Salsolaius Liu & Ślipiński & Pang 2021, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Liu, Zhenhua
name: Ślipiński, Adam
name: Pang, Hong
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Melyridae
Salsolaius

description: Salsolaius gen. nov.
(Figs 1–3)
http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: A82EE031-DB15-408E-80C3-0F96C4CA880C
Type species. Salsolaius biserratus sp. nov., by the present designation.
Etymology. The genus name is a combination of the Latin prefix “ Salsus ” meaning salty combined with genus name “ Laius ”, referring to the unusual habitat of this new genus.
Diagnosis. This genus can be easily recognized from the all other genera of Apalochrini by biserrate antennae in both male and female, highly reduced vesicles on thorax and abdomen and distinctly exposed pygidium from above.
Description. Body (Figs 1A–1G) relatively flattened, nearly parallel-sided; vestiture of short whitish setae.
Head prognathous; median occipital carina present, extending to middle of frons (Figs 1A, 1E); frons slightly depressed anteriorly, with pair of small pits (Figs 1D, 1F). Eyes medium-sized, finely facetted and slightly protruding. Antennae dorsally and anteriorly inserted on frons. Clypeus of very short sclerotized postclypeus and trapezoid membranous anteclypeus. Labrum transverse and sub-rectangular. Antenna (Fig. 2A) 11-segmented, scape elongated and subtriangular, pedicel very short and almost invisible; antennomere 3–11 asymmetrically biserrate and densely covered by short sensorial setae, antennomere 3 elongated. Mandibles (Fig. 2D) bidentate apically, incisor edge smooth; mola absent, of membranous appendages. Maxilla (Fig. 2B) with slender palps, terminal palpomere elongated and cylindrical; galea and lacinia subequal in length, covered by dense short setae anteriorly. Labium (Fig. 2C) with 3-segmented labial palps, terminal palpomere conical; ligula rounded apically. Gular sutures short and widely separated.
Prothorax (Figs 1A, 1E) weakly transverse; anterior side pronounced in the middle and slightly hollowed near anterior angles, so the angles look acute and slightly prominent. lateral and posterior edges slightly expanded, with narrow and transparent flanges; dorsal surface slightly convex, covered by dense and short whitish setae. Prosternum very short, prosternal process highly reduced. Procoxal cavities contiguous; procoxae large and distinctly projecting, protrochantins exposed. Vesicles pale yellow. Scutellum sub-trapezoidal, with posterior margin rounded.
Elytra (Figs 1A, 1E) nearly parallel-sided, rounded apically, lateral margins slightly constricted at about apical third, inner suture marginated and elevate, each elytron with two weak longitudinal carinae, parallel to suture; dorsal surfaces without distinct punctuation, covered by dense and short yellowish setae. Hindwings well developed. Mesoventrite and mesanepisternum fused and transverse, mesepimeron sub-triangular, yellow with black-brown anterior side (Figs 1B, 1G). Mesocoxal cavities contiguous, laterally open to mesepimeron; mesocoxae elongated and large, mesotrochantins exposed. Metaventrite transverse and slightly swollen, discrimen complete; metanepisternum large and subtriangular, metepimeron exposed posteriorly from ventral side, not extending to lateral edge of metacoxae. Metacoxae large and sub-triangular, gradually narrowing to lateral. Legs with femora slightly enlarged, tibiae slender and slightly curved. Tarsal formula 5-5-5; fore tarsomere 2 (Fig. 2E) in male strongly prolonged over next two segments, bearing black combs along apical and outer edges, tarsomeres 1 and 3 slightly elongate with the former segment slightly bilobed, tarsomere 4 shortened; mid and hind tarsi elongate, with basal 4 segments sub-equal in length, tarsomere 5 longest, claws long and thin, with small denticle at base; tarsomeres shortened and compact in female, with tarsomere 1 elongate, 2nd–4th tarsomeres compressed and equal in length, claws shorter.
Abdomen with 7 freely articulated ventrites, with last three segments exposed from dorsal side; ventrite 1(sternite II) divided by metacoxae, partly visible laterally; ventrites 2–6 transverse and sub-equal in length; ventrite 7 (sternite VIII) and tergite VIII modified in male, simple in female. Spiculum gastrale (Fig. 2I) sheath-shaped, broad anteriorly and with pair of long struts posteriorly. Tegmen highly reduced, ring-shaped anteriorly. Penis elongate, broad anteriorly and slender posteriorly; inner sac with sclerotized flagellum inside, covered by dense tiny spines.
Sexual dimorphisms mainly present on shape and forms of tarsomeres as described above; the biserrate antenna in female is pronounced, but still in same shape as male.
description: Published as part of Liu, Zhenhua, Ślipiński, Adam & Pang, Hong, 2021, Salsolaius gen. nov. a new genus of Apalochrini (Coleoptera, Melyridae, Malachiinae) from the salt Lake Way of Western Australia, pp. 393-400 in Zootaxa 5082 (4) on pages 394-396, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5082.4.7, http://zenodo.org/record/5792839