Scirtes tokotaai Ruta & Kiałka 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ruta, Rafał
name: Kiałka, Agata
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scirtidae
Scirtes
Scirtes tokotaai

description: Scirtes tokotaai sp. nov.
(Figs 1G, 6 E–I)
Type material. Holotype, male (BPBM): “ FIJI: Viti Levu, Naitasiri Prov., / 3.5km N Veisari, logging rd. to / Waivudawa, [-18.068, 178.367] 300m / 14.II.–8.III.2003.Malaise: M03. / E.I. Schlinger. M. Tokotaa. FBA202151”. Paratypes: 1 male (BPBM): “ FIJI: Viti Levu, Vuda Prov., 1.5 km SW / Vaturu Dam, 550m, 14.VII.–26.VII.2004, / Malaise trap: M01, E.I. Schlinger, A. / Namaqa, [-17.744, 177.676]. FBA_221470”; 6 males (BPBM): same data as above, but inventory numbers FBA_221465, FBA_221471, FBA_221468, FBA_221467, FBA_221469, FBA_ 221473; 1 male (BPBM): “ FIJI: Taveuni, Cakaudrove Prov., / 5.3km SE Tavuki Village, Mt. Devo, / 1054m, 21.XI.– 13.XII.2002. Malaise: / M03. [-16.841, -179.958]. E.I. / Schlinger. M. Tokotaa. FBA 200370”; 1 male (BPBM): same data as above but inventory number FBA 200371.
Diagnosis. Body elongate, depressed, identification possible only on the basis of male genital features: parameres ca. as long as basal portion of tegmen, apical processes of penis long, hooked, ca. 0.5–0.8× length of pala, length of apical processes of penis unequal—articulated process distinctly longer.
Description. Holotype, male. Body elongate oval, depressed, shining, covered with brownish setae. Head, scutellar shield and elytra brown, pronotum brown with yellowish margin. Antennomeres 1–2 yellowish, remaining darker, brownish, legs brownish.
Head of moderate size, flattened, shiny, covered with fine punctures separated by ca. 2.0 diameters; clypeus moderately long, slightly expanded antero-laterally, gently arcuate in front margin. Eyes moderate in size, prominent; head ca. 1.5× wider than interocular space. Antennae filiform, reaching basal 1/3 of elytra. Pronotum convex in mesal portion of the disc, punctures similar to those on head, sparse, separated by ca. 2.0 diameters; antero-lateral angles widely subtriangular; postero-lateral angles right-angled; posterior margin slightly bisinuate. Scutellar shield relatively small, punctate, equilateral-triangular. Elytra oval, sides subparallel in basal half, regularly rounded in posterior half, punctation stronger than on pronotum, punctures separated by ca. 0.5–1.0 diameter; humeri elevated. Hind tibial spurs slightly curved, dorsal one 0.7× as long as tarsomere 1, ventral one 0.4× as long as dorsal one.
Sternite VIII very small, transversely V-shaped (L 0.04 mm, W 0.10 mm). Sternite (L 0.18 mm, W 0.14 mm) V-shaped. Tergite VIII (L 0.33 mm, W 0.27 mm) with transversely rectangular apical plate, bearing a row of short setae on apical margin, apodemes as long as apical plate; tergite IX (L 0.33 mm, W 0.22 mm) with rectangular apical plate, apodemes ca. 2× longer than apical plate. Aedeagus asymmetrical. Tegmen (L 0.77 mm, W 0.12 mm) long and narrow, Y-shaped (Figs 6 E–F). Penis (L 0.80 mm, W 0.21 mm) elongate, pala oval in basal portion, narrowed in apical portion, apex of pala with two hooked, asymmetrical, long processes with pointed apices (Figs 6 G–I).
Female. Unknown.
Variability. Proportions of basal portion of tegmen and parameres slightly variable; apical processes of penis of variable shape and length (Figs 6 G–I). TL varies, ca. 2.30–2.60 mm.
Measurements and ratios. Males (n=8): TL 2.33–2.60 mm (2.45 mm), EL 1.90–2.17 mm (2.07 mm), PL 0.40–0.53 mm (0.45 mm), EW 1.43–1.57 mm (1.50 mm), PW 1.03–1.23 mm (1.15 mm), TL/EW 1.59–1.75 (1.60), PW/PL 2.31–2.85 (2.53), EL/EW 1.33–1.45 (1.37), EL/PL 4.06–4.92 (4.68), EW/PW 1.19–1.38 (1.35).
Distribution. Known from Viti Levu and Taveuni Islands (Fig. 9C).
Etymology. Dedicated to Moala Tokota’a, a well known Fijian conservationist who collected many specimens described in the present paper.
description: Published as part of Ruta, Rafał & Kiałka, Agata, 2021, The genus Scirtes Illiger of Fiji (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea: Scirtidae), pp. 501-520 in Zootaxa 4926 (4) on pages 512-513, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4926.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/4529587