Ascelosodis rugulosa, Ren, Guo-Dong & Shi, Ai-Min, 2006

Ren, Guo-Dong & Shi, Ai-Min, 2006, A taxonomic review of the Chinese species from the genus Ascelosodis Redtenbacher (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 1228, pp. 1-24 : 9-11

Ascelosodis rugulosa , sp. nov.

( Figs 27–39 , 142 , 148 )

Type material

Holotype: male, CHINA: Tibet, Tingri, 28º48’ N, 86º48’ E, 4300 m, 3 Jul. 2004, collected by Yi­bin Ba and Ai­min Shi ( MHBU). Paratypes: 60 males and 55 females, same data as the holotype ( MHBU).

Diagnosis

The new species can be distinguished from other species of Ascelosodis by surface of head with dense V­shaped rugae. It is closely related to A. concinnus Bates, 1879 (as demonstrated by clypeal lobe sharply divided from lateral lobes by deep incisions, lateral margins of pronotum distinctly uprising, elytral base not bordered), but can be distinguished by sides of prothorax not ciliate beneath, lateral margins of pronotum rounded, humeral angles of elytra nearly rectangular, elytral surface with dense smooth tubercles, epipleura with very sparse granules.

Etymology

Named after dorsal surface of head with dense rugae.

Description

Male ( Figs. 27–34 ). Ovate, black to brown, shiny; antennae, legs and palpi pitchybrown to reddish­brown. Clypeal lobe ( Fig. 28 ) clearly prominent, nearly trapezoid, anterior margin straight, sharply divided from lateral lobes by deep acute­angled incisions. Outer margins of genae gradually converging to clypeus. Dorsal surface of head weakly convex, disc with dense V­shaped rugae ( Fig. 142 ); punctures on clypeal lobe and genae coarse, sometimes elongated and connected. Antennae ( Fig. 27 ) short, apices extending as far as middle of pronotum. Length (width) ratio of antennomeres 2 to 11 as follows: 5.2(4.0): 5.0(3.8): 3.9(3.8): 3.9(3.8): 3.5(3.8): 3.5(4.0): 4.0(4.0): 4.5(5.1): 4.9(6.1): 5.1(4.9). Apical part of inner margin of antennomere 9, apical part of inner and outer margins of antennomere 10 and apical part of antennomere 11 with dense hair and sparse long setae.

Pronotum ( Fig. 29 ) transverse, 1.90–2.05 (2.01, on the average, n=10) times as wide as long, widest immediately before the middle, 1.60–1.71 (1.65, on the average, n=10) times as wide as head. Lateral margins of pronotum rounded, with short setae, and obscurely bordered along entire length; anterior margin sinuate, base almost parallel with it, both bordered laterally or along entire length. Anterior angles of pronotum nearly rectangular; posterior ones obtuse. Pronotal surface with dense coarse punctures finer at disc than laterally, and with the lateral margins distinctly uprising. Propleura deeply concave, with incomplete punctures. Intercoxal process of prosternum linguiform, weakly prominent behind coxae and steeply sloping at apex.

Elytra shortly ovate, 1.15–1.21 (1.18, on the average, n=10) times as long as wide, widest before the middle, 1.13–1.21 (1.17, on the average, n=10) times as wide as pronotum. Elytral base not bordered, humeral angles nearly rectangular. Surface of elytra convex and rugged, with dense smooth tubercles finer at disc than laterally, each tubercle with a seta, sides sparsely ciliate beneath. Epipleura narrow, completely ventral, outer margins not extending to shoulders, and with very sparse granules. Visible abdominal ventrites with punctures, each puncture with a seta. 1 to 3 visible abdominal ventrites with rugae.

Legs short, femora invisible from above. Outer apical angles of protibiae strongly elongated, extending beyond anterior margin of protarsomere 4. Length ratio of metatarsomeres 1–4 as follows: 15: 5: 5: 12.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 30–32 ): length 1.33 mm (when body length 5.6 mm). Parameres 0.71 mm long and 0.21 mm wide, apices without setae. Spiculum gastrale as in Fig. 33 . Apical margin of abdominal sternite VIII deeply sinuate ( Fig. 34 ).

Female ( Figs 35–39 ): Difficult to distinguish from male by general characters. Ovipositor as in Figs. 35–36 . Posterior margins of urotergite VIII ( Fig. 37 ) and spiculum ventrale ( Fig. 39 ) nearly arcuate. Urosternite VIII ( Fig. 38 ) with posterior margin weakly sinuate.

Distribution

China: Tibet (Tingri).

Figures

FIGURES 27 – 39. Ascelosodis rugulosa, sp. nov.. 27. antenna; 28. head in dorsal view; 29. pronotum; 30 – 32. aedeagus in dorsal, ventral and lateral view; 33. spiculum gastrale; 34. abdominal sternite VIII of male; 35 – 36. ovipositor in dorsal and ventral view; 37. urotergite VIII of female; 38. urosternite VIII of female; 39. spiculum ventrale.

FIGURES 141 – 145. 141 – 142. head in dorsal view (141. Ascelosodis punctulata sp. nov., 142. A. rugulosa sp. nov.); 143 – 145. left side of pronotum in dorsal view (143. A. haagi Bates, 1879, 144. A. everestina Blair, 1923, 145. A. schmidi Kaszab, 1965)

FIGURES 146 – 149. 146. Ascelosodis emarginata, sp. nov., male; 147. A. punctulata, sp. nov., male; 148. A. rugulosa, sp. nov., male; 149. A. emarginiventris Koch, 1948, male.