25. Leiodes iwakirii sp. nov.

(Japanese name: Hyûga-ô-tamakinokomushi) (Figs. 75–76)

Type locality. Japan, Kyushu, Miyazaki Pref., Miyazaki City, Takaoka, Takafusa.

Type material. JAPAN: KYUSHU: HOLOTYPE, ♂, Miyazaki Pref., Miyazaki City, Takaoka, Takafusa, 6.vi.2007, K. Iwakiri leg. (FIT) (MNHAH).

Diagnosis. Body small, 2.4 mm long, ca. 1.7× as long as wide. Dorsum brown. Elytra almost straight from base to ca. midlength of lateral margins. Each elytron with nine distinct ows of punctures, subhumeral row as long as ca. 1/3 of elytral length. Mesoventrite with a distinct excavation between median carina and transverse carina. Median carina of mesoventrite low. Metatibiae almost straight. Parameres a little broadening at apex.

Description. Measurements of holotype: Body length 2.4 mm; head 0.42 mm in length and 0.65 mm in width; pronotum 0.70 mm in length and 1.1 mm in width; elytra 1.5 mm in length and 1.4 mm in width.

Coloration. Dorsum almost unicolor, brown; antennae almost unicolor, brown, except for slightly paler apical half of antennomere 11; legs brownish; all tarsi slightly paler than remaining parts; mesoventrite and metaventrite brown; abdominal ventrites light brown.

Head distinctly and densely punctate, bearing some large punctures (Fig. 75A); antennomeres 1–3 each longer than wide; antennomere 11 about as long as wide; remaining antennomeres each wider than long; antennomere 11 oval and clearly narrower than antennomere 10 (Fig. 75C); relative lengths of antennomeres 2 to 11 – 2.9: 2.6: 1.6: 2.1: 1.3: 2.7: 1.0: 3.3: 3.9: 4.6.

Pronotum widest near base, simply and very feebly curved at posterior margin, distinctly punctate, punctation similar to that on head (Fig. 75A).

Scutellum minutely punctate.

Elytra almost straight from base to ca. midlength of lateral margins (Fig. 75A), not transversely strigose; each elytron with nine rows of punctures, bearing small number of large punctures and moderate number of fine punctures between rows (Fig. 75D); row 9 invisible in dorsal view, subhumeral row as long as ca. 1/3 of elytral length (Fig. 75B); rows composed of punctures larger than those on pronotum (Fig. 75A); sutural stria fine, reaching from apex to ca. apical half of elytral length.

Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Mesoventrite strongly microreticulate, impunctate, almost glabrous, and with one distinct excavation between median carina and transverse carina (Fig. 75E); median carina of mesoventrite low (Fig. 75E); metaventrite sparsely and finely pubescent, strongly microreticulate except for almost smooth middle portion.

Protibiae gradually widening from base towards apex (Fig. 76C); tarsomeres 2–4 of protarsi and mesotarsi a little expanded (Fig. 76A); metafemur a little triangularly protuberant at about midlength of posterior margin and feebly expanded posteroapically (Fig. 76B), bearing small dorsal projection posteroapically (Fig. 76D); metatibiae almost straight (Fig. 76B).

Abdominal sternite 8 strongly curved (Fig. 76E); aedeagus slender (Figs. 76F, 76G); median lobe a little protuberant apically in dorsal view (Fig. 76F), moderately curved in lateral view (Fig. 76G); each paramere a little broadened at apex and bearing a few apical setae and a transparent lobe (Fig. 76H); inner sac as shown in Fig. 76I.

Female. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Leiodes iwakirii sp. nov. is one of the smallest species of Japanese Leiodes. It is similar to the Chinese species L. taipoensis Cooter & Kilian, 2002 in the shape of the parameres of the aedeagus, but can be distinguished from it by having the aedeagus distinctly protuberant in the dorsal view (Fig. 76F). In contrast, L. taipoensis has the aedeagus simply triangular apically. Leiodes iwakirii sp. nov. also resembles L. irregularis in elytral shape, but can be separated from it by the mesoventrite with a distinct excavation between the median carina and transverse carina (Fig. 75E). In contrast, L. irregularis has the mesoventrite without an excavation (Fig. 93J).

Etymology. This species is dedicated to Mr. Koji Iwakiri who kindly donated many valuable specimens of Leiodes used in this study.

Distribution. Japan: Kyushu (Miyazaki Prefecture).