Thorectes maroccanus, López-Colón & Kylies & Pucholt & Bahillo, 2025

Thorectes maroccanus nov. sp.

Holotypus

Total length: 18, 5 mm.

Convex and broad, black in colour, shiny, without bluish lateral reflections. Cephalic tubercle conical, strong and fairly elevated; clypeus densely dotted; prominent cheeks. Antennae with the 3 rd, 4 th and 5 th segments quite elongated; the first segment is reddish below in the apical half.

Upper edge of right mandible not sinuate, while the left is sinuate in the apical third. Maxillary palps black except for the apical end of the last one, which is reddish ( Figs. 1-5 View Figs View Figs ).

Pronotum large, convex and transverse, without median depression on the anterior margin; the anterior angle straight, the posterior very rounded; the base with a continuous, not narrowed or much thinner rim on each side of the middle; two sunken spots stand out, one on each side, in the centre, equidistant between the anterior and posterior angles; with double, fine and superficial punctation, particularly the small spots, relatively sparse, evenly distributed, being somewhat denser on the lateral margins ( Figs. 2 View Figs and 6 View Figs ).

Small triangular, transverse scutellum, twice as wide as long, with hardly any punctations ( Fig. 7 View Figs ).

Elytra fused, with punctations not well aligned on the striae, very weak but visible, although partly erased, especially towards the base; the anterior angle sunken, concave ( Fig. 8 View Figs ).

Mesosternal process raised, well evident, with the posterior part very elevated ( Figs. 9-10 View Figs View Figs ).

Pygidium densely hairy, with black and prostrate hairs.

Abdominal sternites not punctated, glabrous ( Fig. 11 View Figs ).

Front femora and mesofemora with anterior and posterior margins unarmed ( Fig. 16 View Figs ). Metafemora unarmed, very thickened, without denticulation on the posterior margin, with the posterior line of dots slightly marked, hairy ( Fig. 17 View Figs ).

Anterior tibiae with the apical tooth forked in the male; the third external tooth in the same plane as the others, not thickened; the ventral surface completely unarmed, concave, while the denticulation of the lower internal ridge has two strong teeth in the middle, one at the height of the middle of the third external tooth and the other next to it, at the height of the apical end of the fourth external tooth and three other smaller but well-defined teeth situated at the base, of which the first two, more developed, are slightly turned inwards, there being also three very small denticles in the distal part ( Fig. 18 and 19 View Figs ).

Brachypterous. Wings extremely reduced, 0. 65 mm long ( Fig. 12 View Figs ).

Aedeagus with a length of 4.0 mm. Relatively slender. Widened towards the middle, at the level of the basal region of the parameres; the central notch on the dorsal side of the phallobase is long, reaching the middle of it. The dorsal basal arch of the parameres is very narrowed in the middle and prolonged on the left side, slightly directed towards the right side. Paramera with well-developed desclerifications on the mediodorsal margins ( Figs. 13-15 View Figs ).

Allotypus

Female. Total lenght: 18,0 mm.

Similar to the male, but with the anterior tibiae of a different shape. The clypeus and forehead are densely dotted, although somewhat less so than in the male. Antennae with segments 3, 4 and 5 somewhat more elongated than in the male. Pronotum with the basal edge somewhat thinner on each side of the middle and the dots more or less similar, but slightly smaller.

Anterior tibiae with a simple, non-bifurcated apical tooth; the third external tooth in the same plane as the others, not thickened; the ventral surface is completely unarmed, concave, while the denticulation of the lower internal ridge has a series of teeth, all of them relatively large, but none stands out ( Figs. 20-21 View Figs ).

Variation of the length Total length of Paratypi: 2 ♂♂: 12 and 16,7 mm; 3 ♀♀: 14,5, 15,0 and 15,5 mm.

Etimology / Derivatio nominis

The name maroccanus refers to the country ( Morocco) where the specimens of the typical series were captured.