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

description: Maechidius legalovi sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: ABC509EC-B963-4A6D-8CC7-804615AB794D
Figs 51, 136, 224, 315, 388, 483, 549, 640–642
Differential diagnosis
This new species is most similar to M. peregrinus Lansberge, 1886, M. babyrousa sp. nov., M. deltouri sp. nov. and M. suwawa sp. nov. (all from Sulawesi). It readily differs from them and other congeners in the widened and flattened male basal metatarsomere, the shape of the male genital organs and the labroclypeus, which is entire and without protruding anterolateral angles in both sexes.
Etymology
Patronymic. This species is named after the famous expert of Curculionoidea and respected colleague Andrei A. Legalov (Novosibirsk, Russia).
Type material
Holotype
INDONESIA • ♂; “ SULAWESI TENGAH: Nr.Morowali, Ranu River Area. 27.i.-20.iv.1980 // Vert. Series 30m.actinic code: 11.iii.80 // S.L.Sutton C.J.Rees B.M.1980-281”; BMNH.
Paratypes (2 specimens)
INDONESIA • 1 ♀; “Vert.Series 30m.actinic code: 15.iii.80 // SULAWESI TENGAH: Nr.Morowali, Ranu River Area. 27.i.-20.iv.1980 // S.L.Sutton C.J.Rees B.M.1980-281”; BMNH • 1 ♀; “ SULAWESI TENGAH: Nr.Morowali, Ranu River Area. 27.i.-20.iv.1980 // Vert.Series 30m.actinic code: 13. iii.80 // S.L.Sutton C.J.Rees B.M.1980-281”; BMNH.
Description
MEASUREMENTS (exposed abdominal ventrites not included). Male holotype, total body length 7.40 mm. Head 1.50 mm long, across eyes 1.78 mm wide. Pronotum 1.80 mm long, maximum width 2.80 mm. Elytral length 4.10 mm, maximum combined width 3.50 mm. Selected female paratype, total body length 8.50 mm. Head 1.50 mm long, across eyes 1.87 mm wide. Pronotum 2.00 mm long, maximum width 3.20 mm. Elytral length 5.00 mm, maximum combined width 4.10 mm.
Dorsum and venter uniformly black with dark castaneous labroclypeus and anterior and lateral margins of pronotum, mouthparts and legs. Head transverse, trapezoid, slightly convex on frons in lateral view, glossy dorsally and ventrally, with large not prominent compound eyes occupying nearly half side of head. Male labroclypeus (Fig. 136) truncate, its lateral margins smooth, straight in both dorsal and lateral views. Anterolateral angles obtuse angulate, not protruding. Female labroclypeus generally as in male, anterolateral angles strongly obtuse. Frons punctures circular to irregularly hexagonal, smaller in anterior, somewhat larger in posterior half. Intervening spaces glossy, much smaller than punctures, in part wrinkled. Setae dirty yellowish, sparse, somewhat thickened and suberect; seta rises from anterior margin of corresponding puncture, surpassing or not its length. Longer setae present near compound eyes and on underside of labroclypeus. Labroclypeus laterally and frontally with longer and slender setae. Male and female antenna 9-segmented, club 3-lamellate. Scape large, strongly widened on upper side in distal half, provided with few long erect setae on posterior and distal margins. Antennomere 2 short cylindrical, transverse or nearly so. Pronotum transverse, glossy dorsally and laterally. Anterior margin of pronotum rather deeply emarginate, anterolateral angles protruding anteriad. Basal margin of pronotum broadly rounded. Lateral margin of pronotum broadly rounded, slightly constricted towards base, delicately crenulate all along (Fig. 224). Lateral margin of pronotum sinuous in lateral view. Punctures of pronotal disc of irregular shape (generally ovoid), deep and large, becoming flatter along lateral margins; inner margin with delicate membrane covered with microscopical velvety pubescence. Intervening spaces much smaller than punctures, in part wrinkled, glossy. Setation as on head; setae generally not surpassing length of corresponding punctures. Longer and thicker appressed seta between each of two lateral crenulae and all along basal margin. Hypomeron smooth, its anterolateral margin flange-like produced, with large sparse circular punctures, with large shallow emargination opposite to eye (to receive canthus separating compound eye), covered with long setae. Antennal pocket deep. Scutellar shield triangular, narrowly rounded apically. Elytra broadly cylindrical, maximum width across median third, glossy and slightly convex dorsally, with rounded humeri. Indistinct tracks of three flat longitudinal carinae on each elytron. Short sutural carinae indicated near apices. Rather large obtuse hump on each elytron near apex. Disc and lateral sides of elytra irregularly densely punctured, punctures irregularly ovoid (Fig. 315). Periphery of punctures in part covered with microscopical velvety pubescence, completely or not encircling them. Intervening spaces generally smaller than punctures, glossy, in part microreticulate. Inconspicuous suberect seta rises from anterior margin of each puncture. Epipleuron with row or two (in broad anterior part) of suberect setae. Pygidium and abdominal ventrites glossy. Pygidium in both sexes dorsally flattened, covered with moderately large and deep irregularly ovoid punctures, each provided with moderately long suberect seta (Fig. 483). Legs long and slender, femora and tibiae covered with delicate whitish setae. Pro- and mesotibiae less distinct, metatibiae stronger thickened distally. Outer margins of meso- and metatibiae densely denticulate. Two teeth on external margin of protibia in both sexes (Fig. 388). Male lower meso- and metatibial terminal spur strongly curved. Distal margin of metatibia in both sexes with projection over basal metatarsomere. Male metatibial terminal spurs shorter than basal metatarsomere, female one as long as this. Male basal metatarsomere widened and dorso-ventrally flattened. Tarsal claws with pulvilli in both sexes. Spiculum gastrale as in Fig. 549. Male aedeagus as in Figs 640–642.
Sexual dimorphism
Female is generally larger; lamellae of antennal club shorter; protibial spur slightly curved distally in male, straight in female; male metatibial terminal spur shorter than, in female as long as basal metatarsomere; apical margin of female pygidium with vague emargination, not emarginate in male; female basal metatarsomere not conspicuously widened or flattened; female lower meso- and metatibial terminal spur slender, slightly curved apically.
Ecology
Occurs in lowland rainforests. Possibly nocturnal.
Distribution
Hitherto only known from Central Sulawesi.
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 65-66, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.721.1127, http://zenodo.org/record/4122118