Canuschiza hagher, Sehnal & Král & Bezděk, 2014

Sehnal, Richard, Král, David & Bezděk, Aleš, 2014, Canuschiza of Socotra Island (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) Part 1. Canuschiza insularis species group, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54, pp. 139-171 : 155-157

Canuschiza hagher sp. nov.

( Figs 1C , 6A–D , 11A )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Hagher Mts., Scand Mt. env., 12°34.6′N 54°01.5′, 1450 m.

Type material (2 specimens). HOLOTYPE: J, labelled: ‘ YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island / Hagher Mts., SCAND Mt. env. / montane evergreen woodland / 16.-18.vi.2012 / 12°34.6′N 54°01.5′, 1450 m // SOCOTRA expedition 2012 / J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula / P. Kment, I. Malenovský & L. Purchart leg. [p]’. PARATYPE No. 1 (J): ‘ YEMEN, Socotra Isl. / Hagher Mts., Skant , / N 12°34,557′, E 054°01,514′ / 7.-8.vi.2010 / V. Hula & J. Niedobová leg. [p]’.

Type depositories. HT in NMPC, PT No. 1 in IECA.

Description of holotype (J). Body elongate, almost parallel, weakly convex. Dorsal and ventral surface moderately shiny, blackish, extremities dark brownish to blackish, macrosetation pale ( Fig. 6A ). Dorsal surface of head, pronotum, scutellar shield and elytra covered with white, very short recumbent scale-like macrosetae, ventral surface of thorax and abdomen with white recumbent scale-like macrosetae. Head appendages and legs covered with yellowish moderately long macrosetae, mixed with a few white recumbent scale-like macrosetae on metafemora.

Head. Labrum transverse, deeply bilobed, lobes rounded, irregularly and coarsely punctate, covered with long erect macrosetae. Clypeus transverse, anterior margin weakly upturned and shallowly sinuate medially, anterior angles rounded. Fronto-clypeal suture present, forming continuous shallowly bisinuate line. Punctation of clypeus confluent. Frons densely, irregularly, coarsely punctate; each puncture with considerably short, minute erect macroseta. Occiput sparsely regularly, remarkably coarsely punctate. Eye-canthus narrow, short, bare. Eyes small (width of both eyes combined shorter than maximum width of frons between eyes), distinctly extending beyond eye-canthus. Antenna with eight antennomeres; club with three antennomeres, weakly regularly arcuate ( Fig. 6D ), long approximately as antennal shaft (antennomeres I–VII combined). Antennomeres I–VII almost bare, club sparsely, shortly macrosetaceous. Terminal maxillary palpomere elongate, apically rounded, approximately as long as palpomeres II and III combined.

Pronotum transverse, moderately convex, widest approximately at midlength. Basal and lateral borders complete, anterior border missing. Lateral outline regularly rounded, margins not crenate. Anterior margin regularly, broadly sinuate. Anterior angles moderately produced, obtuse-angular; posterior angles distinctly produced posteriad, acute-angular ( Fig. 6C ). Basal margin bisinuate. Punctation consisting of coarse, umbilicate, irregularly spaced punctures becoming somewhat denser laterad; each puncture bearing considerably short, erect macroseta.

Scutellar shield large, almost equilaterally triangular, sides and apex rounded; disc with a few coarse, irregularly spaced punctures, bare.

Elytra weakly convex, oval, rounded apically, apical angle approximately rectangular. Striae missing, excepting feebly visible sutural stria. Humeral umbones absent. Surface not microsculptured, shiny; punctation coarse, almost regularly spaced, punctures separated by 2 –4 their diameters. Each puncture bearing short, narrow, white scale-like, almost recumbent macroseta. Epipleuron distinct, complete, narrow, bare laterally. Micropterous, wing length approximately 1/6 of length of elytron ( Fig. 1C ).

Legs. Femora narrow, shiny, irregularly punctate, macrosetaceous. Protibia narrow, distinctly tridentate, terminal calcar inserted against medial dent. Meso- and metatibia slightly expanded apicad, with two macrosetiferous longitudinal carinae. Upper terminal calcar of metatibia flattened, slightly curved, acute apically, almost two times as long as lower, apically truncate chisel-shaped metatibial calcar. Claws bifid, with ventrobasal teeth ( Fig. 6B ).

Ventral surface covered with mixture of short, recumbent, white scale-like macrosetae and long, semierect yellowish macrosetae. Pygidium slightly transverse, convex, all around bordered, apically broadly rounded, irregularly covered with coarse umbilicate, macrosetiferous punctures.

Male genitalia. Parameres symmetrical, shorter than phallobasis, regularly curved in lateral aspect, rounded apically in dorsal aspect; apex with tuft of long yellowish macrosetae ( Fig. 11A ).

Sexual dimorphism. Female unknown.

Variability. The only known paratype differs from holotype in flat, impunctate areas on pronotum.

Measurements. Total body length: holotype (J) 17.0 mm, paratype (J) 16.3 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Canuschiza hagher sp. nov. can be differentiated from all species of the C. insularis species group mainly by combination of the following diagnostic characters in males: antennae with eight antennomeres ( Fig. 6D ); antennal club weakly regularly arcuate, approximately as long as antennal shaft (antennomeres I–VII combined) ( Figs 6A,D ); anterior margin of clypeus weakly upturned, shallowly sinuate medially ( Figs 6A,D ); eyes small (width of both eyes combined shorter than maximum width of frons between eyes) ( Figs 6A,D ); lateral margins of pronotum bare; posterior angles of pronotum consideraby produced posteriad ( Figs 6A,C ); elytra densely irregularly punctate, each puncture bearing scale-like macroseta, approximately as long as puncture diameter; scale-like macrosetae of pronotum and elytra short and narrow ( Figs 6A,C ); micropterous ( Fig. 1C ). Although C. hagher sp. nov. differs from all other members of C. insularis species group in reduced metathoracic wings and lower number of antennomeres, other characters (like overall shape of body and shape of male genitalia) support its placement in C. insularis species group.

Etymology. Derived from the area of origin of the new species, the Hagher Mts. , Socotra Island; noun in nominative case, in apposition.

Collecting circumstances. The holotype was found walking on the ground near the light trap, in small clearing with minute vegetation, see KRÁL et al. (2012: Fig. 42) (J. Hájek, pers. comm. 2014).

Geographical distribution. Type material originates from the highest part of the Hagher Mts. , vicinity of Skand Mt. , at altitude ca. 1450 m a.s.l.; for details see BEZDĚK et al. (2012).

Figures

Figs 1A–D. Canuschiza Lacroix, 1999:A–B – head, dorsal view; C–D – metathoracic wing.A – Canuschiza insularis Lacroix, 1999, holotype; B – C. minuta Lacroix, 1999, holotype; C – C. hagher sp. nov., holotype; D – C. skand sp. nov., holotype. Scale bar: 2.0 mm. Figs A, B not to scale.

Figs 6A–D. Canuschiza hagher sp. nov., male, holotype, body length 17.0 mm, dorsal view.A – habitus; B – protarsal claw; C – detail of laterobasal area of pronotum and elytron; D – head. Not to scale.

Figs 11A–D. Aedeagus in dorsal (left) and lateral (right) view: A – Canuschiza hagher sp. nov., holotype; B – C. insularis Lacroix, 1999, holotype; C – C. jatropha sp. nov., holotype; D – C. skand sp. nov., holotype. Scale bar: 1.0 mm.