structure (lack of basal depressions on the pronotal disc). It differs from Aberlencus and Upembarus by having a completely bordered 5 th abdominal ventrite ( Fig. 3 ). Moreover, it can be distinguished from Upembarus by having the elytral base fused with the humerus ( Figs 8, 9 ). A lack of indentation of the apical part of the mentum ( Figs 2 , 10 ), absence of a groove below the ventral margin of the eye ( Fig. 12 ) and lack of sclerites in the bursa copulatrix ( Figs 14–15 ), separates Paraselinus gen. nov. from Angolositus , Lechius and Pseudoselinus , respectively ( IWAN 2002b, IWAN & KAMIŃSKI 2012, KAMIŃSKI 2012). Additionally, Paraselinus gen. nov. can be easily distinguished from the Pseudoselinus by the narrow intercoxal process of the prosternum ( Figs 4 , 7 ) and non-elongate mid part of the mentum apically ( Figs 2 , 11 ). Paraselinus gen. nov. differs from all above mentioned genera by having the basal half of the lateral pronotal margins parallel.

Description. See description for Paraselinus iwani sp. nov.

Etymology. A combination of para- (meaning “similar to”) and - selinus (the stem of some generic names within Platynotina ), in reference to a morphological similarity of this new taxon to Pseudoselinus Iwan, 2002 . Gender masculine.

Figures

Figs 2–6. Chosen body elements of Paraselinus iwani gen. & sp. nov. 2 – head, ventral view; 3 – 5th abdominal ventrite; 4 – intercoxal process of prosternum; 5 – protibia; 6 – aedeagal tegmen.

Figs 7–12. Body parts of selected Platynotina. 7–8, 11 – Pseudoselinus punctatostriatus (Gerstaecker, 1854); 9 – Upembarus saegeri Koch, 1956; 10 – Angolositus lidiae Kamiński, 2012; 12 – Lechius aalbui Iwan & Kamiński, 2012. Body parts: 7 – prosternal process; 8–9 – base of elytron; 10–11 – mentum; 12 – eye. Arrows indicate the ending of the upper edge of the elytral base.

Figs 13–15. Female genitalia. 13–14 – Paraselinus iwani gen. & sp. nov.; 15 – Pseudoselinus raposoi (Koch, 1956). 13 – drawing of the ovipositor; 14 – photograph of the ovipositor, bursa copulatrix and spermatheca; 15 – bursa copulatrix. Arrow indicates the sclerite in bursa copulatrix.