Anthelephila fallax Kejval 2017, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kejval, Zbyněk
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Anthicidae
Anthelephila
Anthelephila fallax

description: Anthelephila fallax sp. nov.
Figs 61–65
Description. Male (holotype). Body length 4.2 mm. Head and pronotum brownish black, pronotum with paler base; elytra brownish black, with paler base, lateral margins, and with slight greenish reflection; legs and antennae reddish to reddish-brown, tibiae slightly darker basally.
Head about 1.2 times as long as wide, nearly smoothly passing into short neck; tempora strongly narrowing posteriad, posterior angles absent. Eyes medium-sized, strongly convex. Dorsal surface only moderately glossy, distinctly punctate and largely corrugated, with indication of smooth, impunctate median strip posteriorly; punctures distinctly separated. Setation short, subdecumbent; few long tactile setae. Antennae only moderately enlarged in terminal third; antennomere X 1.5 times, XI about twice as long as wide.
Pronotum 1.5 times as long as wide, distinctly narrower than head including eyes, nearly evenly rounded anteriorly, strongly narrowed and moderately impressed (constricted) postero-laterally in dorsal view; pronotal disc evenly convex in lateral view. Surface glossy; antero-lateral sides minutely and sparsely punctate, nearly impunctate near procoxal cavities; disc more distinctly, densely punctate to somewhat longitudinally corrugated, especially posteriorly, with few transverse wrinkles and slightly bulging before smooth antebasal area; posterolateral impressions longitudinally wrinkled, adjacent dorso-lateral surface rugose. Setation as on head.
Mesosternum with distinct median longitudinal bulge, rather sharply delimited laterally, moderately rounded in lateral view, with distinct median carina posteriorly. Metasternum simple.
Elytra 1.7 times as long as wide, conjointly rounded apically; humeri distinct; postscutellar impression absent. Surface glossy, distinctly punctate; punctation double, setiferous punctures rather widely separated. Setation somewhat unevenly developed, pale and whitish, generally longer and more raised than on head, sparser near base, mostly decumbent, with indication of two, wide, transverse bands of whitish setae; numerous tactile setae.
Metathoracic wings fully developed.
Fore legs modified (Fig. 61); profemora with short tooth-like process, rounded apically, with short fringe of stiff setae subapically; protibiae nearly simple, moderately swollen, with longitudinal carina on inner side; penultimate tarsomere widened/flattened distally, with terminal tarsomere articulated dorsally near base in all tarsi. Setation normally developed, distinctly longer and more raised on median/inner side of metatibiae distally; tibiae with two terminal spurs, unequal for metatibiae (median spur longer and more robust).
Abdominal sternum III with paired, long, submedian carinae. Sternum VII distinctly emarginate and with wide, apically rounded median process (Fig. 62). Tergum VII simple, widely rounded posteriorly. Sternite VIII (Figs 63, 64); paired prongs lobed, and with median basal process. Tergite VIII with paired sclerites evenly rounded apically, narrowly connected medially. Terminal sclerite of segment IX (spiculum) membranous, strongly narrowed and tapering, setose apically. Aedeagus (Fig. 65); apical portion of tegmen 0.5 times as long as basalpiece, trilobed apically.
Female. Externally differing from male as follows: fore legs and abdominal sternum VII simple; metatibiae shortly setose, metatibial spurs subequal; tergum VII subtriangular, rounded apically.
Variation. Body length (♂ ♀) 3.9–4.2 mm. Body reddish-brown to brownish-black; the specimen from the Khao Yai National Park with slight indication of paler transverse band/spots on elytra; legs pale reddish to dark reddish-brown.
Type material. Holotype, ♂: LAOS-N, 23.iv.1999 Louangphrabang pr., 20°42′N 102°54′E, 25km E Muang Ngoy, 1000m, Vít Kubáň leg. [p] (NHMB). Paratypes: 2 ♂♂, same data as holotype (NHMB); 1 ♂, LAOS Luang Prabang Prov. NONG KHLAW env. Ban Sop Houn env. [p] // 3. VIII. 2 0 0 6 leg. M. Geiser Waldrand, auf Sträuchern und niedriger Vegetation [p] (NHMB); 1 ♂, Thailandia Nan prov, Ban Bo Klua env. 13–28.V.2002 leg. Prudek e Obofil [= P. Průdek & M. Obořil leg.; p] (ADBC); 2 ♂♂, N-Thailand, Nan prov., BO KLUA, 19°08′N 101°10′E, 700 m, 22–26.iv.1999, D. Hauck lgt. (ZKDC); 1 ♂, THAI, NE, Loei prov., Phu Kradung N.P., 1000m, 16°52′N 101°49′E, 16–17.v.1999, M. Říha leg. [p] (ZKDC); 1 ♂, NE Thailand, Nan Prov., Ban Bo Yuak, 19.iv.2004, P. Viktora leg. (ZKDC); 1 ♂, THAI, 10.–16.V.1991 CHIANG DAO 600 m 19°24′N 98°55′ E Vít Kubáň leg. [p] // Thailand ′ 91 '' Thanon Thong Chai' ' D. Král & V. Kubáň [p] (ZKDC); 1 ♂, THAILAND: NE Bangkok, Khao Yai Nat. Park, 750–850 m, 26.XI–3.XII.85 Burckhardt-Löbl [p] // Formicomus albofasciatus Heberdey det. G. Uhmann 1988 [p+h] (ZKDC); 1 ♂, S-CHINA 10.– 14.7.1990 JINGHONG pr. YUNNAN lgt. S. Bečvář. [p] (ZKDC); 3 ♂♂ 4 ♀♀, CHINA, Yunnan, Mengla, hillside, N of city, 21°29′50.2′′N 101°33′0.7′′E, 690 m [p; including locality names in Chinese] // swept and beaten, 24.IX.2012, leg. Dávid Rédei [p] (HNHM).
Additional specimens. Laos: 2 ♀♀, same data as holotype (NHMB); 1 ♀, Phongsaly prov., Ban Sano Mai, 21°21′N 102°03′E, 1150 m, 19.–26.v.2004, V. Kubáň leg. (ZKDC). Thailand: 6 ♀♀, Nan prov., Ban Bo Klua env., 13.–28.V.2002, P. Průdek & M. Obořil lgt. (ADBC, ZKDC); 1 ♀, Nan prov., Bo Klua, 19.iv.–7.v.2004, P. Moravec lgt. (ZKDC).
Differential diagnosis. Anthelephila fallax sp. nov. belongs to the A. fossicollis species-group. It is undoubtedly very close to A. banhuaipo sp. nov. and A. davita sp. nov., as suggested by similarity of the male characters. They were all collected at the same locality, Chiang Dao in Thailand, and A. banhuaipo sp. nov. may be especially difficult to distinguish from this species. A. fallax sp. nov. differs by the more prominent median process and denser setation of male sternum VII (including ventral surface), and by details in shape and setation of the paired prongs, e.g. more complex medio-basal process, absence of dorsal lobe (cf. Figs 63, 64 versus Figs 30, 31). It displays also a rather distinct median longitudinal bulge of the mesosternum in both sexes, more prominent/ sharper and longer carinae of male abdominal sternum III, and a bit different shape of the protibiae (inner carina with slight angulation before distal lobule).
Etymology. From Latin fallax (uncertain), refering to the conspicuous similarity with A. banhuaipo sp. nov.
Distribution. China (Yunnan), Laos, Thailand.
description: Published as part of Kejval, Zbyněk, 2017, Studies of the genus Anthelephila Hope (Coleoptera: Anthicidae) 14. Twenty-four new species from Asia and new records of A. fossicollis Kejval, pp. 1-52 in Zootaxa 4306 (1) on pages 30-32, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4306.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/843027