Oedichirus ruficeps KRAATZ

Oedichirus ruficeps KRAATZ

(Figs 18)

Oedichirus ruficeps KRAATZ, 1859: 155.

Oedichirus ruficeps CAMERON 1932: 28.

Material studied: ♀ Holotype: 107 / India or. / Holotypus / Oedichirus ruficeps Kr. / Coll. Kraatz / DEI Münchenberg Col – 07523 [DEI].

Description: length: ca. 7.8 mm; length of fore-body: 2.25 length of head: 0.75; breadth of head: 0.97; length of pronotum: 1.15; breadth of pronotum: 0.92; length of elytron: 0.85; breadth of elytra: 0.9. Head, pronotum and abdominal segments IV-VI rufo-testaceous, segments III and VII-IX black; legs testaceous. Head, pronotum and elytra shiny but with very faint microsculpture; abdomen devoid of microsculpture except on and between basal keels of abdominal tergites. No evident pubescence (probably rubbed off). Habitus: Fig. 18h.

Head strongly transverse; post-ocular border strong, consisting of a carina forming a salient acute angle close to posterior margin of eye, preceded by a fine shallow groove bearing a few minute, scarcely perceptible punctures; puncturation of disc consisting only of two transverse rows of punctures on vertex, the first of three, the second of five punctures, a single shallow puncture on each side near margin of eye, and a transverse row of six smaller punctures before base. Pronotum averagely elongate, the sides convergent in straight lines to base; lateral margin finely bordered in anterior half; puncturation of disc consisting of a pair of arcuate discal series of six punctures each, an irregular cluster of a few punctures before these, lateral series of two punctures and another puncture near base, and a number of smaller punctures along lateral margins. Micropterous, elytra broader than long, the humeral angles completely obsolete; punctures of disc smaller than those of pronotal discal series, denser and finer near suture, sparser and coarser on sides. Punctures on abdominal tergites arranged in three discrete transverse rows behind anterior row of keels on tergites IV and V, the punctures of the last row (on posterior margin) sparser and much more widely spaced than those of preceding rows.

Female: sternite IX: Fig. 18vp.

The type specimen, which had been mounted on a point, became detached from the mount during the shipment to Oxford, and was broken into several parts; these have been glued back together on a card. The specimen lacks the antennae and three legs; none of these appendages was found in the box, so were probably lost before despatch. The provenance of this specimen is uncertain, but probably the Indian subcontinent.