Maechidius miklouhomaclayi Telnov 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Telnov, Dmitry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Maechidius
Maechidius miklouhomaclayi

description: Maechidius miklouhomaclayi sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 67684347-0780-41AA-84B2-11503C8E04F0
Figs 59, 146, 234, 324, 397, 493, 554, 667–669
Differential diagnosis
This new species differs from all congeners primarily in the shape of the aedeagus.
Etymology
Patronymic. This species named in honour of Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay (1846–1888), a famous Russian explorer, ethnologist, anthropologist and biologist who was the first European to settle among and study the indigenous people in what is now Madang Province of Papua New Guinea.
Type material
Holotype
PAPUA NEW GUINEA • ♂; “Collection Naturhistorisches Museum Basel // Papua New Guinea Madang Prov. L. Cizek lgt.// Salemben village 145°24’E 4°42’S 16.XII. 2000, 750 m”; NHMB.
Description
MEASUREMENTS. Male holotype, total body length 6.60 mm. Head 1.30 mm long, across eyes 1.50 mm wide. Pronotum 1.50 mm long, maximum width 2.50 mm. Elytral length 3.80 mm, maximum combined width 3.05 mm.
Dorsum and venter uniformly black-brown, labroclypeus castaneous brown. Head transverse, subopaque, slightly convex dorsally. Compound eyes large and globose, occupying more than a half of head length. Male labroclypeus (Fig. 146) broadly shallowly emarginate, anterolateral angles of labroclypeus acute, rather strongly protruding anteriad, its lateral margins sinuous in both dorsal and lateral views. Canthus nearly straight in dorsal view. Head punctures ovoid, very deep and dense, variably large, filled with dense microscopical velvety pubescence. Intervening spaces glossy, generally much smaller than punctures. At least labroclypeus and areas around either compound eye covered with microscopical velvety pubescence. Head setae inconspicuous, scale-like and in part clavate, rise from anterior margin of corresponding punctures, not or slightly surpassing their length. Pronotum strongly transverse, subopaque dorsally. Anterior margin of pronotum broadly emarginate with protruding anterolateral angles, basal margin broadly rounded. Lateral margin of pronotum in dorsal view very broadly rounded, slightly constricted prebasally, crenulate all along (Fig. 234). Suberect scale-like clavate seta present between every two crenulae. Lateral margin of pronotum nearly straight in lateral view. Very vague circular dorsal impression on either side of pronotum on axis of compound eye. Hypomeron shallowly emarginate and long setose on anterior margin which is flange-like protruding. Antennal pocket deep. Median anterior process of prosternum long brushy setose, short, flange-like raised. Pronotal punctures stronger oblong, very deep and dense, filled with dense microscopical velvety pubescence, on sides of pronotum larger than those on head. Intervening spaces glossy, narrow, in part wrinkled. Pronotal setae minute, shorter than their corresponding punctures; each seta rises from anterior margin of corresponding puncture. Basal margin all along with row of curved scale-like clavate setae. Lateral margins, antero- and posterolateral angles completely covered with microscopical velvety pubescence. Elytra cylindrical, subopaque dorsally, each elytron with vague tracks of three longitudinal carinae including sutural one. Punctures of elytra ovoid, confused, variably large, deep and in part filled with microscopical velvety pubescence (Fig. 324). Elytral setae generally minute, scale-like, appressed; each seta arises from anterior margin of corresponding puncture, generally not surpassing half its length. Male pygidium flattened dorsally, densely coarsely irregularly punctured with glossy intervening spaces variably large (Fig. 493). Setae of pygidium inconspicuous, sparse, scale-like, suberect. Male protibia with two acute distal teeth on external margin (Fig. 397). Male terminal protibial spur slender, slightly curved (Fig. 397). Distal margin of metatibia in both sexes with projection over basal metatarsomere. Upper metatibial terminal spur half length of male basal metatarsomere, not surpassing distal margin of metatibia in dorsal view. Spiculum gastrale as in Fig. 554. Aedeagus as in Figs 667–669.
Sexual dimorphism
Female is unknown.
Ecology
Unknown.
Distribution
East New Guinea, surroundings of Madang.
description: Published as part of Telnov, Dmitry, 2020, A revision of the Maechidiini Burmeister, 1855 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from the Indo-Australian transition zone, and the first record of the tribe west of Wallace's Line, pp. 1-210 in European Journal of Taxonomy 721 on pages 78-80, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.721.1127, http://zenodo.org/record/4122118