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

description: Maechidius nepenthephilus sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: C34ACD72-FDCF-42C6-BCFE-0E6E5B06F38C
Figs 65, 152–153, 237, 328, 401, 497, 679–681, 751–753
Differential diagnosis
This species is primarily different among congeners due to the shape of the aedeagus in combination with the sculpture (irregularly paired rows of linear punctures) and the setae of the dorsum.
Etymology
The name is derived from a combination of Nepenthes Linnaeus, 1753 (genus of carnivorous pitcher plants) and the Greek ‘ philia ’ (φιλία, Ancient Greek for love and friendship), indicating the association of the imago with flowers of pitcher plants.
Type material
Holotype
INDONESIA • ♂; “ INDONESIA E, New Guinea, Papua Prov., Sentani 5.5 km W, road to Nimbokrang, Doyo Lama vill., 02°33’50”S, 140°27’20”E, 150-165 m, 31.III.2018, semidry eucalypt forest, from flowers & pitchers of Nepenthes sp.”; NME.
Paratype
INDONESIA • 1 ♀; same label as for holotype; DTC.
Description
MEASUREMENTS. Holotype, total body length 7.70 mm. Head 1.30 mm long, across eyes 1.60 mm wide. Pronotum 1.90 mm long, maximum width 2.80 mm. Elytral length 4.50 mm, maximum combined width 3.40 mm. Paratype female is 6.70 mm long.
Dorsum uniformly black-brown with brown labroclypeus, antennae, legs and venter. Head transverse, subopaque dorsally and ventrally, flattened dorsally. Compound eye moderately large, occupying less than half side of head. Male labroclypeus (Fig. 152) broadly emarginate, in female (Fig. 153) shallower emarginate anteriorly. Lateral margins of labroclypeus in both sexes sinuous in both dorsal and lateral views, anterolateral angles weakly protruding, obtuse in dorsal view. Upper- and underside of labroclypeus with sparse long setae along anterior and lateral margins. Canthus nearly straight in dorsal view. Anterior and lateral margins of labroclypeus smooth. Head dorsal punctures circular, moderately deep and dense, filled or not with microscopical velvety pubescence. Intervening spaces glossy to delicately microreticulate, variably large. Suberect long seta rises from anterior margin of each puncture; four extraordinarily long erect setae at inner margin of either compound eye and one single on either canthus. Antenna 9-segmented, club 3-lamellate. Scape large, with bulbous predistal projection on dorsal side, provided with two very long setae near distal margin. Antennomere 2 trapezoid, transverse. Pronotum strongly transverse, subopaque dorsally and laterally. Anterior margin of pronotum broadly emarginate, anterolateral angles protruding anteriad. Basal and lateral margins broadly rounded in dorsal view. Crenulae of lateral margin moderately strong; a long erect curved seta present between every two crenulae (Fig. 237). Lateral margin of pronotum slightly arched in lateral view. Pronotal punctures ovoid to oblong-ovoid, annular, deep and dense, variably large (generally larger along lateral margins and on base), filled or not with microscopical velvety pubescence. Intervening spaces in part glossy and glabrous, in part microreticulate, generally smaller than punctures except in some areas. Setae similar to those on head, somewhat stronger curved. Lateral margins partly (narrowly) covered with microscopical velvety pubescence. Hypomeron separated from prosternum by low nearly straight carina which is long setose opposite to compound eye. Antennal pocket shallow. Median anterior process of prosternum long brushy setose, short, strongly raised. Scutellar shield narrowly rounded apically. Elytra cylindrical, maximum width across midlength, opaque dorsally, with distinct humeri. Elytral disc irregularly, mainly transversely wrinkled. Punctures of elytral disc linear (elongate and narrow), incision-like, arranged in irregular paired longitudinal rows (Fig. 328). Moderately long suberect seta rises from anterior margin of each incision, surpassing its length (elytral setae shorter than those on forebody). Lateral margin of elytra all along with moderately long erect setae. Male and female pygidium flattened dorsally, shallowly impressed in apical part. Punctures of pygidium large and dense, circular, annular, very shallow. Intervening spaces much smaller than punctures, glossy to subopaque (Fig. 497). Setae of pygidium suberect, sparse, moderately long. Male and female protibia with two inconspicuous distal teeth (Fig. 401), female ones generally larger. Protibial terminal spur absent in both sexes. Male tarsal claws with large pulvilli. Male aedeagus as in Figs 679–681.
Sexual dimorphism
Female lamellae of antennal club shorter; female labroclypeus comparatively shallower emarginate anteriorly with less protruding anterolateral angles.
Ecology
Occurs on dry nutrient-poor semidry slopes in eucalypt stands at altitudes around 150 m. Found on flowers of Nepenthes sp. (Figs 751–753).
Distribution
Hitherto only known from Sentani surroundings in North New Guinea.
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 84-85, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.721.1127, http://zenodo.org/record/4122118