Mnioticus baleanus, Esser & R, 2021

Esser, Jens & R, Afrotropical, 2021, Two new Mnioticus COOMBS & WOODROFFE, 1962 (Coleoptera, Cryptophagidae) from Ethiopia, Linzer biologische Beiträge 53 (1), pp. 49-53 : 49-50

Mnioticus baleanus nov.sp. ( figs 1 , 7 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotypus ♁: " Ethiopia, Oromia, Bale Mts. , Wasama Vall., N.-slope, 3900- 4150 m, 14./ 15.II.2019, 06°55'N, 39°46'E / leg. J. Schmidt, R. Emmerich, M. Yeshitla " [ MNE] . Paratypes: 10♁♁, 12♀♀ with the same data as the holotype [ NME, cES] ; 1♁ " Bale Prov. : 20 km S Dinshu, 3800 m, 22.XII.1971 / Coll. Mus. Tervuren, Ethiopie, R. O.S. Clarke " [ RMCA] .

E t y m o l o g y: Named after the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia, where the type series was collected.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Male, 2.3 mm, reddish-brown with a dark spot on each elytron. Membranous wings absent, legs and antennae slender. Shiny, surface with punctuation moderately strong and sparse on pronotum and on elytra, interspaces wider than diameter or somewhat wider. Covered with uniform pale pubescence, hairs slightly erected on elytra. Pronotum with a few long hairs projecting the side margin partly.

Head without any features and eyes medium-sized. Punctuation on head stronger and denser as on pronotum.

Pronotum indistinctly transverse (1.2 x broader than long). Punctuation moderately strong and sparse. Side margin rounded, concave before the posterior angles, posterior angles acute, anterior angles obtuse, margin smooth. Basal margin rimmed between the fovea, slightly rounded apically.

Elytra elongated, slightly rounded, humeral calli indistinct. Pubescence coarse, somewhat outstanding. Punctuation indistinctly stronger and denser (basal third) as on pronotum.

Antennae moderately slender, 11-segmented icluding a 3-segmented club. Segment 1 and 2 short, fusiform, segment 3 longer and pear-shaped, smaller as 1 and 2. Segments 4 to 7 somewhat longer than broad, segment 8 nearly spherical. Segment 9 and 10 moderately transverse, 11 long as broad and asymmetrical.

Legs slender, anterior tarsomeres 1 to 4 slightly widened (not in female). Tarsal formula 5-5-4 (in female 5-5-5). Parameres shown in fig. 7.

C o m m e n t: Similar to Mnioticus choquanus nov.sp. ( figs 2 , 8 ), but distinguishable by its longer and more outstanding pubescence and finer punctuation. M. rougemonti ESSER, 2014 (figs 3, 6) is also similar and shares the finer punctuation but lacking the longer and outstanding pubescence. Also separated by the shape of parameres ( figs 6, 7, 8 ). Further resembling species are M. rhynchopetali (SCOTT, 1936) (fig. 4) or M. gugheanus ESSER, 2019 (fig. 5).

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Currently known only from Wasama Valley (Bale Mountains, Oromia, Ethiopia).

Figures

Figs 1-2: Habitus of Mnioticus sp. (1) M. baleanus nov.sp., holotype; (2) M. choqanus nov.sp., holotype.

Figs 6-8: Parameres of Mnioticus sp. (6) M. rougemonti ESSER, 2014; (7) M. baleanus nov.sp.; (8) M. choqanus nov.sp.