Goudotostes laevis, Ballerio, 2021

Ballerio, Alberto, 2021, The Ceratocanthinae of Madagascar and Comoro Islands: a revision of the genera Synarmostes and Goudotostes, and of the flightless Philharmostes, with description of 64 new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea, Hybosoridae), Fragmenta entomologica 53 (2), pp. 105-282 : 180-181

Goudotostes laevis sp. nov.

( Figs 10 f , 64 a-j, 77) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7C75918EB152-423C-9050-22F8EEEA2427

Type series. Holotype, ♂, deposited in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA, labelled as follows: / CASTYPE 20268 / Madagascar: Antsiranana Makirovana Forest 28-29 April 2011 14° 10’ 14” S 049° 57’ 15” E California Acad. of Sciences , collectors: B.L. Fisher et al. sifted leaf litter, rainforest elev. 415 m, collection code: BLF 26523 / Goudotostes laevis n. sp. det. A. Ballerio 2020 Holotypus ♂ / [distended, glued on card, dissected, male genitalia glued in DMHF resin on a separate card, same pin]. Paratypes [3 ♂♂ dissect- ed]: 8 exx. (6 in CASC and 2 in ABCB), same collecting data as holotype. 6 exx. (4 in CASC and 2 in ABCB): / Madagascar: Antsiranana Makirovana Forest elev. 550 m 1-2 May 2011 14° 09’ 38” S 049° 57’ 08” E California Acad. of Sciences, collectors: B.L. Fisher et al. rainforest, sifted leaf litter collection code: BLF 26937 /. 4 exx. (3 in CASC and 1 in ABCB): / Madagascar: Antsiranana Makirovana Forest 1-2 May 2011 14° 10’ 00” S 049° 57’ 00” E California Acad. of Sciences , collectors: B.L. Fisher et al. sifted leaf litter, rainforest elev. 715 m, collection code: BLF 26827 /.

Diagnosis. Goudotostes laevis sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Goudotostes by the following combination of characters: a) small size, b) dorsal ocular area absent, c) clypeal apical projection pointed, d) clypeal punctation made of large impressed simple punctures, e) fronto-clypeal tubercle present but weak, f) pronotal anterior carina bilobate, g) pronotal basal carina bilobate, h) pronotal disc covered by sparse large simple impressed punctures, i) elytral dorsal area covered by longitudinal irregular blunt carinae, sometimes interrupt- ed multiple times, with regular profile in lateral view, j) elytral first interstria (area between sutural stria and first longitudinal carina) with sparse punctation (interpunctural distance superior than punctural diameter), k) elytral peridiscal area with sparse punctation (interpunctural distance superior than punctural diameter), l) left paramere with ventral margin invaginated (a character which places this species in the laevis group of species), m) the distinctive shape of parameres (as in Figs 64 g-j). The species more similar to it are Goudotostes rafanomezantsoai sp. nov. and Goudotostes rajemisonae sp. nov.. Goudotostes laevis sp. nov. differs from them because of the elytral first interstria with sparse punctation (interpunctural distance superior than punctural diameter), elytral peridiscal area with sparse punctation (interpunctural distance superior than punctural diameter), elytral carinae longer, left paramere longer and more strongly curved outwards and spiculum of spiculum gastrale distinctly longer.

Description. Size: HL = 0.8 mm; HW = 1.2 mm; PL = 1.2 mm; PW = 2.0 mm; EL = 2.0 mm; EW = 2.0 mm. Overall morphology as in generic diagnosis. Small-sized Goudotostes . Body strongly convex. Black, shiny, dorsum with extremely short fine setation (50×), underside, tarsi and antennae dark reddish-brown, setation yellowish-brown. Head: W/L ratio = 1.49; clypeal apex obtuse, apical projection strongly developed and sexually dimorphic, sides almost rectilinear with slightly unaligned genae in correspondence with the genal suture; dorsal ocular area absent, genal canthus indistinct, ventral ocular area small-sized, genae acute, distinctly protruding outwards, genal suture indistinct; head dorsal surface uniformly covered by dense large impressed simple punctures dens- er on clypeal disc, fore margin marked by few irregular transverse lines. Interpunctural distance of punctures inferior than punctural diameter on clypeal disc, about as long as punctural diameter at sides, and on frons and vertex. Fronto-clypeal tubercle present and weak. Pronotum: subrectangular (dorsal view) (W/L ratio = 1.88), convex, fore angles gently subtruncate; pronotal surface covered by dense large deep simple punctures becoming sparser smaller and comma-shaped at sides, area near fore angles with few irregular lines, interpunctural distance mostly as long as punctural diameter; pronotal bead complete although not visible from above along base; pronotal sculpturing made of large and gently raised tubercles and carinae as follows: bilobate posterior carina weakly raised, sides of disc with one gently raised transverse short carina and another gently raised transverse carina reaching outer margin, anterior bilobate carina weakly raised. Scutellum : basal area and sides smooth, remaining surface covered by impressed transverse large comma-shaped punctures. Elytra: longer than wide (W/L ratio = 0.96), subovoidal (dorsal view), strongly convex; humeral callus marked by a tubercle; elytral surface covered by large deep sparse comma-shaped punctures with opening directed backwards, inwards or outwards, interpunctural distance spanning from almost equal to up to three times punctural diameter. Striated articular area hardly visible in lateral view, relatively narrow and short; inferior sutural stria visible and complete; marginal area large-sized; elytral articular process well developed, smooth and shiny, isolated from remaining elytral surface by a deep furrow. Elytral sculpturing as follows: base with one raised large tubercle below articular process with apex directed backwards (parasutural tubercle), next to it a humeral oblique larger raised tubercle with apex directed backwards (humeral tubercle), dorsal area of elytra with five (including elytral suture) irregular and asymmetrical rows of weakly raised smooth carinae, sometimes interrupted multiple times, sides and apical third with some more raised tubercles and longitudinal short carinae. Wings: flightless (macropterous) ( Fig. 10 f ). Male genitalia: aedeagus (L = 1.0 mm) with parameres as in Figs 64 g-j, spiculum gastrale (L = 1.2 mm) as in Fig. 64 f .

Etymology. Latin adjective in the nominative singular meaning “polished”, due to the overall polished appearance of the dorsal sculpturing.

Distribution and habitat. Known only from the type locality. Collected by sifting litter in rainforest. For details on the collecting locality see under Synarmostes makirovanae sp. nov..

Figures

Fig. 10 – Wings. a, Synarmostes tibialis; b, Synarmostes occidentalis sp. nov.; c, Synarmostes sp. C; d, Philharmostes metallicus sp. nov.; e, Synarmostes makirovanae sp. nov.; f, Goudotostes laevis sp. nov..

Fig. 64 – Goudotostes laevis sp. nov., a, female paratype, dorsal view of distended specimen; b, paratype, ventral view of rolled up specimen; c, paratype, dorsal view of rolled up specimen; d, paratype, ventral view of rolled up specimen; e, paratype, lateral view of rolled up specimen; f, holotype, spiculum gastrale; g–j, holotype, four views of aedeagus.