Selasia apicalis Pic, 1914

Packova, Gabriela & Kundrata, Robin, 2021, The genus Selasia Laporte, 1838 (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Agrypninae) in Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 4926 (2), pp. 285-292 : 286-288

Selasia apicalis Pic, 1914

( Fig. 1 )

Selasia apicalis Pic, 1914: 12 ; Wittmer (1944: 207).

Type material. Holotype, male, „ Ceylon. // type // Selasia / apicalis Pic / type // TYPE “ ( MNHN).

Type locality. Sri Lanka (without further details) .

Diagnosis. Selasia apicalis differs from S. ivanae sp. nov. by the smaller body (5.15 mm; in S. ivanae sp. nov. 9.00 mm), bicolorous elytra with darker apices (in S. ivanae sp. nov. elytra unicolorous; Figs 1A , 2A ), larger eyes with interocular distance 1.05 times eye diameter (in S. ivanae sp. nov. 1.45 times eye diameter; Figs 1C,D , 2 D–F), pronotum widest slightly before middle (in S. ivanae sp. nov. widest both medially and at posterior angles; Figs 1C , 2D ), posterior margin of pronotum almost straight (in S. ivanae sp. nov. posterior margin of pronotum distinctly emarginate medially; Figs 1C , 2D ), sternite IX narrowed at basal half (in S. ivanae sp. nov. at apical third; Figs 1F , 2J ), male genitalia relatively elongate, 3.00 times as long as wide (in S. ivanae sp. nov. 2.20 times as long as wide; Figs 1G,I , 2K,M ), and relatively narrower phallobase, 1.60 times as long as wide (in S. ivanae sp. nov. 1.10 times as long as wide). Other Selasia species from the Indian peninsula, south of the Himalayas, share with S. apicalis the bicolorous elytra. Selasia basalis Gorham, 1895 differs from S. apicalis by elytra yellowish to light brown only basally, up to humeral region, and legs yellowish brown (major part of elytra yellowish brown and femora and tibiae brown in S. apicalis ), and with the pronotum distinctly emarginate medially at posterior margin (not emarginate in S. apicalis ). Selasia laticeps Pascoe, 1887 and S. decipiens Guérin-Méneville, 1829 differ from S. apicalis by having the yellowish to light brown body coloration with only elytra partly dark brown to black (also metathorax and abdomen dark brown in S. apicalis ), the head including eyes narrower than pronotum (as wide as pronotum in S. apicalis ), and the pronotum with widely rounded posterior margin (approximately straight in S. apicalis ).

Redescription. Body ( Fig. 1A,B ) 2.40 times as long as width at humeri; head, maxillary and labial palpi, antennae, femora and tibiae brown, labrum, pro- and mesothorax, coxae, trochanters, tibiae and more than anterior halflength of elytra yellowish brown, elytral apices, metathorax and abdomen dark brown; body surface covered with yellowish to light brown semi-erect pubescence.

Head ( Fig. 1C,D ) including eyes as wide as pronotum, with shallow median depression between antennal insertions, sparsely and finely punctate, covered with sparse, long, semi-erect pubescence. Fronto-clypeal region slightly convex, overreaching base of labrum. Eyes large, their frontal distance 1.05 times eye diameter. Labrum transverse, sparsely punctate, with several long, semi-erect setae, apically slightly emarginate. Mandible robust, bidentate; base with long setae, apical part bare, shiny. Maxillary palpus slender, penultimate palpomere approximately 1.30 times as long as wide, apical palpomere about twice as long as penultimate palpomere, slightly widened medially, distinctly flattened apically and cut obliquely. Antenna ( Fig. 1D ) flabellate (only two and four antennomeres present on right and left antenna, respectively); scape robust, gradually widened apically, pedicel short, antennomere III elongate, 1.90 times as long as antennomere IV, with elongated branch almost as long as its stem; antennomere IV short, with long, slightly flattened branch, which is approximately 2.80 times as long as its stem; all antennomeres covered with rather sparse pubescence.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1C ) transverse, slightly convex, widest slightly posterior of midlength, 1.60 times wider than long. Anterior margin widely rounded, lateral margins flattened, sinuate, approximately from middle toward posterior angles gradually slightly narrowed, posterior margin simple, not emarginate medially; anterior angles inconspicuous; posterior angles very short, rounded apically; lateral pronotal carina anteriorly incomplete. Surface of disc almost smooth, sparsely and shallowly punctate, covered with sparse and long semi-erect pubescence, denser and longer at margins. Hypomeron ( Fig. 1B ) rather smooth, with shallow furrow along internal margin. Prosternum transverse, with shallow transversal groove medially, with long semi-erect setae, prosternal process reduced. Scutellar shield ( Fig. 1C ) flat, subtriangular, approximately 1.45 times as long as wide, anterior margin gradually declivous, produced forwards medially, posterior end narrowly rounded, sparsely punctate. Mesoventrite widely v-shaped; mesoventral cavity with indistinct borders. Elytra ( Fig. 1A,B ) rather subparallel-sided for most of their length, both combined 1.70 times as long as wide, 0.70 times as long as body, 4.10 times as long as pronotum, basally slightly rugose, indistinctly striate, with apices separately rounded, very sparsely punctate, covered with long, semi-erect pubescence; epipleura rather wide in anterior third, gradually narrowed near posterior part of metanepisternum, then reduced. Leg ( Fig. 1C ) slender, slightly compressed, with sparse, long, semi-erect setae; tarsomeres I–IV longer than wide, gradually shortened; tarsomere IV shortest, minute, lobed ventrally; apical tarsomere longest, slender; claws simple, slender, slightly curved, each with long seta basally.

Abdomen ( Fig. 1A,B ) soft, ventrites with moderately dense shallow punctures, covered with semi-erect pubescence; penultimate ventrite widely emarginate medially. Tergites IX and X ( Fig. 1E ) tightly connected by membrane, tergite IX transverse, approximately twice as wide as long, slightly narrowed towards apex; tergite X slightly longer than wide, apically membranous, covered with sparse setae, mainly medially and laterally. Sternite IX ( Fig. 1F ) approximately 1.65 times as long as wide, distinctly narrowed at basal half, rounded apically, apex finely punctate and sparsely setose. Male genitalia ( Fig. 1 G–I) 3.00 times as long as phallobase at its widest part; median lobe elongate, 1.40 times as long as phallobase length, distinctly curved in lateral view, basally with two very short struts, dorsally with robust and elongate subapical hook; parameres elongate, subparallel-sided, truncate apically, apex partly membranous, with sparse short setae; phallobase elongate, narrowly u-shaped, 1.60 times as long as wide.

Female and immature stages unknown.

Measurements. BL 5.15 mm, BW 2.15 mm, EL 3.70 mm, WHe 1.45 mm, PL 0.90 mm, PW 1.40 mm, Edist 0.65 mm, Ediam 0.60 mm.

Distribution. Sri Lanka.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Selasia apicalis Pic, 1914, holotype. A,B. Habitus, dorsal and lateral view, respectively. C. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. D. Head, frontal view. E. Tergites IX and X, dorsal view. F. Sternite IX, ventral view. G–I. Male genitalia, dorsal, lateral and ventral view, respectively. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Fig. 1A,B), 1.0 mm (Fig. 1C), 0.3 mm (Fig. 1D–I).

FIGURE 2. Selasia ivanae sp. nov., holotype. A–C. Habitus, dorsal, ventral and lateral view, respectively. D. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. E. Head, dorso-frontal view. F. Head, frontal view. G. Right antenna, dorsal view. H. Tergite X, dorsal view. I. Tergite IX, dorsal view. J. Sternite IX, ventral view. K–M. Male genitalia, dorsal, lateral and ventral view, respectively. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Fig. 2A–C), 1.0 mm (Fig. 2D,E,G), 0.5 mm (Fig. 2F,J), 0.3 mm (Fig. 2H,I,K–M).