Genus Sulciclivina gen. nov.

(Figs 2, 6)

Type species: Sulciclivina attenuata (Herbst, 1806): 264 (Scarites attenuatus).

Type locality: Assam, India.

Genus diagnosis. Size 5.4–9.5 mm. Colour piceous. Head with clypeus distinctly widened, bisinuate anteriorly, lateral angles slightly projecting, fused with clypeal wing, supraantennal plate conspicuously widened, elongated posteriorly, separated from clypeus by distinct notch, clypeal suture developed as sulcus in form of a flat inverted V, clypeus and frons separated from supraantennal plate by deep furrow; frons with central depression developed in some species horseshoe-like; with pair of clypeal seta and two pairs of supraorbital setae; eye moderately protruding laterally, supraantennal plate overtopping eye in anterior third; gena flattened, size about one sixth of eye; mandible flattened, wide; labrum six setose, antenna with segments five to ten slightly longer than wide. Pronotum as long as wide, with reflexed lateral margin running from anterior angle up to base, posterior angle rounded off without tooth, marked by the posterior marginal seta, lateral channel of equal width, median line narrow, joining base; proepisternum visible basally in dorsal view; base conspicuously narrow, flange at base indistinct. Elytron long oval to subcylindrical, with striae one to three free at the base, striole short, indistinct, lateral channel with row of umbilical setigerous punctures complete; third interval without setigerous punctures. Hind wing fully developed or reduced. Mesotibia dorso-laterally with row of ten short protuberances and in parallel dorso-medially with row of four protuberances, the apical ones slightly larger, all furnished with robust seta, laterally with row of twelve strong setae, medially with up to ten fine setae. Male genitalia robust, with aedeagus distinctly curved, apical part with or without widened lamella. Female genitalia (Fig. 2) small in comparison to body size, with gonocoxite foliform, monomeric, flattened, usually with a long apical nematiform seta and depending on the species with three to six additional nematiform setae positioned at the median side, epipleurite without setae and without central joint.

Differential diagnosis. See key to the genera of the subtribe. Moreover, the antennomeres five to ten are slightly longer than wide (around L/ W 1.07) (Eoclivina and Physoclivina L/W around 1.0; Thliboclivina L/W around 0.8), the pronotum with the anterior angles are slightly more acute (more rounded off in Eoclivina), the lateral marginal channel of the pronotum which runs in parallel to the margin is not widened between the two lateral setigerous punctures and the base is much narrower compared to the other three genera (see ratio WP/WB provided in the key).

Some species of the Neotropic Clivina subgenus Paraclivina Kult, 1947 show slight similarities of the widened and elongated supraantennal plates and also an inverted V is found on the frons of the head (e.g., Clivina bipustulata (Fabricius, 1798), C. fassatii Kult, 1947). However, these species belong to a different group due to their distinctly falcate coxites, the triangle like and plurisetose epipleurite with complete joints, the striae one to five free at the base of the elytron, the presence of setae on interval three of the elytron, and the non-tuberculate mesotibia.

Etymology. The name refers to the sulcus on the frons of the head and is composed of the Latin noun “sulcus” (= furrow) and Clivina, the lead genus of the tribe.

Distribution. Centre of the Oriental region.

Due to the partly incorrect synonymies in Andrewes (1929), the species of this genus are in need of reassessment.