Scirtes abacaensis, Ruta & Kiałka, 2021

Ruta, Rafał & Kiałka, Agata, 2021, The genus Scirtes Illiger of Fiji (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea: Scirtidae), Zootaxa 4926 (4), pp. 501-520 : 513-514

Scirtes abacaensis sp. nov.

( Figs 1I , 8 A–B)

Type material. Holotype, male ( BPBM): “ FIJI, Viti Levu , Vuda Prov. , Koroyanitu / EcoPark , Mt. Evans Range , 1 km E Abaca / Village, Savuione Trail, 800m, 22.IV.–6. / V. 2003, Malaise trap: M01, L. Tulmereke, / [-17.667, 177.55]. FBA_220272” . Paratypes: 2 males ( BPBM): same data as above but inventory numbers FBA_220273 and FBA_220274 .

Diagnosis. Body small (TL around 2.0 mm), elongate, depressed, identification possible only on the basis of male genital features: single process of tegmen slightly curved, pointed at apex, paired processes of tegmen of equal lengths, apical processes of penis ca. 0.3× as long as pala.

Description. Holotype, male. Body oblong oval, depressed, shining, covered with brownish setae. Head, pronotum, scutellar shield and elytra dark brown. Antennomeres 1–2 yellowish, antennomeres 3–11 yellowish-brown; legs brown.

Head of moderate size, convex dorsally, shiny, covered with subtle punctures, separated by ca. 2.0 diameters; clypeus moderately long, slightly expanded antero-laterally, gently arcuate in front margin. Eyes moderate in size, prominent; head ca. 1.5× wider than interocular space. Antennae filiform, reaching basal 1/3 of elytra. Pronotum convex in mesal portion of the disc, punctures sparse, stronger than on head, separated by ca. 1.5 diameter; anterolateral angles widely subtriangular; postero-lateral angles right-angled; posterior margin slightly bisinuate. Scutellar shield relatively small, finely punctate, equilateral-triangular. Elytra oblong-oval, sides subparallel, punctation strong, much stronger than on pronotum, punctures separated by ca. 0.5 diameter; humeri elevated. Hind tibial spurs slightly curved, dorsal one ca. 0.7× length of tarsomere 1, ventral one 0.3× as long as dorsal one.

Sternite VIII very small, transversely V-shaped (L 0.04 mm, W 0.11 mm). Sternite IX (L 0.14 mm, W 0.10 mm) V-shaped, consisting of paired, elongate, arcuate hemisternites. Tergite VIII (L 0.31 mm, W 0.23 mm) moderately sclerotized, with transversely oval apical plate, bearing a row of relatively long setae on apical margin, apodemes as long as apical plate; tergite IX (L 0.26 mm, W 0.16 mm) narrow, apical plate transversely rectangular, apodemes 2× longer than apical plate. Aedeagus asymmetrical. Tegmen (L 0.60 mm, W 0.12 mm) asymmetrical, Y-shaped, each paramere bifid: one with two long processes, and the second one with pair of wider, slightly hooked and pointed processes strongly differing in length—the longer ca. 2× longer than the short one ( Fig. 8A ). Penis (L 0.63 mm, W 0.16 mm) well sclerotized, with subrectangular, elongate basal portion, apical portion narrow and elongate, as long as basal portion, apex with paired hooked processes ( Fig. 8B ).

Female. Unknown.

Variability. A small variation in the body length was observed: TL (n=3) 1.90–2.07 mm.

Measurements and ratios. Males (n=3): TL 1.90–2.07 mm (1.97 mm), EL 1.57–1.70 mm (1.66 mm), PL 0.33–0.40 mm (0.37 mm), EW 1.17–1.27 mm (1.21 mm), PW 0.90–1.00 mm (0.94 mm), TL/EW 1.61–1.63 (1.62), PW/PL 2.50–2.70 (2.53), EL/EW 1.34–1.42 (1.38), EL/PL 4.25–4.70 (4.53), EW/PW 1.27–1.30 (1.31).

Distribution. Known only from Mt. Evans Range on Viti Levu Island ( Fig. 9D ).

Etymology. After Abaca, a village located close to the type locality of the species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Scirtes spp., dorsal view of adults. A) S. natovensis Champion; B) S. navaiensis sp. nov., holotype; C) S. schlingeri sp. nov., holotype; D) S. devoensis sp. nov., holotype; E) S. humeralis Pic, male; F) S. humeralis Pic, lectotype, female; G) S. tokotaai sp. nov., paratype; H) S. veitchi Champion, lectotype, male; I) S. abacaensis sp. nov., holotype; J) S. pseudoveisariensis sp. nov., holotype; K) S. veisariensis sp. nov., holotype. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 8. Scirtes spp., tegmen (A, C, E), penis, dorsal view (B, D, F).A–B) S. abacaensis sp. nov.; C–D) S. pseudoveisarien- sis sp. nov.; E–F) S. veisariensis sp. nov. Scale bar = 0.50 mm.

FIGURE 9. Distribution of Fijian Scirtes spp. A) Scirtes humeralis Pic; B) Scirtes natovensis Champion; C) Scirtes tokotaai sp. nov.; D) remaining species.