Scirtes palauensis Yoshitomi, sp. n.

Scirtes palauensis Yoshitomi sp. n.

Figs. 1 C, 2C, 5

Type series. Holotype (BPBM): male, “ Palau Babeldaob Is. 18-21. VIII. 2003 M. Sato leg.”. Paratypes (BPBM, BMNH, NMW, NSMT, EUM): 4 males & 1 ex., same data as for the holotype, genitalia on slides nos. HY 822, 922; 1 male, “Ngiwal. Babel-thuap I. Palau Is. X-16-51 J. L. Gressitt”; 4 females & 1 ex., “Ngiwal, alt. 1m Babelthuap, Pa-lau, XII-16 -‘52”, “Light trap J. L. Gressitt”; 8 males, 2 females, & 1ex., “Ulimang, BABELTHUAP I. Palau Islands 9 Dec. 1947 ”, “Pacific Sci. Board Ent. Surv. of Micronesia H. S. Dybas leg.”; 12 males & 5 exs., ditto, but “ 10 Dec. 1947 ”; 3 males, 2 females & 1 ex., ditto, but “ 8 Dec. 1947 ”; 1 male, ditto, but “ 15 Dec. 1947 ”; 2 exs., ditto, but “ 19 Dec. 1947 ” and one with “At light”; 4 males, 1 female & 1 ex., ditto, but “ 25 Dec. 1947 ”; 1 female, “Ulimang BABELTHUAP I. Palau Islands 20 Dec. 1947 ”, “wooded peak SW. of Ulimang”, “vegetation”; 1 ex., “ PELEW Caroline Islands 1933 T. Yoshida”, “ Micronesia coll. Kyushu Univ. Fukuoka, Japan ”; 1 male, “[Palau Isls.] BABELDAOB: Ngarard 17. viii. 1939 Teiso Esaki”; 1 female, “[Palau Isls.] BABELDAOB: Ngiwal-Ngarard 16. viii. 1939 Teiso Esaki”; 1 ex., “[Palau Isls.] KORROR: Korror 29. i. 1938 Teiso Esaki”; 1 male, “[Palau Isls.] BABELDAOB: Eimilik- Ngarumisukan 18. viii. 1939 Teiso Esaki”, “Gressitt 6”; 3 males, “Koror, Palau Is Jan. 1953 J. W. Beardsley”, “at light”, “M-5349”; 2 males, “ PALAU ISLANDS Korror I 11. i. 1953 at light”, “J. W. Beardsley collector BISHOP Museum”, “M-5349”; 1 female, ditto, but “ 3. i. 1953 ”; 1 male, ditto, but “ 10. i. 1953 ”; 2 males, ditto, but “ 9. i. 1953 ”; 8 males & 1 ex., “SW. Koror, 25m. Palau, XII-11 -’52. Light trap”, “Caroline Is. Pac. Sci. Bd. J. L. Gressitt”; 5 males, ditto, but “ XII-14 -‘52”; 3 males, ditto, but “ XII-17 -‘52”; 2 males, ditto, but “ XII-18 - ‘52”; 1 male & 1 ex., ditto, but “ XII-5 -‘52”; 1 male, “ PALAU ISLANDS Koror I. (NE) IV-28-1957 ”, “CW Sabrosky collector”; 1 female & 1 ex., “ PALAU ISLANDS Babeltuap I. Ngaremlengui VI-1-1957 ”, “At light”, “CW Sabrosky collector”, genitalia on slide no. HY 940; 1 male & 1 ex., “ PALAU ISLANDS Babelthuap I. Imeliik, Netkeng VI-6-1957 ”, “CW Sabrosky collector”; 2 males, “ KOROR I. Palau Islands 2 Dec. 1947 ”, “Pacific Sci. Board Ent. Surv. of Micronesia H. S. Dybas leg.”; 1 male, ditto, but “22. N. 1947”; 3 males & 1 ex., ditto, but “17. N. 1947”; 1 female, ditto, but “18. N. 1947”; 1 ex., ditto, but “ 18. Jan. 1948 ”.

Description. Male. Body oblong-oval, slightly convex above, shining, closely covered with yellowishwhite to black short setae throughout. Color of head, pronotum, legs, scutellum, and ventral surface of thorax and abdomen dark reddish-brown, but lateral parts of pronotum paler; mouth parts and antennal segments I–III pale brown; antennal segments IV–XI and elytra black, with yellowish-brown stripes along elytral margins and sutures; elytral epipleura yellowish-brown.

Head moderate in size, almost flat dorsally, strongly and densely punctate; clypeus rather long, slightly expanded antero-laterally, anterior margin straight. Eyes moderate in size, prominent; the distance between eyes 1.5 times the maximum diameter of an eye. Antennae (Fig. 2 C) relatively stout and long, reaching about proximal 1/3 of elytra; approximate ratio of each antennal segment (n = 1) as 1.9: 1.0: 1.0: 2.0: 1.8: 1.8: 1.8: 1.5: 1.5: 1.3: 1.6. Pronotum slightly convex above, punctate as head; anterior margin almost straight; antero-lateral corners almost rectamgular, distinctly projecting anteriorly; lateral margins gently arcuate; postero-lateral corners rectamgular; posterior margin gently bisinuate; PW/PL 2.16–2.47 (2.31). Scutellum moderate in size, an equilateral-triangle, punctate as head. Elytra oblong, widest at middle, punctate as head, depressed in proximal 1/2 of lateral parts; shoulders slightly elevated; EL/EW 1.41–1.51 (1.46); EL/PL 4.50–5.27 (4.85); EW/PW 1.37–1.50 (1.43); TL/EW 1.70–1.83 (1.76). Hind coxal plate not protruding posteriorly. Legs relatively long. Hind tibial spurs short, gently curved laterally, closely covered with minute setae; dorsal spurs about 2.0X length of ventral spurs, about 0.7X length of hind tarsal segment I. Sternites III–V covered somewhat sparsely but evenly with short setae; sternites VI–VII closely and evenly covered with short setae.

Caudal margin of sternite VII (Fig. 5 A) arcuate. Tergite VIII (Fig. 5 B) moderately sclerotized, trapezoidal; short setae along apical margin, the mesal ones stout; apodemes relatively long and slender. Tergite IX (Fig. 5 C) almost membranous, but lightly sclerotized in apodemes. Sternite VIII (Fig. 5 D) almost membranous, V-shaped. Sternite IX (Fig. 5 E) long, well sclerotized; posterior half bilobed, pointed at apices, bearing scale-like setae on apical 1/4 of interior margin, covered sparsely and irregularly with normal and scale-like setae in apical 3/4; basal half undivided, subparallel. Tegmen (Fig. 5 F) large, lightly sclerotized; basal part small; parameres long, subtriangular, covered closely with minute furrows and punctures throughout. Penis (Fig. 5 F) small, lightly sclerotized, about 0.75X length of tegmen, broadest at the middle, tapered gently to anteriorly and posteriorly; apex obtuse, deeply excised.

Female. Antennae more slender and shorter than male, reaching about proximal 1/4 of elytra; approximate ratio of each antennal segment (n = 1) as 2.2: 1.0: 1.1: 2.2: 2.0: 1.9: 1.8: 1.8: 1.7: 1.6: 2.0. PW/PL 2.26–2.50 (2.35); EL/EW 1.43–1.48 (1.46); EL/PL 4.86–5.30 (5.02); EW/PW 1.45–1.51 (1.47); TL/EW 1.72–1.78 (1.75). Prehensor (Fig. 5 H) as shown in figure; basal sclerite tricornute.

Measurements. Male (n = 20): TL 3.85–4.58 (4.23) mm; PW 1.50–1.80 (1.67) mm; PL 0.65–0.80 (0.72) mm; EL 3.20–3.85 (3.51) mm; EW 2.20–2.60 (2.40) mm.

Female (n = 7): TL 3.78–4.25 (4.08) mm; PW 1.50–1.65 (1.59) mm; PL 0.60–0.70 (0.68); EL 3.18–3.55 (3.40) mm; EW 2.20–2.40 (2.34) mm.

Distribution. Palau Isls. (Babelthuap, Koror, and Peleliu Isls.).

Remarks. This species is similar to Scirtes tinianensis sp. n., and differs from it as indicated in the key.

Etymology. The species is named after the type locality.