Cis pickeri Lopes-Andrade, Matushkina, Buder & Klass, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano
name: Matushkina, Natalia
name: Buder, Gerda
name: Klass, Klaus-Dieter
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Ciidae
Cis
Cis pickeri

description: Cis pickeri Lopes-Andrade, Matushkina, Buder & Klass sp. nov.
(Figs 1–5)
Etymology. The specific epithet is in honour of Mike D. Picker from the Zoology Department of the University of Cape Town, who during a longer excursion dropped the collector (K.-D. Klass) at Fairfield Cottages near Ceres (the type locality) for a weekend.
Diagnosis. Elytral vestiture subseriate (Figs 1 A; 2A–A”, B–B”) and dual (Figs 3 I–I”). Males with the frontoclypeal ridge raised and produced forming a lamina (Figs 1 A–C; Figs 2 A–C; Figs 3 A,D), and the pronotum with the anterior edge produced forwards forming a raised plate that is feebly emarginated at apex (Figs 1 A; 2A,A’).
Description. Holotype. 3 (Figs 1 A–C; see also Figs 2 A–C, 3A–I of topotypes) Measurements in mm: TL 1.84; PL 0.68; PW 0.74; EL 1.16; EW 0.84; GD 0.63. Ratios: PL/PW 0.93; EL/EW 1.38; EL/PL 1.69; GD/ EW 0.75; TL/EW 2.19. Body convex, subcylindrical; dorsal and ventral surfaces brown; basal antennomeres and legs yellowish brown. Head declined, barely seen from above (Figs 1 A; 2A), its dorsal surface granulate (Figs 3 A,A’,A”); frontoclypeal ridge raised and produced forming one conspicuous lamina slightly longer than wide and with a straight terminal edge (Figs 1 A–C; Figs 2 A–C; Figs 3 A,D); frons concave (Figs 1 B; 2B; 3A), subglabrous, bearing a few shallow punctures; vertex moderately flattened, bearing small, suberect yellowish setae; each occipitium finely punctate, subglabrous, the punctures separated by a distance of 1–2 puncture widths. Eyes coarsely facetted, each with more than 70 ommatidia (Figs 3 A,A’,A”). Antenna (Figs 3 B,B’,B”) with length of antennomeres (in mm) as follows: 0.069; 0.051; 0.049; 0.029; 0.021; 0.019; 0.019; 0.048; 0.035; 0.064; antennal club (Figs 3 C,C’,C”) 1.07X as long as the funicle, with four conspicuous sensillifers symmetrically arranged in the distal portion of each antennomere of the club. Pronotum convex; punctation distinct, coarse (Figs 1 A,B; Figs 3 H,H’), but anterior marginal area and ribbon along midline unpunctate; distance between punctures around one puncture width (Figs 2 A, A’); vestiture single (Figs 3 H, H’), consisting of short, moderately stout decumbent yellowish setae; in between punctures finely granulate (Figs 1 A,B; 3H,H’, giving a dull appearance to the pronotal surface); anterior edge produced for- and upwards, forming a raised plate, slightly emarginated at apex (Figs 1 A,B; Figs 2 A,B); area at the base of the raised plate slightly concave (Fig. 1 A); lateral sides broadly rounded, not produced forwards at anterior corners; lateral margins finely crenulate (Figs 3 G,G’), only the most posterior parts seen from above (Fig. 1 A; Figs 2 A,A’). Scutellum conspicuous, subtriangular, subglabrous, bearing several small punctures. Elytra with confused, dense, dual punctation (Figs 3 I,I’), the large punctures being irregular, devoid of seta and at least twice as long as the small ones; vestiture subseriate (Figs 1 A; 2A,A’,B,B’) and dual (Figs 3 I,I’), consisting of stout suberect yellowish setae and small slender decumbent yellowish setae, both types of seta located in a small puncture; in between punctures irregular, smooth (Figs 3 I,I’); humeri barely discernible; lateral edges subparallel; apex broadly rounded; lateral and apical edges not visible from above. Hindwings fully developed (macropterous species). Hypomera glabrous, unpunctate, finely granulate, giving a dull appearance to the surface (Figs 3 D,D’). Prosternum (Figs 3 D,D’) biconcave, tumid and bearing a longitudinal carina at midline; surface similar to that of the hypomera; prosternal process parallel-sided, as long as the prosternum at midline, apex slightly curved inwards. Each protibia with the apex bearing a row of spines; outer apical angle devoid of spines, but produced forming one conspicuous tooth (Figs 3 F,F’); outer margin devoid of spines. Metaventrite (Figs 3 E,E’) subglabrous, bearing sparse slender setae; punctation coarse, irregular, sparse, in between punctures finely granulate; discrimen with around one-fourth the length of the metaventrite at midline. Abdominal ventrites (Figs 3 E,E’) subglabrous, bearing sparse slender setae, coarsely punctate, surface finely granulate; first abdominal ventrite twice as long as the second, bearing a margined, circular, fully exposed, and setose sex patch (Figs 3 E,E’) at middle, its diameter being a bit less than one-third the length of the ventrite at midline.
Male genitalia in paratypes and topotypes. (Figs 4 A–C) Ninth segment V-shaped; aedeagus subquadrate (Fig. 4 A), around twice as long than wide; basal piece (Fig. 4 C) subtriangular, membranous, twice as wide than long and with the angles rounded; tegmen (Fig. 4 B) as long as the penis and bearing a deep emargination at apex; penis subcylindrical (Fig. 4 C), parallel-sided along the basal three fourths and then tapering to the apex, which bears a shallow emargination.
Females. (Figs 2 A”–C”; Figs 3 A”–I”) Similar to males except in the following respects: abdominal sex patch absent (Fig. 3 E”); lacking of a tooth at the outer apical angle of the protibia (Fig. 3 F”); anterior margins of head and pronotum both broadly rounded and devoid of tubercles or prominences (Figs 2 A”,B”; Fig. 3 A”); and anterior portion of pronotum (Fig. 2 A”) narrower than in males (compare with Figs 2 A,A’). The female terminalia has the gonocoxites transversely divided into two parts. Each distal gonocoxite bears a distinct gonostylus at apex and each proximal gonocoxite bears an oblique baculum. The paraprocts are almost as long as the gonostyli and gonocoxites together, and both the paraprocts and the proctiger have a pair of distinct longitudinal bacula. The spiculum ventrale is as long as the gonostyli, gonocoxites and paraprocts together.
Type series. Holotype. 3 (SAMC), Republic of South Africa: labeled / SOUTH AFRICA Western Cape Province; Ceres, Fairfield Cottages, 26.VIII.2003, leg. K.-D. Klass [printed] / Cis pickeri Lopes-Andrade et al. HOLOTYPUS [printed in red paper]/. Paratypes. Republic of South Africa: 120 specimens (39 SAMC, 40 MTD, 4 MRAC, 37 LAPC), same locality label as the holotype; 23, 6ƤƤ (13 & 1Ƥ LAPC, 13 & 5ƤƤ LUND) labeled /S. Afr. Cape Prov. Viljoenspas 5 miles NNE Grabouw 8.VII.51 No. 355 / Swedish South Africa Expedition 1950–1951 Brinck–Rudebeck/. All paratypes with a second label / Cis pickeri Lopes- Andrade et al. PARATYPUS [printed in yellow paper]/.
Variation. Secondary sexual characters of head and pronotum of males are variable in the species. There is no morphometric evidence that the variation is categorical, but empirical observations of specimens showed that there are two conspicuous forms: “high” (Figs 2 A–C; Figs 3 A–I) and “low” (Figs 2 A’–C’; Figs 3 A’–I’) males, which is similar to the pattern observed in males of Xylographus seychellensis by Scott (1926).
In high males, the frontoclypeal lamina and the projection of the anterior pronotal margin are conspicuous (Figs 2 A,B; Figs 3 A,D), while in low males both are just feeble small projections (Figs 2 A’,B’; Figs 3 A’,D’). However, in both male forms the outer apical angle of each protibia is produced forming a tooth (Figs 3 F,F’) and the first abdominal ventrite has a sex patch (Figs 3 E,E’). Among the available specimens, low male was the rarest form.
High males, measurements in mm (n = 7, including the holotype): TL 1.53–1.84 (1.62 ± 0.10); PL 0.53–0.68 (0.59 ± 0.05); PW 0.42–0.74 (0.60 ± 0.10); EL 0.95–1.16 (1.02 ± 0.07); EW 0.47–0.84 (0.67 ± 0.12); GD 0.53–0.63 (0.56 ± 0.04). Ratios: PL/PW 0.91–1.38 (0.99 ± 0.17); EL/EW 1.36–2.22 (1.56 ± 0.32); EL/PL 1.64–1.90 (1.73 ± 0.10); GD/EW 0.75–1.11 (0.85 ± 0.13); TL/EW 2.14–3.44 (2.49 ± 0.46).
Low males, measurements in mm (n = 2): TL 1.37–1.47 (1.42 ± 0.07); PL 0.47–0.58 (0.53 ± 0.07); PW 0.53–0.58 (0.55 ± 0.04); EL 0.84–0.89 (0.87 ± 0.04); EW 0.58–0.63 (0.61 ± 0.04); GD 0.47–0.53 (0.50 ± 0.04). Ratios: PL/PW 0.90–1.00 (0.95 ± 0.07); EL/EW 1.42–1.45 (1.44 ± 0.03); EL/PL 1.55–1.78 (1.66 ± 0.16); GD/EW 0.82–0.83 (0.83 ± 0.01); TL/EW 2.33–2.36 (2.35 ± 0.02).
Females, measurements in mm (n = 8): TL 1.32–1.58 (1.50 ± 0.09); PL 0.42–0.53 (0.48 ± 0.04); PW 0.53–0.63 (0.58 ± 0.03); EL 0.89–1.05 (1.00 ± 0.06); EW 0.63–0.74 (0.71 ± 0.04); GD 0.53–0.58 (0.57 ± 0.02). Ratios: PL/PW 0.80–0.91 (0.83 ± 0.04); EL/EW 1.36–1.46 (1.42 ± 0.03); EL/PL 1.90–2.22 (2.08 ± 0.12); GD/EW 0.79–0.85 (0.81 ± 0.03); TL/EW 2.07–2.23 (2.13 ± 0.06).
Distribution and habitat. The species is known only from the Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa (Fig. 5). The specimens here studied were collected on two occasions: the first time during the Swedish South Africa Expedition in the 1950’s (at Viljoenspas), and then on a field trip to Western Cape Province in 2003 (at Ceres). The examination of a large series of unnamed ciid specimens from Africa (more than 5000 ciids) has not revealed any other specimen of Cis pickeri sp. nov. (Lopes-Andrade pers. obs.).
All specimens of the 2003 collection at Ceres were found in a single large, whitish, dead fruiting body of polyporous fungus (around 30 x 15 cm; possibly belonging to the genus Laetiporus Murrill), which grew on an isolated tree near 1m above ground and was in a moderate stage of decay. The fruiting body was fairly dry and crumbly and was inhabited by hundreds of specimens of C. pickeri sp. nov.
Comments. Cis pickeri sp. nov. is quite distinct from the seven other Southern African Cis species. Males of C. afer, C. bimucronatus, C. caffer, C. capensis, C. delagoensis and C. testaceus all have a pair of small prominences at the anterior margin of both the pronotum and the head rather than a lamella continuous across the midline. Males of C. muriceus do not have any conspicuous secondary sexual characters on either the head or the pronotum.
The female terminalia of C. pickeri sp. nov. are structurally similar to those found in species of Cis, Falsocis Pic and Neoapterocis Lopes-Andrade (Lopes-Andrade 2007a, b; 2008b), but the gonocoxites are transversely divided into two parts, rather than in three or four parts. Among the other Cis species available for comparison, C. pickeri sp. nov. most closely resembles C. bilamellatus Wood in general external morphology, but the elytral vestiture of the latter is confused. In addition, "high" males of C. bilamellatus, in comparison with the ones of C. pickeri sp. nov., have a broader frontoclypeal lamina and the anterior pronotal margin more strongly produced forwards.
Cis pickeri sp. nov. is here tentatively included in the bilamellatus species group (sensu Lawrence 1971), together with C. bilamellatus, C. australis Blackburn, and C. clarki Blair. The latter two species were described from Australia, and there were no named specimens available for comparison. Blackburn (1888), in the description of C. australis, did not mention any secondary sexual character of the male head and pronotum but stated that it was a robust species resembling C. boleti Scopoli in several aspects. Considering only the description, there seems to be no strong reason to retain C. australis in the bilamellatus species group; this issue should be evaluated by subsequent authors working on the Australian Ciidae fauna. On the other hand, Blair (1940) compared C. clarki with C. bilamellatus stating that “(…) in the latter the cephalic plate is broader than the thoracic, the punctures of the thorax closer and the elytral setae shorter, more flattened and irregularly dispersed”. Therefore, C. bilamellatus, C. clarki and C. pickeri sp. nov. can be regarded as morphologically similar species.
The Palearctic species C. quadridens Mellié and C. fissicornis Mellié are somewhat similar to C. pickeri sp. nov. in size and shape. However, in males of C. quadridens the frontoclypeal lamina is comparatively larger and shorter. The frontoclypeal lamina in males of C. fissicornis is narrower and smaller than that of "high" males of C. pickeri sp. nov., and the anterior pronotal margin of the former is barely emarginated and not produced forwards. Moreover, in C. fissicornis the elytral vestiture is confused, while in C. pickeri sp. nov. it is subseriate.
description: Published as part of Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano, Matushkina, Natalia, Buder, Gerda & Klass, Klaus-Dieter, 2009, Cis pickeri sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Ciidae) from Southern Africa, pp. 56-64 in Zootaxa 2117 on pages 57-63, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.188022