Drylichus monteithi Kodada, Jäch & Jr, 2009, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kodada, Ján
name: Jäch, Manfred A.
name: Jr, Čiampor Fedor
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Dryopidae
Drylichus
Drylichus monteithi

description: Drylichus monteithi sp. nov.
(Figs 41–43)
Type locality: Aoupinié, New Caledonia.
Material examined: Holotype 3 (QMB): " NEW CALEDONIA Aoupinié 19 May 1984 G. Monteith & D. Cook / Q. M. BERLESATE No. 653 21.10S X 165. 18 E, Rainforest, 750 m Litter".
Diagnosis: Drylichus monteithi and D. hylesinoides share 11-segmented antennae and strongly thickened male protibiae. Drylichus monteithi differs from D. hylesinoides in the following characters: smaller size (3.21 mm), puncture interstices on head and pronotum rugose, elytral striae distinct, aedeagus smaller, parameres pointed and more distinctly curved. Differences to D. fidelitas are discussed below.
Description: Length (TL): 3 3.21 mm; width (EW): 3 1.56 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra and venter black; scape and pedicel dark brown; legs, anterior margin of clypeus, mouthparts and antennal club brownish. Macropunctures (associated with flat granules, mainly laterally) smaller than facets, irregularly arranged, shallow, separated by 1–3 puncture diameters, interstices rugose; head width: 3 0.82 mm. Antenna 11-segmented.
Pronotal macropunctures smaller than facets (partly associated with small flat granules), shallow, denser and less distinct laterally, partly concealed by rugose interstices; interstices 1–3 times as wide as punctures; sides nearly subparallel in posterior half, strongly arcuate in anterior half; disc convex; pronotal lateral rim widest at posterior half, distinctly explanate, smooth; width (MW): 3 1.47 mm; length (PL): 3 1.0 mm. Prosternal punctures distinctly smaller than facets, widely spaced near middle, interstices finely punctate, wide, lateral portion with punctures larger and denser, interstices smaller; surface with transverse wrinkles medially and with scattered flat granules in posterolateral half; prosternal process with mesal keel raised apically. Hypomeron posteriorly wider than profemur, irregularly punctate, with small granules on anterior half, interstices wrinkled; posterior portion with shallow groove for reception of femur. Mes- and metepisterna irregularly punctate, reticulate; metaventrite as long as posternal process, disc deeply impressed, finely punctate, sides elevated; discrimen absent. Scutellum 1.46 times as wide as long, subtriangular, sides rounded. Elytra moderately convex, obovate, widest in middle; posterior third and lateral margins strongly declivous, apices and long portion of lateral edges invisible in dorsal view; sides moderately arcuate anteriorly, strongly arcuate posteriorly; anterior edge finely irregularly crenulate; anterolateral angles short, produced; ratio of EL/EW: 1.36; disc with nine rows of moderately large punctures arranged in striae, intervals flat, punctate, punctures smaller than on pronotum, interstices shiny.
Midline lengths of ventrites 1–5: 0.43/0.19/0.12/0.12/ 0.65 mm; ventrites convex, lateral portion finely longitudinally wrinkled and irregularly densely punctate with scattered small granules, disc more sparsely punctate; ventrite 1 with shallow depression near anterolateral angles; intercoxal process sparsely punctate, sides moderately raised, apex truncate; apex of ventrite 5 truncate. Anterior process of male sternite 8 short, rounded. Aedeagus 1.52 mm long; phallobase ca 1.9 times as long as parameres, subcylindrical, moderately bent (Fig. 41), first connecting membrane with two oblique longitudinal sclerotizations. Parameres widest basally, apical half inflected ventrad (Fig. 42); inner portion with longitudinal stripes near middle and with mosaic near base; apices pointed in lateral view. Penis feebly shorter than parameres, widest basally, more or less parallel-sided nearly to apex (Fig 42); apex subacute; ventral sac with fine mosaic, meshes larger and more oblique basally than apically; fibula distinctly developed.
Sexual dimorphism: Female unknown.
Distribution: So far known from the type locality only (Fig. 48).
Habitat: Rainforest litter at 750 m a.s.l.
Etymology: Named for Geoff Monteith (Brisbane, Australia), excellent beetle collector and discoverer of two new Drylichus species.
description: Published as part of Kodada, Ján, Jäch, Manfred A. & Jr, Čiampor Fedor, 2009, Review of the genus Drylichus Heller (Insecta: Coleoptera: Dryopidae), pp. 43-58 in Zootaxa 2157 on page 53, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.188880