Gilletianus seqalu Ho & Kral 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ho, Bin-Hong
name: Král, David
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Gilletianus
Gilletianus seqalu

description: Gilletianus seqalu Ho & Král, sp. nov.
(Figs. 1, 2, 3A–B, E, G, I)
Type locality. Taiwan, Pingtung Co., Mudan Township (IJ丹Dz), Damei (大¾).
Type material. Holotype: ♂ (NCHU), labelled: “ Taiwan, Pintung [= Pingtung] Co. | Checheng village [actually in Mudan Township (IJ丹Dz)], Damei | (øẅDz大¾ 2007.VI.16 | leg. T. C. Wang (monkey | dung) || same data as above but hand write by pencil”. Paratypes: 1♂ 5♀♀ (4 in NMNS, 2 in NMPC), same data labelled as holotype but with different NMNS catalogue numbers are as follows: NMNS ENT | 5663-50, 5663-51, 5663-52, 5663- 55 in NMNS (only 5663-55 with identification labelled “ Gilletianus kratochvili | (Balthasar, 1941) | K. Masumoto det., 2018”) and 5663-50, 5663- 52 in NMPC; 1♀ (NMPC), labelled: “ Taiwan, 19.–21.vi.2023 | Pingtung, Kenting NP | Silver Dragon cave env., ca 285m | 21°57'57"N 120°48'53"E | pitfall traps baited with | cheese and fish, D.Král & J.Růžička lgt.”; 1♀ (NCHU), same data as holotype; 1♂ 3♀♀ (NCHU), same locality and collector as holotype but different date at 2007.VI.17; 2♀♀ (BHHC), same locality and collector as holotype but different date at 2007. VI.17; 1♂ 2♀♀ (BHHC), labelled: “ TAIWAN: Pingtung Co. | Mudan, Damei (大¾), | 22.155097N 120.750740E, | alt. 320 m, 1.VI–14.IX.2024, | B.H. Ho & C.T. Hsu lgt., (FIT)”; 1♀ (BHHC), same data as above but different date and collectors: 26.II.–1.VI.2024, B.H. Ho & F.C. Hsu lgt., (FIT).
Description of holotype (♂). Dorsum (Fig. 1A). Small, body length of 4.9 mm, width of 2.1 mm, oblong oval, weakly convex, shining, head and pronotum glabrous, elytra partly macrosetaceous; brownish, clypeus margins, genae, pronotum basal and lateral margins, spots on elytral disc, lateral margins of elytra, elytral apex, and legs paler.
Head relatively large, nearly flat, glabrous. Frontoclypeal suture absent, indicated only as darkened line of endocarina medially and laterally. Clypeus large, nearly trapezoidal, weakly emarginate anteriorly, sides almost straight, with narrow, upward lifted anterior margin. Genae large, protruding much more strongly than large eyes, their anterior margins being aligned with clypeus lateral margins; lateral margin of gena forming nearly right angle with its posterior margin. Clypeus only very finely punctate anteriorly, punctures being difficult to observe even under highest magnification, area between eyes sparsely microscopically punctate to glabrous medially and more coarsely punctate laterally, punctures on occiput also sparse and fine but slightly more distinct. Head mostly brown, clypeus anterior and lateral areas and genae yellow and rather translucent, without sharp limits between darker and lighter areas.
Epipharynx (Fig. 2F). Anterior margin shallowly sinuate medially, oblique, irregularly sinuate anterolaterally. Epitorma broadly triangular, regularly widened posteriad. Corypha not reaching anterior margin, with two long, stout celtes. Acropariae with dense, long macrosetae. Prophobae with densely macrosetaceous. Chaetopedia with sparsely macrosetaceous. Chaetoparia slender, densely macrosetaceous. tormae short, curved.
Pronotum moderately convex, transversal, widest at about posterior third, lateral margins nearly straight, very slightly divergent posteriad, anterior as well as posterior angles rounded, lateral margins moderately bordered, base not bordered, slightly sinuate on each side (against elytral intervals 3 and 4). Pronotum discal, anterior and narrow area near pronotum base medially entirely glabrous; punctation of lateral and laterobasal areas double, with coarser punctures irregular in size,separated approximately by more than puncture diameter; punctation being denser laterally, individual larger punctures interspersed primarily near glabrous discal area and very fine punctures intermixed on both lateral and laterobasal areas. Pronotum disc brown, areas along base and lateral margins lighter, yellowish and translucent.
Scutellum small, narrowly triangular, its surface nearly glossy, entirely glabrous, brown with darkened sides.
Elytra moderately convex, with ten striae and ten intervals, without humeral denticles, only very finely shagreened and thus still weakly shining, macrosetaceous before apex and latrally, yellowish brown, with large dark brown oblique and somewhat falcate subapical spot on each elytron (spaced between intervals 2–6) (Fig. 2C). Striae considerably distinct, dark, with small but distinct punctures distinctly crenating intervals; punctures on disc nearly round, neighbouring punctures separated by more than puncture diameter. Intervals convex, very sparsely, minutely punctate and very finely shagreened, but still weakly shining. Inner elytral intervals within long and broad triangular area medially and interval 10 glabrous; remaining parts of elytral surface (whole intervals 8–9, posterior half of interval 7 and about posterior third of intervals 1–6) with fine setigerous punctures bearing short, fine semierect macrosetae arranged as a rule in two rows in each interval, with presence of further additional macrosetae between these two rows on elytral apex.
Legs yellowish brown. Protibiae narrow, with three large outer teeth in anterior half and serrulate in basal half; a short macroseta present in each indentation between two neighbouring small denticles; dorsal face glossy, impunctate, except for setigerous row of punctures (setae long and erect) extending along outer edge from base to posterior large tooth and continuing along intervals between posterior and middle teeth and then between middle and anterior teeth, setae long and erect; ventromedial edge simple (without denticle), with row of long and erect setae; terminal spur flat, plump (not pointed), relatively short (only about twice as long as wide), reaching approximately to apex of basal protarsomere. Meso- and metatibiae with pairs of distinct oblique ridges fimbriate with stiff, long and erect setae; meso- and metatibia apex fringed with irregularly unequal spinules; inferior terminal spur of mesotibia simply acuminate, nearly 1/2 superior spur length; inferior apical spur of metatibia long, moderately shorter than superior one, the latter moderately shorter than basal metatarsomere; basal metatarsomere longer than metatarsomeres 2 and 3 combined but shorter than metatarsomeres 2–5 combined.
Ventrum (Fig. 1C). Femora with few setigerous punctures. Meso-metaventral plate rhomboid, sparsely, finely punctate, with a complete longitudinal furrow. Abdominal ventrites with rows of medium-sized punctures along their anterior and posterior margins. Pygidium punctate, with long macrosetae throughout.
Aedeagus (Figs 2D–E). Parameres simple, shorter than phallobasis, almost acute apically, each paramere with strong macroseta subapically.
Sexual dimorphism. Female (Figs. 1D–F; 2B) differs from male as follows: genae distinctly narrower; evenly and distinctly, more coarsely punctate on the surface than in the male. Pronotum narrower in front than that of male. Protibiae with terminal spur, simply formed, sharply pointed.
Variability. Within the type series, the specimens vary in length from 4.8 mm to 5.7 mm.
Differential diagnosis. The new species is classified within the tribe Aphodiini in the genus Gilletianus mainly by possessing the following complex of synapomorphies: oval to elongate shape of body; shiny, diaphanous, more or less brownish tegument; head with epistome feebly gibbous, finely punctate; clypeus rounded and regularly curved at sides, thinly bordered; genae more protruding than eyes; frontal suture feebly impressed, not tuberculate; pronotum transverse, doubly punctate, larger punctures present laterally and toward base only; scutellum small, triangulate; elytra oval, finely striate, intervals feebly convex, surface more or less setaceous; pygidium with some sparse considerably long setae; protibiae distally tridentate and proximally serrulate at outer margin, dorsal side irregularly and coarsely punctate; meso- and metatibiae with rather strong transverse carinae, apically fimbriate with spinules elongate and progressively unequal (see Dellacasa et al. 2001, for details).
The key presented by Stebnicka (1992: 11) leads of the present new species to the same branch as G. commatoides (Balthasar, 1961), but it clearly differs from the latter in the following characters (for males only):
—clypeal margin very weakly emarginate (Fig. 2A) (semicircular in G. commatoides);
—clypeal punctation fine and sparse (Fig. 2A) (fine but distinctly denser in G. commatoides);
—lateral margin of gena forming nearly right angle with its posterior margin (Fig. 2A) (forming obtuse angle in G. commatoides).
—coarse punctures on pronotum laterally separated by their diameter (Figs. 2A, 3E) (coarse punctures on pronotum laterally, separated by less than their diameter in G. commatoides).
The key presented by Ochi et al. (2016: 318) leads males of the present new species to the same branch as G. luzonensis Ochi, Kon & Kakizoe, 2016, but it clearly differs from the latter in the following characters (for males only):
—coarse punctures on pronotum laterally coarser and denser separated by their diameter (Figs. 3E–F) (coarse punctures on pronotum laterally little bit finer and denser, separated by more than their diameter in G. luzonensis);
—punctures of elytral striae coarser, separated by approximately one their diameter, distinctly crenating intervals margin (Figs. 3G–H) (punctures of elytral striae finer, separated by approximately more than their diameter, slightly crenating intervals margin in G. luzonensis)
—inferior apical spur of metatibia long, moderately shorter than superior one, the latter moderately shorter than basal metatarsomere (Figs. 3I–J), inferior apical spur of metatibia long, distinctly shorter than superior one, the latter distinctly shorter than basal metatarsomere in G. luzonensis);
The new species differs from the four species questionable recorded from Taiwan (see Discussion below) mainly in the following main characters:
—preapical elytral spot dark, contrasting, considerably noticeable (entirely absent in G. costatulus);
—protibia more or less gradually triangularly widened distad (distinctly narrow, almost parallel protibia, only very weakly widened in distal part in G. fukiensis; see also Král & Šípek 2013: fig. 3A–C);
—preapical elytral spot dark, contrasting, considerably noticeable (lighter, blurry and indistinct in G. reichei; see Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2006: fig 1);
—protibia more or less gradually triangularly widened distad (distinctly narrow, almost parallel protibia, only very weakly widened in distal part in G. segmentaroides; see also Král & Šípek 2013: fig. 3A–C).
Collection circumstances. The material of the new species has so far been recorded in the feces of the Formosan macaque (Macaca cyclopis Swinhoe, 1863) or collected using baited pitfall traps or flight interception traps in the lowland monsoon forest in southern Taiwan (Figs. 4 A–B).
Distribution. Taiwan. So far known only from Hengchun peninsula, Pingtung County (Fig. 5).
Etymology. The specific name “Seqalu” is a name of an aboriginal people living mainly in Hengchun peninsula in Taiwan.
Chinese name. DZ卡ª吉列ḃaeǝ.
description: Published as part of Ho, Bin-Hong & Král, David, 2025, Gilletianus seqalu (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), a new species from Taiwan, pp. 163-172 in Zootaxa 5633 (1) on pages 164-168, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5633.1.9, http://zenodo.org/record/15372949