Scirtes abacaensis 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 abacaensis

description: Scirtes abacaensis sp. nov.
(Figs 1I, 8 A–B)
Type material. Holotype, male (BPBM): “ FIJI, Viti Levu, Vuda Prov., Koroyanitu / EcoPark, Mt. Evans Range, 1 km E Abaca / Village, Savuione Trail, 800m, 22.IV.–6. / V. 2003, Malaise trap: M01, L. Tulmereke, / [-17.667, 177.55]. FBA_220272”. Paratypes: 2 males (BPBM): same data as above but inventory numbers FBA_220273 and FBA_220274.
Diagnosis. Body small (TL around 2.0 mm), elongate, depressed, identification possible only on the basis of male genital features: single process of tegmen slightly curved, pointed at apex, paired processes of tegmen of equal lengths, apical processes of penis ca. 0.3× as long as pala.
Description. Holotype, male. Body oblong oval, depressed, shining, covered with brownish setae. Head, pronotum, scutellar shield and elytra dark brown. Antennomeres 1–2 yellowish, antennomeres 3–11 yellowish-brown; legs brown.
Head of moderate size, convex dorsally, shiny, covered with subtle 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 sparse, stronger than on head, separated by ca. 1.5 diameter; anterolateral angles widely subtriangular; postero-lateral angles right-angled; posterior margin slightly bisinuate. Scutellar shield relatively small, finely punctate, equilateral-triangular. Elytra oblong-oval, sides subparallel, punctation strong, much stronger than on pronotum, punctures separated by ca. 0.5 diameter; humeri elevated. Hind tibial spurs slightly curved, dorsal one ca. 0.7× length of tarsomere 1, ventral one 0.3× as long as dorsal one.
Sternite VIII very small, transversely V-shaped (L 0.04 mm, W 0.11 mm). Sternite IX (L 0.14 mm, W 0.10 mm) V-shaped, consisting of paired, elongate, arcuate hemisternites. Tergite VIII (L 0.31 mm, W 0.23 mm) moderately sclerotized, with transversely oval apical plate, bearing a row of relatively long setae on apical margin, apodemes as long as apical plate; tergite IX (L 0.26 mm, W 0.16 mm) narrow, apical plate transversely rectangular, apodemes 2× longer than apical plate. Aedeagus asymmetrical. Tegmen (L 0.60 mm, W 0.12 mm) asymmetrical, Y-shaped, each paramere bifid: one with two long processes, and the second one with pair of wider, slightly hooked and pointed processes strongly differing in length—the longer ca. 2× longer than the short one (Fig. 8A). Penis (L 0.63 mm, W 0.16 mm) well sclerotized, with subrectangular, elongate basal portion, apical portion narrow and elongate, as long as basal portion, apex with paired hooked processes (Fig. 8B).
Female. Unknown.
Variability. A small variation in the body length was observed: TL (n=3) 1.90–2.07 mm.
Measurements and ratios. Males (n=3): TL 1.90–2.07 mm (1.97 mm), EL 1.57–1.70 mm (1.66 mm), PL 0.33–0.40 mm (0.37 mm), EW 1.17–1.27 mm (1.21 mm), PW 0.90–1.00 mm (0.94 mm), TL/EW 1.61–1.63 (1.62), PW/PL 2.50–2.70 (2.53), EL/EW 1.34–1.42 (1.38), EL/PL 4.25–4.70 (4.53), EW/PW 1.27–1.30 (1.31).
Distribution. Known only from Mt. Evans Range on Viti Levu Island (Fig. 9D).
Etymology. After Abaca, a village located close to the type locality of the species.
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 513-514, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4926.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/4529587