Lasiodites howensis Lawrence 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Lawrence, John F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Nitidulidae
Lasiodites
Lasiodites howensis

description: Lasiodites howensis, sp. nov.
(Figs 12, 47–49, 70, 76, 78)
Diagnosis. This species has most of the characters given by Jelínek (1999) for Lasiodites (at least for females), but differs from all other species of that genus with respect to the following features: 1) eyes reduced in size; 2) temple much longer than eye length (as in Fig. 39); 3) metaventrite shortened; 4) discrimen absent; and 5) hindwing reduced, short and slender (Figs 47–49). Among those Afrotropical Lasiodites described and illustrated by Kirejtshuk & Kvamme (2002), the species most similar in general form to L. howensis is L. longa Kirejtshuk & Kvamme (Congo), but unfortunately most of the critical features used in their key were based on males, which are as yet unknown for L. howensis. The ovipositor (Fig. 70) is of a type considered plesiotypic within Nitidulidae and found in scattered groups throughout the family. From the widely distributed Lasiodites pictus (Macleay), which occurs on Christmas Island and may well spread to Australian mainland, this species also differs in its slender body (more than 1.80 times the elytral width, with elytra at least 1.25 times as long as wide).
Description. Length = 4.20–5.40 (4.80 ± 0.47, n = 4) mm. Body moderately elongate, somewhat flattened: BL/EW = 1.83–1.90 (1.87); GD/EW = 0.60–0.63 (0.61). Dorsal surface of head mostly dark brown, with paired red spots just behind the vertexal line; pronotal disc reddish-brown with varying amounts of black, sometimes almost entirely black but red at sides; most ventral surfaces varying from reddish-brown to black, but sometimes with prosternum, centre of metaventrite and abdominal apex red; lateral edges of hypomera, elytral epipleura, and metanepisternum usually yellow; legs usually bicoloured with portions of some femora yellow; pygidium yellow or yellow and brown; antennae yellow with dark club. Vestiture of short and very short decumbent setae.
Head 1.03 times as long as wide. Eyes 0.15 times as long as head width. Temples about 1.10 times as long as eye, slightly curved. Vertexal line very weak. Frontoclypeal suture absent. Labrum about 0.32 times as long as wide, slightly wider than clypeus, with sides strongly curved and apex broadly rounded on each side of moderately broad, deep emargination. Antennal scape 1.82 times as long as wide, slightly asymmetrical, and 2.50 times as long as pedicel; antennomere 3 about 2.14 times as long as 4; club 0.76 times as long as antennomeres 3–8 combined and 1.48 times as long as wide; terminal antennomere 0.61 times as long as wide. Antennal grooves weakly converging, extending to ends of temples; genal ridges distinctly diverging to about middle of mentum, then abruptly converging, forming an angular process concealing a porton of the antennal grooves; genal lobes broadly rounded at apex. Mandible unidentate, with acute retinaculum, reduced mola and extensive prostheca. Apical maxillary palpomere about 4.5 times as long as wide, parallel-sided with narrowly rounded apex. Mentum 0.49 times as long as wide, widest at middle, sides strongly curved; apex without mesal lobe and with narrowly rounded lateral lobes; apical labial palpomere 2.5 times as long as wide, parallel-sided with subtruncate apex.
Pronotum 0.57–0.61 (0.59) times as long as wide, widest at about middle; anterior edge emarginate, with fine marginal bead; anterior angles produced forward and subangulate; sides not explanate, with fine marginal bead; posterior angles more or less right; posterior edge weakly bisinuate, with fine marginal bead; disc slightly, evenly convex; punctation fine and very dense, punctures about twice as wide as an eye facet and separated by less than half a puncture diameter and interspaces finely sculptured and slightly shiny; setae short and decumbent. Pronotal punctation consisting of weakly impressed, subcircular pits, each with a thin, anteriorly impressed rim and enclosing a longitudinal trough and usually two pores. Prosternum 1.17 times as long as mid length of procoxal cavity, slightly convex; prosternal process 0.75 times as wide as mid length of procoxal cavity, slightly curved behind coxae; sides slightly expanded subapically and apex broadly subangulate, without distinct wall. Scutellar shield 0.25 times as wide as pronotum, with broadly angulate at apex. Elytra 1.25–1.33 (1.28) times as long as wide and 2.11–2.33 (2.20) times as long as pronotum; sides more or less parallel, not explanate, with narrow lateral margins, extending to posterior fourth; elytral apices very slightly separated, but more or less concealing pygidium; humeri absent and anterolateral angles more or less right; disc slightly convex; vestiture dual and seriate, with 10 regular rows of slightly longer, decumbent setae alternating with irregular double rows of shorter, finer, decumbent setae; interspaces relatively smooth and slightly shiny. Elytral punctation consisting of longitudinally oval pits with raised rim, incomplete posteriorly, each enclosing a longitudinal trough and immediately behind the attachment of a microseta; megasetae very similar to microsetae but slightly longer and thicker. Epipleura completely visible in lateral view, broad at base, gradually narrowed and extending to posterior edge of ventrite 4. Hind wing highly reduced, about as long as metanepisternum and 4.4 times as long as wide. Anterior edge of mesoventrite on same plane as metaventrite, with very weak median carina; posterior edge not elevated and broadly emarginate. Mesocoxae separated by 0.54 times longest longitudinal diameter of mesocoxal cavity. Metaventrite shortened, distance between meso- and metacoxal cavities about 0.2 times as long as width of ventrite; slightly convex, with anterior lobe short, not declined and broadly rounded at apex; discrimen absent. Postcoxal lines not deviating from edges of mesocoxal cavities; axillary spaces absent; apex of ventrite between metacoxae broadly emarginate. Metacoxae separated by about 1.15 times mid length (shortest diameter) of metacoxa. Ratio of distances between procoxae, mesocoxae and metacoxae about 1.00: 1.00: 2.50. Protibia gradually expanded to apex; outer apical angle slightly produced and subacute; outer edge densely lined with short, stout, blunt, dark spines, apex with a few similar well separated short spines. Mesotibia and metatibia similarly expanded to angulate subapex; outer edge very finely denticulate and densely lined with fine setae; apex with a few long, slender, acute spines; anterior edges of meso- and metatibiae with longitudinal row of slender spines. Basal protarsomeres expanded, meso- and metatarsomeres not so.
Abdomen with intercoxal process subtruncate; postcoxal lines on ventrite 1 slightly deviating from coxal rim and broadly curved; ventrites 2–5 each with sub-basal transverse carina; ventrite 5 apex slightly, broadly emarginate. Punctation of mentum, postmentum, prosternum, hypomera, metaventrite and abdominal ventrites consisting of small, elongate-oval pits, each containing a longitudinal trough; mesoventrite mostly impunctate, except for two posterolateral rows of setose punctures, its anterior portion with distinct, transversely cellular microsculpture. Pygidium with very fine basal carina and narrowly rounded apex. Male unknown. Ovipositor about 3.1 times as long as wide; paraprocts 0.78 times as long as gonocoxites, which are 2.77 times as long as their combined widths, slightly wider at base, gradually narrowing to contiguous, narrowly subtruncate apices; gonostyli apical, 0.10 times as long as coxites, parallel-sided and 4 times as long as wide.
Types. Holotype, ♀ “NSW, Mt. Lidgbird SE end in dip between ‘Pimple’ and main cliff -31:34:18-, 159:05:0.; 21-May-2001; Ian Hutton, / LH011B, leaf litter ex Hedyscepe canterburyana, Cryptocarya canterburyana ” (AMS, K 208905).
Paratypes. New South Wales: Lord Howe Island: Mt. Gower, Midway down ridge S of igloo (32°35.09’S, 159°04.31’E), 838m, 18–31.i.2002, MG0081, pit trap, I. Hutton (1♀, AMS, K208904); Mt. Gower, Top of ridge, south of igloo (31°31.11S, 159°04.31’E), 868m, 18.i–31.i.2002, MG007, pit trap, I. Hutton (1♀, AMS, K208903); Mt. Gower, walking trail (31°35.12’S, 159°04.35’), 28.xi–5.xii.2000, LHIS050/05, pit trap, CBCR Australian Museum (1♀, AMS K188796).
Distribution. Known only from the Mt. Lidgbird and Mt. Gower, Lord Howe Island.
Biology. Specimens collected in pitfall traps and leaf litter.
Etymology. The specific epithet refers to Lord Howe Island.
description: Published as part of Lawrence, John F., 2019, Australian Nitidulinae: general review with descriptions of new genera and species (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), pp. 261-290 in Zootaxa 4657 (2) on pages 277-278, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4657.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/3769191