Eccoptolonthus ernsti A. Habitus

3. Eccoptolonthus ernsti (Schillhammer, 2011)

(Figs. 5A–G, 6A–F)

Schillhammer, 2011: 147 (Pseudohesperus, type locality: China, Yunnan); Newton, 2015: 13 (transferred to Eccoptolonthus); Schülke & Smetana, 2015: 1021 (Eccoptolonthus, catalog); Li, 2019: 424 (Eccoptolonthus, catalog).

Materials examined. China: Yunnan: 1 ♂, Jingdong: Ailao Shan, Ecological Station (24°32.36′ N, 101°01.67′ E), 2490 m, 17.IX.2010, collected by Zhou Yulingzi (IZ-CAS); ♂, same locality, 2485 m, 19.IX.2010, collected by Zhou Yulingzi (IZ-CAS); ♂, same locality, 2485 m, 20.IX.2010, collected by Lv Liang and Zhang Xi (IZ-CAS).

Description. Length: BL= 9.70 mm (HPL= 3.56 mm). Length of different body parts: HL= 1.57 mm, HW= 1.63 mm (HW: HL= 1.03); ELL= 0.94 mm; TL= 1.28 mm; PL= 1.85 mm, PW= 1.71 mm (PW: HW= 0.92); EL= 2.14 mm, EW= 2.22 mm; AW= 2.14 mm.

Head and pronotum black with slightly lustre. Antennae dark brown, antennomere XI paler than penultimate segment. Elytra black, scutellum black and apex of scutellum dark brown. Abdomen black. Mandibles and labrum dark reddish-brown, maxillary and labial palpi shallow reddish-brown and the last section of maxillary and labial palpi brown. Except femur of front leg and middle leg brown yellow, others dark reddish-brown.

Head approximatively rounded quadrangular shape, without obvious any discernible hind angles, slightly wider than long. Tempora regularly convex. Eyes moderately large, slightly prominent, about 0.73 times as long as tempora. Dorsal surface of head with scattered but rather strong punctation, small portion on vertex and clypeus impunctate. Entire head with distinct and profound microsculpture of transverse waves. Antennae with all segments oblong, antennomere I and III very long, antennomere I about 2 times as long as antennomere II, antennomere III about 1.5 times as long as antennomere II. The segment 4 of maxillary palpi baculiform, about 2 times as long as penultimate. The segment 4 of labial palpi baculiform.

Pronotum slightly longer than wide, widest at midlength, sides regularly but weakly convex, slightly wider than head. Densely punctate except for impunctate midline, disc with distinct and profound microsculpture of transverse waves.

Elytra about 1.25 times as long as pronotum. Scutellum large, triangular. Elytra and scutellum densely and finely punctate and pubescent, punctures separated by one to two times their diameter, punctures much finer than those on head and pronotum. Scutellum with arcuate basal lines.

Abdomen wide, very gradually narrowing towards apex, densely and finely hairs and punctate, bearing strong long setae in the two sides margin of abdomen, bearing two rows of strong setae in the lateral margin of tergites. Tergites III–V with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines with rather irregular transverse row of fine punctures, remaining portion of (all) tergites densely and rather finely punctate, surface between punctures strongly iridescent.

Male: Sternite VIII with moderately wide, inverted trapezoidal, in the apex of Sternite VIII triangular concave and with diaphanous semi-membranous extension (Figs. 5F, 6E). Genital segment with stylus of tergite IX simple, approximatively baculiform (Figs. 5E, 6F). Tergite X triangular with moderately emargination (Figs. 5G, 6D). Male sternite IX with deeply notched apex, tips of lobes bearing one large black seta (Figs. 5D, 6C).

Aedeagus as (Figs. 5B–C, 6A–B). Median lobe short, apical proton broadly truncate; in lateral view, apical portion of median lobe straight and slightly concave in the middle (parameral side); paramere trilobed apically, median lobe longer than lateral lobe, bearing two long rows of peg setae in the apex of median lobe and three pairs of major setae; bearing a peg seta in the apex of lateral lobe and dense peg setae along medial margin and a major seta at tip of lobe.

Remarks. E. ernsti is closely related to E. tripartitus. The former can be easily distinguished from the latter by following characters: the black antennae; last segment of the maxillary palpi yellowish-brown; pronotum without distinct microsculpture of oblique lines; abdominal tergite III with two basal carinae; sternite IX with apex deeply emarginate; median lobe of aedeagus appearing parallel-sided in ventral view (parameral side); median lobe of aedeagus not distinctly produced ventrally in lateral view.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).