Gauromaia Telnov & Ruzzier, 2024, s. str.
Creators: name: Telnov, Dmitry
name: Ruzzier, Enrico
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Tenebrionidae
Gauromaia

description: Morphological features common in Gauromaia s. str., subgenera Celebesa stat. nov. and Falsogauromaia
External morphology of the type species of their respective genera and additional material hitherto attributed to Gauromaia, Celebesa, and Falsogauromaia were evaluated (the new rank for Celebesa and new combinations for its species are made in the following subsection and mentioned here in the morphological assessment). The following morphological characters were found to be specific for each of the three taxa:
i. General appearance. Body with metallic reflection or slightly subopaque (G. dives, G. (C.) elongata) / body black and subopaque (G. (F.) annulipes);
ii.i. Head: tempus. Strongly bulged (G. dives) / not or moderately bulged (G. (C.) elongata) / not bulged (G. (F.) annulipes);
ii.ii. Head: dorsal microsculpture. Dense isodiametric microsculpture (G. dives, G. (F.) annulipes) / isodiametric microsculpture not present or indistinct (G. (C.) elongata) or present but not dense (G. (C.) angustior);
ii.iii. Mentum (Figs 2E, 3C, 5C): with deep lateral fovea on each side of the convex median portion (G. dives) / more or less flat, without distinct foveae (G. (C.) elongata, G. (F.) annulipes) / more or less flat with lateral foveae, impressions or deep pits (G. (C.) angustior, G. (C.) latipennis, G. (C.) striata) / more or less flat, irregularly rugose (G. (F.) annulipes);
iii.i. Pronotum: shape in dorsal view. Wider than long, sub-rectangular in dorsal view (G. dives, G. (C.) elongata) / approximately as long as wide, subcylindrical in dorsal view (G. (F.) annulipes);
iii.ii. Pronotum: lateral edge in dorsal view (Figs 2A, 3A, B, 5A) is fully margined, margin is visible in dorsal view (G. dives, G. (C.) elongata) / not margined, not visible in dorsal view or partially visible in the vicinity of the base of the pronotum (G. (F.) annulipes);
iii.iii. Pronotum: transition of pronotal disc to hypomeron (Figs 2B, 3D, 5B). Distinct: transition area strongly carinate (G. dives, G. (C.) elongata) / indistinct: transition area with weak carina (G. (F.) annulipes);
iv. Elytra: macrosculpture (Figs 1, 4, 6–10). Distinct rows of punctures (G. dives, G. (F.) annulipes) / distinct impunctured striae (G. (C.) elongata);
v.i. Prothorax: prosternal intercoxal process (Figs 2F, 3E, 5D). Surpassing posterior margin of prosternum; nearly straight in lateral aspect (flattened in ventral aspect); constricted apicad (G. dives) / surpassing posterior margin of prosternum but not straight, step-like shaped at posterior extent of procoxal cavity in lateral view, widened apically or not (G. (C.) elongata) / surpassing posterior margin of procoxal cavity and prosternum (G. dives) or not so (G. (C.) elongata); convex in lateral view between procoxa, step-like shaped at posterior extent of procoxal cavity, widened apically (G. (F.) annulipes); with (G. (C.) impressa, G. (C.) striata) or without (G. dives, G. (C.) elongata, G. (C.) angustior) variably strong hump;
v.ii. Pterothorax: mesoventrite (Figs 2F, 3E, 5D). Strongly V-shapely impressed between mesocoxa to accommodate apical portion of prosternal intercoxal process (G. dives) / not or indistinctly impressed (G. (C.) elongata) / moderately impressed between mesocoxa to accommodate the apical portion of prosternal intercoxal process (G. (F.) annulipes);
v.iii. Pterothorax: metathoracic wings. Present (G. dives, G. (F.) annulipes) / absent (apterous species) (G. (C.) elongata and other G. (Celebesa) species);
vi.i. Abdomen: female morphological sternite IX (spiculum ventrale). Fused to morphological sternite VIII, nearly T-shaped, apical arms short (G. dives, G. (C.) angustior (terminalia of the type species of Celebesa were not available for the study), G. (F.) annulipes);
vi.ii. Abdomen: female ovipositor (Figs 11A–C). Strongly elongate, coxite lobes not fused, coxite not or slightly widened apically, reinforced and sclerotized, gonostyli subterminal, not reduced (Fig. 11), paraproct baculi long and slender (G. dives, G. (C.) angustior, G. (C.) sp. (female genitalia of the type species of Celebesa were not available for the study), G. (F.) annulipes);
vii. Legs: femur. Not clavate (G. dives, G. (C.) elongata) / slightly clavate (G. (F.) annulipes).
Most of the afore assessed features of Gauromaia, Falsogauromaia and Celebesa, if not identical in all three taxa, are of dubious phylogenetic/systematic genus-rank value. Therefore, we conclude that Gauromaia and Celebesa are congeneric and propose a new status for Celebesa to become a subgenus of Gauromaia geographically restricted to the western Wallacea (Sulawesi and adjacent islands): Gauromaia subgenus Celebesa stat. nov. We also confirm the subgeneric rank of Falsogauromaia as stated by Ando (1989). See the key to the subgenera of Gauromaia below for valid distinguishing features of the subgroups.
The following new combinations are proposed for the taxa hitherto attributed to Celebesa: Gauromaia (Celebesa) angustior (Pic, 1921) comb. nov., Gauromaia (Celebesa) elongata (Pic, 1921) comb. nov., Gauromaia (Celebesa) impressa (Pic, 1923) comb. nov., Gauromaia (Celebesa) latipennis (Pic, 1921) comb. nov., Gauromaia (Celebesa) purpurea (Pic, 1921) comb. nov., Gauromaia (Celebesa) striata (Pic, 1923) comb. nov. One of these taxa is here considered junior synonym and so is invalid.
Falsogauromaia is maintained at the subgenus-rank of Gauromaia as defined by Ando (1989) despite the fact that it might represent a particular divergent lineage defined by the features iii.ii and iiii.iii.
description: Published as part of Telnov, Dmitry & Ruzzier, Enrico, 2024, A redefinition of Gauromaia Pascoe, 1866 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Stenochiinae), pp. 531-555 in Zootaxa 5551 (3) on pages 533-535, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5551.3.5, http://zenodo.org/record/14443154