Corresponding author: Tomáš Lackner (
Academic editor: Michael Caterino
Based on the results of recent phylogenetic analysis of the higher taxa of the
Se référant aux résultats des récentes analyses phylogénétiques portant sur les taxa supérieurs des
While mounting a larger series of this ‘species’ based on old as well as new collections, the junior author noticed significant differences between the aedeagi among the specimens. In the light of this discovery, the minor differences in external morphology, hitherto attributed to individual variation, suddenly gained significance. Furthermore, the senior author, when entrusted with a lot of recently collected specimens of ‘
During the PhD studies of the senior author a large number of species belonging to the
All dry-mounted specimens were relaxed in warm water for several hours or overnight, depending on the body size. After removal from original cards, the beetles were side-mounted on triangular points and observed under a Nikon 102 stereoscopic microscope with diffused light. Some structures were studied using methods described by
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA (D. Kavanaugh);
Yves Gomy collection, Nevers, France;
Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France (A. Taghavian);
The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom (R. Booth);
Tomáš Lackner collection, temporarily housed at NCB Naturalis, Leiden, Netherlands.
Length between anterior angles of pronotum and apices of elytra;
Width between anterior angles of pronotum;
Width between posterior angles of pronotum;
Length of elytron along sutural line;
Maximal width between outer margins of elytra.
Rather small
Externally this new taxon at first glance resembles a specimen of the genus
Series of
Madagascar.
The name of this newly erected taxon is a combination of the genus name
Madagascar, Androy region, Ambovombe.
5 ♂♂ & 3 ♀♀ and 49 exs. (sex undetermined) “Mikea Forest / Feb. 2004”; dry forest / fish baited trap / Ilkka Hanski leg”; 1 ♀: “Toliara / Prov., Ranobe, elev. 30m /
Body (
SEM micrographs
Male terminalia
Sensory structures of the antenna of
Antennal scape (
Mouthparts. Mandibles (
Clypeus (
Pronotal sides moderately (
Elytral epipleura evenly punctate; marginal epipleural stria fine, complete; marginal elytral stria straight, well impressed and slightly carinate, continued as complete apical elytral stria. Humeral elytral stria weakly impressed on basal third, almost invisible under punctuation; inner subhumeral stria obliterated by coarse punctures; dorsal elytral striae (except for a tiny basal fragment of fourth dorsal elytral and complete sutural stria) completely erased by extremely coarse and dense elytral punctuation; fourth dorsal elytral stria present as short basal fragment connected with complete sutural elytral stria, which is apically connected with apical elytral stria; entire elytral disc (with exception of tiny punctate ‘mirror’ on fourth elytral interval) with extremely coarse and dense punctures, separated by less than half of their diameter; punctuation somewhat weakens before elytral apex.
Propygidium and pygidium (
Anterior margin of prosternum (
Anterior margin of mesoventrite almost straight, with median projection; discal marginal mesoventral stria well impressed, carinate, inwardly arcuate medially; disc of mesoventrite imbricate-punctate, punctures deep; meso-metaventral sutural stria undulate; intercoxal disc of metaventrite slightly depressed medially, with scattered round punctures of various sizes; lateral metaventral stria (
Intercoxal disc of the first abdominal sternite completely striate laterally; surface imbricate-punctate, punctures fine and sparse.
Protibia (
Mesotibia slender, outer margin with two rows of sparsely spaced short denticles; setae of outer row regular, sparse, shorter than denticles; setae of median row regular, microscopic; posterior mesotibial stria complete; anterior surface of mesotibia imbricate; anterior mesotibial stria complete; mesotibial spur short; apical margin of mesotibia anteriorly with two short denticles; claws of apical tarsomere slightly bent, shorter than half its length; metatibia more slender and longer than mesotibia, in all aspects similar to it, but denticles on outer margin much sparser and claws of apical tarsomere slightly longer than half its length.
Male genitalia. Eighth sternite (
From the highly similar
SEM micrographs
Madagascar.
Body measurements: PEL: 2.20–2.60 mm; APW: 0.90–1.00 mm; PPW: 1.75–2.15 mm; EL: 1.25–1.50 mm; EW: 2.00–2.50 mm. Very similar to the preceding species, differing mainly by larger size; lighter color of legs and antennae (those of
male terminalia
SEM micrographs
male terminalia
Map of distribution of
This species has been collected by beating the thickets as well as by pitfall trapping in tropical dry forest.
The specimens from Ankarafantsika (Ampisoro) slightly differ from those from national park of Baie de Baly in their punctuation of the ventral side of the body, but we regard these differences as variation between the two populations as the male genitalia are constant.
Patronymic, named in the honor of the first collector of this taxon, French botanist Henri Perrier de La Bâthie (1873–1958) well-known for his numerous studies of the Madagascar flora, who nonetheless collected also insects, currently deposited at MNHN.
Madagascar, Diana province, Forêt d’Orangea.
Body measurements: PEL: 2.20–2.30 mm; APW: 0.70–0.80 mm; PPW: 1.75–1.90 mm; EL: 1.40–1.50 mm; EW: 2.00–2.10 mm. Generally, this species has the deepest longitudinal pronotal depression and the largest area of the pronotum covered with deep longitudinal wrinkles. The elytral ‘mirror’ of
Known only from the northernmost tip of the island, region of Diana, northern Madagascar (
Collected in littoral rainforest by the method of pitfall trapping.
Patronymic, named after the region of Diana, where this species has been collected.
1 (2) | Prosternal process even, carinal striae widely separated, not approximate medially, slightly divergent apically ( |
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2 (1) | Prosternal process depressed on anterior two-thirds, not even, carinal striae often approximate medially and thence divergent apically, occasionally united under round loop. | |
3 (4) | Carinal prosternal striae only slightly approximate medially, not substantially divergent apically (see |
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4 (3) | Carinal prosternal striae approximate medially, broadly divergent apically (see |
In the recently performed phylogenetic analysis focused on the resolving the relationships of the higher taxa of the
Position of
When
We are indebted to Masahiro Ôhara (Sapporo, Japan), the former supervisor of the senior author for various help during his stay in Sapporo. The wife of senior author Pepina Artimová is thanked for help with Adobe Illustrator CS5. Thanks are due to Petr Baňař (Brno, Czech Republic) for the map of Madagascar used in this paper as well as for many valuable comments and suggestions. We thank photographers G. Goergen (Cotonou, Benin) and F. Slamka (Bratislava, Slovakia) for their help with the habitus photographs of