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

description: Maechidius skalei sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: C9FAA274-0AB0-4E8A-B2E3-2CF7C564CCC1
Figs 83, 177, 253, 344, 416, 446, 517, 712–714
Differential diagnosis
Maechidius skalei sp. nov. is peculiar among its congeners from Sulawesi primarily due to the shape of the male aedeagus in combination with a widened and flattened male basal metatarsomere (also occurs in M. legalovi sp. nov. and M. maleo sp. nov.).
Etymology
Patronymic. The new species is named after its first collector, André Skale (Gera, Germany), a wellknown coleopterist, respected colleague and my friend.
Type material
Holotype
INDONESIA • ♂; “ INDONESIA C-Sulawesi ca. 20km NE Palu, ca. 3m [sic ♂] W Tawaeli, 170m S 0°43’56”, E 119°55’30”, 03.III.2009 leg. A. Skale river valley (020) // Coll. A. Skale Hof, Germany ”; NME.
Paratypes (2 specimens)
INDONESIA • 1 ♂; same labels as for holotype; ASC • 1 ♂; “ INDONESIA Sulawesi Puncak W Palopo 6.2000 Beneš”; NME.
Description
MEASUREMENTS. Male holotype, total body length 7.45 mm. Head 1.30 mm long, across eyes 1.70 mm wide. Pronotum 1.70 mm long, maximum width 2.80 mm. Elytral length 4.45 mm, maximum combined width 3.45 mm. Paratype from locus typicus is 7.30 mm, paratype from Palopo surroundings is 8.67 mm long.
Dorsum and venter uniformly black-brown with brown labroclypeus, antennae and legs. Head transverse, convex dorsally between eyes, subopaque dorsally and ventrally, with large not prominent eyes occupying less than half side of head. Male labroclypeus (Fig. 177) subtruncate on anterior margin, with lateral margins smooth, slightly sinuous in dorsal and nearly straight in lateral view. Anterolateral angles of labroclypeus not protruding anteriad, strongly rounded. Head punctures irregularly ovoid, deep and dense, filled with dense microscopical velvety pubescence. Intervening spaces glossy, generally smaller than punctures, in part wrinkled. Head setae dirty yellowish, moderately long and suberect; each seta rises from anterior margin of corresponding puncture, surpassing its length. Labroclypeus laterally and frontally with more delicate long sparse setae. Three longest setae present near eyes. Male antenna 9-segmented, club 3-lamellate. Scape moderately large, bulbous dorsally in distal half, provided with few long erect setae on posterior and distal margins. Antennomere 2 short, slightly transverse. Pronotum transverse, subopaque dorsally and laterally. Anterior margin of pronotum slightly sinuous with anterolateral angles (stronger) and mesal portion (slightly) protruding anteriad. Basal margin of pronotum broadly rounded. Lateral margins of pronotum broadly rounded with maximum width posterior to midlength, crenulate all along (Fig. 253). Long curved erect scale-like seta present between every two crenulae. Lateral margin of pronotum nearly straight in lateral view. Pronotal punctures ovoid, deep and dense. Intervening spaces glossy and glabrous, much smaller than punctures. Setae similar to those on head, stronger curved and in part clavate. Lateral and basal margins, antero- and posterolateral angles partly covered with microscopical velvety pubescence. Hypomeron smooth, sparsely covered by circular punctures, flange-like, with large emargination opposite to eye (to receive canthus separating compound eye) provided with long setae. Antennal pocket deep. Scutellar shield rounded apically. Elytra cylindrical, maximum width in median third, subopaque, with rounded humeri and slightly elevated omoplates. Indistinct tracks of three flat longitudinal carinae on each elytron, including sutural one. Disc and lateral sides of elytra irregularly densely punctured, punctures deep, of irregular size and shape (Fig. 344). Perimeter of each puncture covered with microscopical velvety pubescence (Fig. 344). Intervening spaces glossy, generally smaller than punctures. Setae of two kinds on elytral disc. Long erect, in part clavate setae arranged in irregular longitudinal rows on each elytron. Inconspicuous short setae rising from anterior margin of corresponding punctures and not surpassing their length, positioned between longitudinal rows of longer setae. Male pygidium flattened dorsally, with moderately deep punctures and microreticulate intervening spaces of variable size (Fig. 517). Setae of pygidium suberect, moderately long, sparse. Male protibia with two strong distal teeth on external margin (Fig. 416). Male lower meso- and metatibial terminal spur strongly curved. Distal margin of male metatibia with projection over basal metatarsomere. Male basal metatarsomere widened and dorso-ventrally flattened (Fig. 446). Tarsal claws with pulvilli (in males only?). Male aedeagus as in Figs 712–714.
Sexual dimorphism
Female is unknown.
Ecology
Occurs in lowland rainforests.
Distribution
Hitherto known from Central and South Sulawesi.
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 109-111, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.721.1127, http://zenodo.org/record/4122118