Mahavelo SZAWARYN, TOMASZEWSKA & ARRIAGAVARELA 2023, GEN. NOV.
Creators: name: Arriaga-Varela, Emmanuel
name: Tomaszewska, Wioletta
name: Szawaryn, Karol
name: Robertson, James
name: Seidel, Matthias
name: Ślipiński, Adam
name: Fikáček, Martin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Eupsilobiidae
Mahavelo

description: MAHAVELO SZAWARYN, TOMASZEWSKA & ARRIAGA- VARELA GEN. NOV.
(FIGS 17, 18, 19C, D, 20C)
Zoobank registration: urn: lsid: zoobank. org:act: DF9A1833-7A95-4B99-9148-AFCB9248D39B
Type species: MahaƲelo madagasus by present designation.
Diagnosis: MahaƲelo is a distinctive genus in Cerasommatidiidae by the lack of a scutellar shield (Fig. 18C, F), and by having the prosternal process provided with single, longitudinal, median carina (Fig. 18D). In general appearance it is most similar to Cerasommatidia, sharing the glabrous appearance of pronotal and elytral surfaces (covered with tiny inconspicuous hairs), pronotum without internal sublateral carinae, and pronotal and elytral surfaces covered with single size punctae (Fig. 18C, F). However, apart from its unique characters, MahaƲelo can also be separated from Cerasommatidia by having the pronotal hind angles with small, oblique indentation to receive the humeral corner of the elytron (Fig. 18C) (absent in Cerasommatidia).
Description: Length 1.00 mm, width 0.79 mm. Body short oval and convex, 1.3 times as long as wide. Coloration uniformly brown (Fig. 17A–C).
Head (Figs 17D, 18B) with dorsal surface uniformly covered with short fine setae. Clypeus large, rectangular. Frontoclypeal suture distinct but feebly marked, straight. Ventral antennal grooves deep and broad between eyes and mouthparts, long, extending beyond posterior eye level. Antenna (Fig. 18A) approximately 0.35 of length of body; antennal club one-quarter of total antennal length; antennomeres 1–5 much longer than wide, with antennomere 3 longer than antennomere 4 and 5; antennomeres 6–9 less elongate. Eyes comparatively small, moderately prominent, coarsely facetted (Figs 17D, 18B). Maxillary palpomere 1 narrow, elongate; palpomere 2 weakly trapezoidal and somewhat bulbous (Fig. 17E). Galea large, densely setose apically. Lacinia about half as wide as galea, with dense setae at apex and inner margin. Labium with mentum widest near basal third, palpomere 2 large, bulbous, somewhat oval; terminal palpomere short, subquadrate, about as long as penultimate, truncate apically.
Prothorax. Pronotum 2.7 times wider than long, widest at base, and strongly convergent anteriorly (Fig. 18C). Anterior pronotal margin narrowly bordered with regular bordering line; base without distinct bordering line. Pronotal sides weakly rounded, narrowly bordered; hind angles with small, oblique indentation to receive humeral corner of elytron. Pronotal disc moderately convex, with uniform sparse fine punctures bearing tiny, thin hairs (Fig. 18C). Prosternum (Fig. 18D) with anterior margin scarcely arcuate posteriorly; prosternal process narrow, at apex about 0.60 of width of procoxal cavity, with long, single median carina but not reaching anterior prosternal margin or apex of prosternal process; prosternal process extending posteriorly to hind level of procoxae. Hypomeron with deep, long and straight antennal grooves.
Pterothorax. Mesonotum lacking scutellar shield. Mesoventrite strongly transverse, with intercoxal process smooth, almost flat, with raised anterior border complete (Figs 17G, 18E); 1.2 times as wide as mesocoxal diameter. Metaventrite as long as abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 combined; discrimen absent; anterior margin with bordering carina simple, straight at intercoxal process and widening towards lateral corners (Fig. 18E); central area of metaventrite with fine setiferous punctures. Anterior part of metanepisternum with lateral sub-triangular projection on its external margin. Elytra about as long as wide, with lateral margins invisible from above (Figs 17A, 18F). Surface covered with uniform, small setiferous punctures bearing tiny, thin hairs. Epipleura incomplete but almost reaching elytral apex (Fig. 18G), narrow, with internal bordering line wide, present from the level of mid coxae to apex (Fig. 18E); basal part of epipleuron with short groove corresponding to projection of metanepisternum. Hindwings reduced.
Legs. Trochanters produced posteriorly (Fig. 18E). Femora weakly flattened (mid and hind femora more distinctly than fore femora); with g r o o v e s f o r t i b i a e p r e s e n t t h r o u g h o u t w h o l e length. Claws with distinct sharp, subquadrate tooth at base.
Abdomen with ventrite 1 with anterior bordering carina below coxae widening laterally (Fig. 18G), absent on intercoxal process; postcoxal lines absent.
Male genitalia (Fig. 17H). Aedeagus with penis short and stout, sclerotized, weakly curved, wider near apex, asymmetric, with small acute apical projection. Tegmen moderately large, basal, throne-shaped, weakly sclerotized; tegminal strut short.
Female genitalia (Fig. 17J). Spermatheca of moderate size, elongate, irregularly reniform, submembranous (Fig. 17K); bursa copulatrix large; sperm duct long; accessory gland small membranous, of irregular shape.
Etymology: The name is derived from the Mahavelo Forest, Madgascar, where this genus was first found. Gender masculine.
Distribution: Madagascar (Fig. 20C).
description: Published as part of Arriaga-Varela, Emmanuel, Tomaszewska, Wioletta, Szawaryn, Karol, Robertson, James, Seidel, Matthias, Ślipiński, Adam & Fikáček, Martin, 2023, The resurrection of Cerasommatidiidae, an enigmatic group of coccinelloid beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinelloidea) based on molecular and morphological evidence, pp. 1078-1115 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 197 (4) on pages 1108-1111, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac082, http://zenodo.org/record/7814127