Corresponding author: M.Y. Mandelshtam (
Academic editor: R.A. Beaver
A new bark beetle species,
One more new species of
Oriental
Male. Holotype (NHML) body length 5.1 mm, width 2.0 mm, other specimens (four female paratypes) 4.8–5.0 mm in length. Body reddish brown, essentially as in
Frons is rather densely but not coarsely, uniformly punctured, with an enlarged puncture in center forming a small fovea. Frontal surface shining, without reticulation. Vertex more sparsely punctured and with smaller punctures. A median longitudinal black line (sulcus) on vertex probably indicates internal strengthening of the head. Frons with rather long, fairly sparse, yellowish hair-like setae, not forming tufts typical of females of
Pronotum slightly longer than wide (1.9 vs. 1.8 mm); sides subparallel in basal three fourth and apex simply rounded, without teeth on anterior margin. Pronotal surface generally granulate, more coarsely anteriorly, punctured area very small and restricted to central portion of pronotal base around impunctate median line extending approximately one fifth of pronotal length only. Pronotal surface between granules shining, without any reticulation. Sides and anterior margin of pronotum with long, curved, yellow hair-like setae.
Scutellum large, flat, flush with elytral surface, of same reddish color as elytra.
Elytra slightly wider (2.0 vs. 1.9 mm) than pronotum, nearly cylindrical, only slightly widened towards apex, 3.2 mm long. Elytra extremely coarsely punctured on the disk, especially on striae 1–3 (
Declivity slightly flattened, convex, not steep, dull. Ventrolateral sides of declivity not armed and lacking minute tubercles on declivital surface. First and second interstriae are widened at declivity. Strial punctures of first and second interstriae on declivity larger than punctures of other striae, but more than two times smaller than on disk. First and second striae slightly divergent towards elytral apex. Suture appearing only slightly convex on declivity because juxtasutural striae are not deepened. Elytra with rather long yellow interstrial hair-like setae, longer laterally and on the declivity; strial hair-like setae recumbent and approximately 5 times shorter that interstrial setae.
Legs typical for the genus, protibia with 5 socketed teeth on outer surface, meso- and metatibiae each with 5 spines on outer margin.
Underside of body reddish brown, abdomen covered with rather long setae on posterior margin of ventrites.
Female. Similar to male, but the frons with a dense tuft of long yellow hair-like setae.
The new species is dedicated to the eminent British coleopterologist F.G. Browne, who first labeled the holotype as a possible new species.
Holotype (male) is deposited in NHML. Labels of the holotype are as follows: Kashmir: Gulmarg. vi – 1931. Dr. M.Cameron. B.M. 931–452.//
A new bark-beetle is described from Northern India that differs from all other Indian species of the genus
In India, four species of genus
Holotype (female): Kashmir, Pir Panjal, Rost [leg.]// Female sign // Type // Spongocerus kunala Strohm. Determ. Strohmeyer // Coll. Strohmeyer // Holotypus (on red paper). Holotype is deposited in Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Iinstitut (SDEI). Additional material examined: 2 males, Afghan[istan], Nurestan, N. Waygal, 2750 m., 9.7.1972, Kabakov [leg.] (Zoological Museum of Moscow University and A.V.Petrov private collection); 1 more male and 2 females with labels: Afghan[istan] Nurestan N. Waygal 3500 m. 2.7.1972 Kabakov [leg.] (A.V. Petrov private collection).
Length 2.7 mm, body stout, 2.1 times as long as wide (
Frons concave, uniformly shagreened, minutely, uniformly punctured. Vestiture of whole frontal surface consists of very fine erect and relatively long hairlike setae visible from lateral and dorsal view (not from frontal view). Upper and lateral edges of frons with long hairlike setae; those on upper part until middle of eyes very long and curved towards center of frons. Longest setae convergent in middle of frons, not extending beyond middle of frons; those on lateral edges of flattened lower frontal part become shorter ventrad and are not so curved (
4
Pronotum wide and short, 0.8 times as long as wide (1.9 mm vs 2.3 mm), widest in anterior third, vestiture of fine and short hair-like setae denser at anterior margin. Pronotal surface shining, minutely punctured, punctures very shallow and set 3–4 diameters apart from each other. Surface between punctures minutely reticulated. Posterior part of pronotum more lightly coloured than anterolateral angles. Lateral margins of pronotum sharply elevated and propleura strongly concave.
Prosternum weakly convex, with an obscure triangular elevation between procoxae, its indistinct pointed apex oriented backwards, and base of triangle forming anterior prosternal margin. This margin is armed with two divergent translucent processes set far apart (
Scutellum small, triangular, flush with elytral surface.
Elytra 1.38 times as long as wide, 2.0 times as long as pronotum, clearly widened posteriorly. Elytral surface minutely punctured, shining, without signs of reticulation. Elytral punctures not organized in rows and interstriae invisible besides at declivity where all interstriae with exception of the first one are finely carinate. First declivital interstriae at declivity are broadly elevated, not carinate and bear 9–10 tubercles of median size, towards elytral apex evidently divergent. Carina on all other interstriae very low and devoid of tubercles. Elytral declivity convex, not impressed. Posterior dark carinate portion of elytra has yellowish and dense recumbent hair-like setae, anterior light portion of elytra is glabrous.
Underside of beetle is uniformly light yellow. Fourth and fifth abdominal sterna with abundant long yellowish hair-like setae protruding beyond abdominal apex.
Front femora without tooth above apex. Front tibiae with three widely set spines at lateral edge and with apical mucro. Tarsi long, third segment not bilobed, fifth segment as long as all previous combined.
Female. Similar to male, but frons is not impressed and long pubescence at lateral and upper edges of frons is not developed (
Length 2.8 mm (HT – 2.96 mm), body stout, 2.15 times as long as wide. Body pale brown, elytral colour pattern essentially as in male, body surface faintly shining.
Head brown, darker compared to other body parts. Frons faintly convex, dull. Frontal surface gently shagreened. Lateral frontal parts near eyes faintly shining. Middle part of frons with a sickle-shaped faintly shining impression above mandibles, upper part of impression near center of the frons with two symmetrically placed small tubercles that are seen with difficulty. Slightly elevated dark median line continues from vertex down to epistomal impression. Frontal surface covered by shallow round punctures. Median part of frons covered by sparse, short erect hair-like setae, with somewhat higher density in middle of frons. Short recumbent hair-like setae are concentrated around eyes. Vertex is covered with round shallow punctures, glabrous. Antennae brown with sand-coloured triangular flat club.
Pronotum subquadrate, surface faintly shining, covered by microscopic round punctures, with faintly developed flattened tubercles laterally from pronotum center. Slightly anteriorly to pronotum middle a well-developed mycangial pore with a bunch of pale fine hair-like setae is developed. Posterior part of pronotum up to the central pore is covered by pale microscopic hair-like setae; anteriorly to the pore, pronotum with more long pale erect hair-like setae. Lateral pronotal margin as in all
Scutellum as in male.
Elytra light brown, faintly shining. Elytral base 1.2 times as wide as pronotum base. Maximal elytral width at beginning of declivity. Declivital margins not evenly rounded toward elytral apex, elytral apex somewhat angular. Dorsum of declivity evenly arched towards apex. Elytra 1.4 times as long as wide. Elytral surface with circular punctures. Strial punctures not deepened and of similar size to interstrial punctures, so that striae are obscure, not clearly seen. Interstriae slightly elevated on declivity, first interstriae with minute tubercles, seen with difficulty. Elytral surface covered with microscopic light hair-like setae.
Metasternum light brown, covered by short pale hair-like setae. Metacoxal cavities with clearly marked raised margin.
Abdomen light brown. Sternites covered by minute shallow round punctures and pale hair-like setae; these setae clearly longer on 3-rd, 4-th and 5-th sternites than on 1-st and 2-nd sternites.
Legs light yellow. Denticles on outer lateral protibial surface rather strong in the specimen described, but probably intraspecifically variable.
In habitus the species resembles specimens of
Unfortunately, the recently published key to Indian
The key to Oriental
19. | Prosternum with a pair of widely separated, translucent, divergent anteriorly processes. Rows of punctures on elytral dorsum not impressed, usually indistinct | 19A |
– | Prosternum with a pair of closely set translucent processes, with an asymmetrical translucent process, or without translucent processes | 19B |
19A. | Frons with a rather sparse fringe of hair-like setae on each side curving inwardly, convergent to the center of frons but not extending to lower half of frons. 2.7 mm | |
– | The incurved brushes of hair-like setae denser and longer, extending beyond middle of frons and usually attaining epistomal margin | 22 (species |
19B. | Prosternum raised in middle in a triangle, the apex anterior or posterior | 20 |
– | Prosternum flat or weakly convex, not raised in a triangle. Prosternum without translucent processes at the anterior margin. 3.5–4.5 mm | |
20. | Apex of prosternal triangle posterior, anterior margin projecting in two rounded lobes, slightly asymmetrical, and with a translucent process on the right side only. 2.8–3.0 mm long | |
– | Apex of prosternal triangle anterior, with two symmetrical, divergent, triangular, closely set translucent processes | 21 |
21. | Posterior margin of raised prosternal triangle has a sharp elevation directed posteriorly in the center, apex of prosternal triangle anterior without a pointed tubercle directed downwards. 2.6–3.3 mm | |
– | Apex of prosternal triangle anterior with a single pointed tubercle directed downwards. 3.1–3.3 mm long |
The key to Oriental
15. | Basal angles of pronotum triangularly produced laterally, acute apically (species |
16 |
– | Basal angles of pronotum not strongly produced laterally, approximately rectangular | 17 |
17. | Elytral interstriae carinate in the posterior two thirds of elytra 2.8–3.5 mm | |
– | Elytral interstria not carinate, with rows of tubercles or striae weakly impressed before declivity or not impressed at all; if carinate than size less than 2.8 mm | 17A |
17A. | Elytral striae weakly impressed before declivity; elytral disc with fine hair-like setae on both striae and interstriae. Body length 3.8–4.5 mm | |
– | Elytral striae not impressed before declivity, or if impressed, then length less than 2 mm1818. | Elytral declivity with dense vestiture of long, yellowish hair-like setae 19 (species |
– | Elytral vestiture of very short hair-like setae or elytra glabrous | 21 |
21. | More elongate species, the elytra 1.7–1.9 times as long as pronotum | 22 (species |
– | Less elongate species, the elytra at most 1.5 times as long as pronotum | 23 |
23. | Apex of interstriae 2 with a small acutely pointed tooth | 24 (species |
– | Apex of interstriae 2 without a tooth | 24A |
24A. | Larger species, body length 2.8–3.0 mm. Interstriae at the declivity with minute tubercles, clearly seen only at the first interstriae, obscure and seen with difficulty at all other interstriae | |
– | Smaller species 1.2–1.8 mm long | 25 (species |
Dr. Maxwell Barclay is thanked for the loan of undetermined