Macrotomoderus palaung Telnov 2022, sp. nov.

Macrotomoderus palaung sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: A5AC11E9-9F42-4822-8ECB-76DB1CC6946D

Figs 32–33

Differential diagnosis

This species is readily different from all congeners in the slightly declivous anterior margin of the male pronotum. Also see key to species below.

Etymology

Named after Palaung (also known as Palong), a Mon–Khmer ethnic minority in Shan State of Myanmar, Yunnan Province of China, and Northern Thailand. In China, they are usually referred to as the De’ang. Noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype CHINA • ♂; “CHINA, Yunnan, N Baoshan, 2265-2530 m 8.v.2006 Belousov & Kabak leg. // 25°30′10″N 99°06′40″E 25°29′26″N 99°06′16″E”; ZIN.

Paratypes (4 specimens) CHINA • 2 ♀♀; same labels as for holotype; ZIN • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same labels as for holotype; DTC.

Description

MEASUREMENTS. Holotype, total body length 3.7 mm; head 0.8 mm long, across eyes 0.78 mm broad, pronotum 1 mm long, maximum width 0.75 mm, minimum width 0.3 mm, elytra 1.9 mm long, 1.4 mm combined wide. Selected paratypes are 3.6 mm (♀), 3.8 mm and 3.9 mm long.

Dorsum and venter uniformly brown, pronotum slightly paler. Mouthparts, antennae, palps and legs yellowish-brown. Head ovoid with rather small, ovoid compound eyes, which are not protruding beyond head outline laterally. Head rounded in broad arc posterior to eyes. Head dorsal punctures minute, moderately deep. Intervening spaces glossy and glabrous twice to 4 × as large as punctures. Head dorsal setae inconspicuous, moderately dense. Antennae extending slightly beyond base of elytra. Antennomere three about 1.5 × as long as antennomere two, antennomeres 7–10 transverse, of them 9–10 strongly transverse. Terminal antennomere triangular with pointed apex, about 1.7–1.8× as long as penultimate antennomere. Terminal maxillary palpomere securiform. Pronotum with broad and medially deeply notched postmedian lateral constriction. Anterior lobe distinctly wider than posterior. Front margin of anterior lobe truncate in male (Fig. 32B), subtruncate in female, in male slightly declivous anteriad medially, in both sexes dorsally without anterior rim. Anterior lobe convex in lateral view (Fig. 32C). Lateral constriction continues onto disc in lateral view, rather shallow (Fig. 32C). Lateral pronotal fovea broad at lower external margin of pronotum, widens upwards towards pronotal disc in lateral view, external margins protruding into a pair of obtuse (in lateral view), widely separated denticles (in lateral view). Cavity in lateral wall of pronotum between lateral denticles not observed. In dorsal view, lateral pronotal fovea broad and deep, anterior and posterior pair of denticles appear obtusely angulate, glabrous, dorsally partially concealed with setae from adjoining portions of lateral constriction (Fig. 32B). Pronotal punctures generally stronger but similarly sparse as those on head. Lateral constriction dorsally with elongate, large and very dense, coarse, irregularly shaped punctures. Dorsal pronotal setae inconspicuous, moderately long. Scutellar shield minute, apically rounded. Elytra dorsally shortly elliptical, flattened in lateral view, strongly widened laterally in median third, lateral margins of elytra broadly rounded, shoulders obsolete (apterous species). Elytral punctures stronger than those on anterior lobe of pronotum moderately deep, sparse, becoming slightly shallower towards apices. Intervening spaces generally 2–10 × as large as punctures. Elytral setae long and sparse, suberect. Male tergite and morphological sternite VII broadly rounded at posterior margin. Aedeagus as in Fig. 33, short and broad, bigibbose in lateral view, with peculiar gonopore armature consisting of a median “vertebra” of elongate-triangular, acute constituting pieces laterally enclosed into broad tube of less prominent, elongate, dense constituting pieces. Apical portion of apicale without armature.

Sexual dimorphism

Female externally similar to male, anterior margin of pronotum is evenly convex, not declivous.

Ecology

Collected in pitfall traps at 2265–2530 m elevation.

Distribution

Known only from western part of Yunnan Province, SW China.