Zelenkaesalus pazuzus Paulsen 2018, new species
Creators: name: Paulsen, M. J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Lucanidae
Zelenkaesalus
Zelenkaesalus pazuzus

description: Zelenkaesalus pazuzus Paulsen, new species
Type material. Holotype male, ex MJPC, deposited at FSCA, labeled: a) “ PHILIPPINES: Luzon: / Cagayan Valley: / Quirino (Sierra Madre) / XI.2012; local collector”; b) on red paper, “ Zelenkaesalus / pazuzus / ♂ Paulsen / HOLOTYPE”. Allotype female, ex MJPC, deposited at FSCA, labeled: a) “ PHILIP- PINES: Luzon: / Cagayan Valley: / Quirino (Sierra Madre) / IX.2015; local collector”; b) on red paper, “ Zelenkaesalus / pazuzus / ♀ Paulsen / ALLOTYPE”. Paratype female, MJPC, labeled: a) “ PHILIPPINES:
Luzon: / Cagayan Valley: / Quirino, Nagtipunan / VIII.2014; local coll.”; b) on yellow paper, “ Zelenkaesalus / pazuzus / ♀ Paulsen / PARATYPE” (Fig. 6).
Description. Holotype male. Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Lucanidae: Aesalinae: Aesalini. Length: 4.3 mm. Width: 3.0 mm. Color: Surface dark reddish brown, where not abraded covered with whitish yellow branched scales and light brown, waxy exudate. Head: Canthus short, not dividing eye into dorsal lobe. Mentum transverse, setose, with deeply impressed, inverted U-shaped sulcus. Antennomere 3 elongate, 2 times as long as wide. Pronotum: Surface densely punctate; punctures moderate in size, bearing setae of two distinct types: stick-like bristles and broad scales; bristles as long as scutellum, scattered irregularly; scales forming two clumps on disc either side of median line. Elytra: Form strongly convex. Surface with irregularly scattered (not in rows) acute bristles as on pronotum, with pattern of several scale clumps on disc. Legs: Protibia with large, curved apical tooth and 2 minute teeth on external margin. Mesotibia lacking distinct external teeth, subserrate; apex strongly toothed. Metatibia lacking distinct external teeth; apex with small, acute apical tooth. Venter/Abdomen: Metasternum and abdominal sternites with complete tibial and tarsal sulci. Male genitalia: Parameres less than 1/3 as long as median lobe. Median lobe bulbous, cylindrical for most of length but flattened dorsoventrally before spatulate, less sclerotized apex (Fig. 7).
Description. Allotype female, paratype female (Fig. 6) differ from the holotype as follows. Length: 4.5–4.7 mm. Width: 3.1–3.2 mm. Head: Mentum subquadrate, less transverse. Legs: Mesotibia with 3–4 minute external teeth. Metatibia of with apex blunt, lacking acute tooth.
Remarks. The species appears to differ from other known Zelenkaesalus species in having only two clumps of dark scales on the pronotum, whereas all other species examined have a row of four clumps. The male genitalia are not as widened apically as in other members of the genus and are more apparently cylindrical, however this may be an artefact of the method of dissection resulting in the membranous structures not being fully everted.
Etymology. The name, used as a noun in apposition, is an attempt at Latinizing the name of the Assyro-Babylonian demon Pazuzu, king of the wind demons, that is prominently featured in the classic (and personally favorite) horror film, The Exorcist.
Distribution. PHILIPPINES: Luzon (Cagayan Valley): Quirino.
description: Published as part of Paulsen, M. J., 2018, Generic changes in the stag beetle tribe Aesalini (Coleoptera: Lucanidae: Aesalinae) with the description of two new species, pp. 1-10 in Insecta Mundi 666 on pages 5-7, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3710074