Morphostenophanes minor Zhou, new species
Creators: name: Zhou, De-Yao
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Tenebrionidae
Morphostenophanes
Morphostenophanes minor

description: Morphostenophanes minor Zhou, new species ẆDẎȐAEƤ
(Figs. 44 A–D; 47C, H, M, R; 48C, G, P–R; 49B, F, I)
Type materials. CHINA: Yunnan: ♂ (Holotype, SNUC), Chuxiong City, Dayao County, Mount Baicaoling, Zhuanwanhe forest conservation site, 2870 m, 2013.v.28, Wen-Xuan Bi.
Paratype: CHINA: Yunnan: 1♀ (SNUC, a sample of muscle tissue was preserved in 99.7% ethanol at –18 °C in CZDY), Chuxiong City, Dayao County, Mount Baicaoling, Zhuanwanhe forest conservation site, 2870m, 2013. v.28, Wen-Xuan Bi.
Diagnosis. Small, aeneous, elongate and moderately convex species. Elytra with rows of encircled segments of striae, some interrupted or straight, encircled areas weakly convex. Prosternal process not declivous. Aedeagal parameres with apical marginal carina.
Description. Male (Fig. 44A, C). Color light aeneous and shiny; antennae and mouthparts dark brown; tarsi greenish; claws reddish brown. Body elongate, length 15.1 mm, width 5.2 mm, moderately convex dorsad, noticeably constricted between pronotum and elytra.
Head (Fig. 47C, H) transversely subquadrate, densely and markedly punctate, with outer margin strongly notched between genae and clypeus; clypeus transversely hexagonal, gently bent downwards in front, anterior margin nearly straight, weakly emarginate in middle, clypeal transverse impression short, marked; frontoclypeal suture finely impressed, widely U-shaped; genae strongly raised, depressed before eyes, strongly and roundly produced anterolaterally; frons broad, weakly convex in middle and feebly depressed near eyes, gradually sloping forwards; eyes transversely reniform, strongly convex laterally; inner ocular sulci finely grooved along inner margins, becoming broader posteriorly; tempora moderately convex, coarsely punctate. OI = 56.0. Antennae (Fig. 48C) slender, reaching basal fourth of elytra, with antennomeres weakly thickened to apices; relative lengths of antennomeres: 0.46: 0.27: 0.68: 0.65: 0.71: 0.71: 0.70: 0.71: 0.71: 0.63: 0.79. Mentum (Fig. 47H) inversely trapezoidal, lateral margins straight; medial surface finely punctate, with several large pores bearing long setae, gradually rising from base to apex, both sides of posterior half depressed.
Pronotum (Fig. 47M) barrel-shaped, PW/PL = 1.17, widest in anterior 2/5, anterior margin nearly straight, slightly projecting in middle, anterior marginal border marked; lateral margins weakly rounded, lateral marginal borders thin, visible in dorsal view along anterior half; posterior margin weakly emarginate, posterior marginal bor- der finely presented; anterior and posterior angles rounded; disc moderately convex, surface smooth, densely and finely punctate. Scutellum widely triangular, smooth, sparsely scattered with small punctures.
Elytra oblong, widest in basal third, EL/EW = 1.89; moderately convex, highest near basal third; with rows of encircled segments of striae punctures, some interrupted or straight, encircled areas weakly convex; intervals more distinctly convex than encircled areas, smooth.
Prosternum (Fig. 47R) sparsely rugulose, finely and sparsely punctate; prosternal process straightly produced posteriorly, obtusely cuneate at apex; hypomeron rugulose, finely microsculptured, very sparsely and finely punctate. Metasternum glossy, finely punctate, metaventral anterior process transversely wrinkled. Abdomen (Fig. 48G) depressed, surface weakly wrinkled, sparsely and finely punctate.
Legs slender. Protibiae (Fig. 48P) nearly straight, apical half of inner margins pubescent; mesotibiae (Fig. 48Q) moderately curved in apical third, apical half of inner margins pubescent; metatibiae (Fig. 48R) nearly straight, outer margins widely emarginate in middle, more than half of inner margins pubescent.
Aedeagus (Fig. 49B) elongate, curved in lateral view; parameres slender, dorsal margin depressed in apical half in lateral view, 0.22 as long as total length, with flabellate apex with apical marginal carina. Apical lobes of sternite VIII obliquely produced posteriorly in dorsal view (Fig. 49F), rectangular in lateral view, with interior margins rounded, cornered at lowest point.
Female (Fig. 44B, D). Slightly larger and stouter than male, length 16.2 mm; OI = 56.0, PW/PL = 1.26, elytra more widened and convex, EL/EW = 1.69; abdomen straight in lateral view. Ovipositor (Fig. 49I) shortened, abruptly narrowing terminally from apical third.
Comparative notes. Within the jendeki -group, M. minor is the only species with encircled segments of elytra striae, similar to those found in the aenescens - or elegantulus -group species. However, its evenly thickened apex of parameres and shortened ovipositor confirms its place in the jendeki -group.
Distribution. (Map 1) CHINA: Yunnan.
Etymology. The new species is named from the Latin epithet ‘minor’, referring its appearance, which seems like a shrunken elegantulus -group species.
description: Published as part of Zhou, De-Yao, 2020, A revision of the genus Morphostenophanes Pic, 1925 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae, Stenochiinae, Cnodalonini), pp. 1-81 in Zootaxa 4769 (1) on pages 68-69, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4769.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3797078