Micranops obscurellus (Cameron)

(Figs 7, 122–124, 170, 171)

Scopaeus obscurellus Cameron, 1932: 138.

Micranops obscurellus (Cameron, 1932); Frisch & Herman 2014: 70.

Type specimens examined: Lectotype ♀, Malaysia, Pahang: Bentong;labelled“Type”(round,printed,rededged label), “Fungus” (printed), “The Gap, / Selangor, F.M.S. / Dr. Cameron.” (printed), “S. / obscurellus / TYPE Cam.“ (handwritten, “TYPE” in red), “M. Cameron / Bequest / B.M.1955-147.” (printed), “NHMUK015009827” (printed), “LECTOTYPE / Scopaeus obscurellus / CAMERON, 1932 / des. J. Frisch, 2025 ”; here designated. Paralectotype ♀, Malaysia, Pahang: Bentong; labelled “debris” (printed), “Bank of Stream” (printed), “The Gap, / Selangor, F.M.S. / Dr. Cameron.” (printed), “M. Cameron / Bequest / B.M.1955-147.” (printed), “NHMUK015009821” (printed), “PARALECTOTYPE / Scopaeus obscurellus / CAMERON, 1932 / des. J. Frisch, 2025 ”

The original description of Scopaeus obscurellus (Cameron 1932: 138) contains no information regarding the number of underlying specimens nor does it specify a holotype by original designation (ICZN 1999: Article 73.1.1.). At NHML, where the Cameron collection is stored (Horn et al. 1990: 65), there are two specimens under the name S. obscurellus, one of them was labelled as the “type” of S. obscurellus by Cameron, as evidenced by the example of Cameron’s handwriting in Horn et al. (1990: 477), but the other one bears no identification or type label. Their locality The Gap in the Malay province of Selangor does not correspond to the published type locality Bentong in the Malay province of Pahang, but The Gap is the highest point of the pass that marks the border between Selangor and Pahang in the Titiwangsa Mountains. Since the two specimens agree with the original description, Cameron himself had labelled one of them as the type of S. obscurellus, and no specimens of S. obscurellus with the locality label Bentong were found at NHML (D. Telnov, pers. comm.), I accept them as syntypes.

Since no male syntypes exist, I designate as the lectotype the female from the Cameron collection at NHML, which was labelled as the type by Cameron, to stabilize the name S. obscurellus according to ICZN 1999, Article 74.1. The designation of a female lectotype is justified, because the species can be distinguished according to exoskeletal features.

New records: Thailand: Trang: Khao Ka Chong (Kaehong Research Station), 200 m, 19.VIII.1970, leg. Franz (NHMW).

Redescription: Macrophthalmous, probably pterodimorphous species with palisade fringe of abdominal tergite VII; elytral sutural length about 0.8– 0.9 times as long as pronotal length; metathoracic wings not examined, probably non-functional judging from short elytra. Body color medium brown; appendages light brown. Body surface subnitid with fine, setose punctation; head and pronotum shinier and less densely punctate than elytra and abdomen. Head 1.06–1.1 times longer than wide, with convex temples and moderately concave posterior margin. Eyes 0.35–0.41 times as long as temples. Nuchal groove 0.29–0.31 times as wide as greatest head width. Trichobothrial cavity subparallel, 2.5–3.0 times as long horizontally as vertically, slightly tapered toward eye, and connected to it dorsoposteriorly (Fig. 7). Antenna compact, from slightly elongate antennomeres 2–3 gradually widened toward transverse penultimate antennomeres; antennomere 10 about 0.6– 0.7 times, antennomere 11 about 1.2–1.3 times as long as wide. Total body length 2.3–2.6 mm; forebody length 1.2–1.3 mm.

Male: Protarsomeres 1–4 narrow, slightly wider than long.

Abdominal sternite VII with subtriangular emargination occupying medial 0.17 of posterior sternite width and 0.13 of sternite length; posterior sternite margin somewhat extended toward emargination; sternite with asetose field proximal of medioposterior emargination, five strong, posterior macrosetae lateral of medioposterior emargination, and strip of macrosetae in about median third of sternite width that includes posterior emargination and asetose field and becomes narrower proximad (Fig. 170).

Abdominal sternite VIII with subbasal ridge extended in long, narrow, parallel, medioposterior process with round end somewhat projecting ventrad; posterior margin with deep, narrow triangular incision occupying about 0.4 of sternite length; lateral setae long, up to 0.36 times as long as sternite length (Fig. 171).

Aedeagus with reduced lobe-bearing apical portion (Figs 122–124), in dorsal view about 2.4 times as long as wide measured without ventral process (Fig. 124). Apical portion roughly circular in lateral view (Fig. 122), with irregular convex apex in dorsal view (Fig. 124); membranous lobes not clearly distinguishable without dissection.Endophallic sclerites as in Figs122–124; broad, ventral, dorsad curved lobe probably of endophallic origin reaching distal end of apical portion of aedeagus (Fig. 122). Ventral process considerably protruding over apical portion of aedeagus, aligned distoventrad and slightly bent distad, in lateral view with broad basal third about half as wide as aedeagus at same level, then tapered dorsally toward narrow, parallel apical third about half as wide as basal third (Fig. 122), in ventral view lanceolate, at base about third as wide as aedeagus, then moderately dilated followed by gradually tapered distal two-thirds, and with obtuse apical end (Fig. 123); ventral process ventrally with two close denticles in basal third and two less close denticles in apical third (Fig. 122). Dorsomidlongitudinal split occupying most of length of phallobase (Fig. 122). Postforamen strongly projecting distoventrad (Fig. 122). Circoforamen not much longer than median foramen (Fig. 123). Length of aedeagus 0.24 mm.

Female: Protarsomeres 1–4 narrow, slightly wider than long.

Distribution: Micranops obscurellus is native to the Malay Peninsula and recorded from the very south of Thailand (Trang) and the Titiwangsa Mountains, Malaysia.