Carcinocephalus benedikti, Shavrin, 2025

Carcinocephalus benedikti sp. nov.

( Figs 1−5 View FIGURES 1–5 )

Type material examined. Holotype ♀ ( Fig. 1 View FIGURES 1–5 ; dissected; a plastic plate with apical abdominal segments in Canada balsam was pinned under the card with the beetle): ‘ NEPAL P[rovince]: Karnali, D[istrict]: Jumla | 14 km N Jumla , 2780m | N, Buvramatichaur (Bumra) | 29°23`43``N, 82°08`55``E | 30.VI.2022, [A.] Hetzel leg. 22#19 ’ <printed>, ‘ Carcinocephalus | spec. | det. B. Feldmann 2023’ <printed>, ‘HOLOTYPE | Carcinocephalus | benedikti sp. n. | Shavrin A.V. des. 2025’ (cF) GoogleMaps .

Description. Measurements: maximum width of head including eyes: 0.65; length of head (from base of labrum to posterior constriction of head): 0.52; ocular length (longitudinal): 0.17; length of antenna: 1.17; length of pronotum: 0.52; maximum width of pronotum: 0.87; sutural length of elytra (length of elytra from the apex of scutellum to the posterior margin of sutural angle): 1.05; maximum width of elytra: 1.17; length of metatibia: 0.50; length of metatarsus: 0.31 (length of metatarsomeres 1–4: 0.12; length of metatarsomere 5: 0.19); maximum width of abdomen: 1.12; total length (from anterior margin of clypeus to apex of abdomen): 3.14.

Body elongate, moderately wide, convex ( Fig. 1 View FIGURES 1–5 ). Body reddish brown, with slightly paler lateral and basal portions of pronotum, elytra and apical segments of abdomen; antennae and two apical maxillary palpomeres brown (antennomeres 2−3 paler); mouthparts and legs yellow-brown; tarsi yellowish. Head and neck without punctures; pronotum with irregular, moderately large and deep punctation, sparser and finer in apical part, larger and denser in middle, mediobasal and lateral portions without punctures; scutellum without punctation; elytra with moderately sparse, large and deep punctation, denser and finer around scutellum, sparser in middle, medioapical and apical portions without punctures; abdominal tergites with sparse and fine punctation, invisible in middle. Body glossy, without microsculpture except fine transverse microreticulation in apical half of clypeus and fine isodiametric and transverse meshes on abdominal tergites. Pubescence of mediolateral parts of clypeus relatively sparse, elongate and erect, apical part of clypeus with several erect setae, dorsomedial margins near eyes with several suberect elongate setae; pronotum with sparse and erect setation except mediobasal portion; mediolateral portions of elytra with indistinct, sparse and fine setation; abdominal tergites with very fine and short accumbent pubescence.

Head 1.2 times as broad as long, with distinctly elongate apical part and shield-like strongly elevated and broadened middle portion, distinctly convex under bases of antennae and slightly narrowing basad, each lateral part separated from mediolateral parts by deep and long furrow, reaching apical margin of ocellus. Lateral portions between eyes and shield-like area with smoothed surface. Mediolateral portions between clypeus and anterior margins of eyes concave. Ventrolateral projections of apical part of head large, subtriangular, well visible from dorsal view, each situated about level of antennal insertion; distance between each angle of ventrolateral projections and apical margin of eye slightly less than longitudinal length of eyes. Eyes large and convex; each infraorbital ridge beginning from anterior and stretching toward posterior margin; laterodorsal surface near each margin of eye with three elongate wrinkles starting from about apical third of eye and framing dorsal, but not reaching basal margin of eye. Postocular ridge moderately large and acute, about as long as three nearest ommatidia. Each postocular portion truncate behind postocular ridge toward neck. Neck constriction marked with distinctly transverse furrow. Ocelli large, convex, located at level distinctly above posterior margin of eyes, distance between ocelli shorter than distance between ocellus and posterior margin of eyes.Apical segment of maxillary palpomeres very long, about four times as long as and distinctly broader than penultimate segment, from about middle gradually narrowed toward relatively truncate apex. Antennes reaching basal margin of pronotum when reclined, with distinctly transverse antennomeres 6−10, covered by long setation, apical antennomeres not forming loose club; basal antennomere elongate, about three times as long as broad, antennomere 2 suboval, about twice shorter than basal antennomere, 3 twice narrower and about as long as 2, 4 about twice shorter and slightly broader than 3, 5 slightly longer and broader than 4, 6 slightly broader than 5, 7−8 shorter and broader than 6, 9−10 distinctly longer and broader than 8, apical antennomere about twice as long as 10.

Pronotum 1.6 times as broad as long, 1.3 times as broad as head, from widest middle gradually narrowed both anteriad and posteriad, with markedly convex middle portion; anterior margin widely rounded, slightly shorter than relatively straight posterior margin; anterior angles widely rounded, not protruded anteriad; posterior angles obtuse; lateral margins narrowly bordered; middle portion with two wide, shallow and suboval impressions, starting slightly above middle and reaching basal part of pronotum, with distinct, narrow and elongate medioapical impression, from medioapical margin reaching middle length of pronotum; lateral portions impressed, broader and deeper laterobasally.

Elytra strongly convex, broader than long, about twice as long as pronotum, slightly broadened posteriad; lateral margins slightly broader in about middle, indistinctly explanate; posterior margins somewhat straight; mediolateral parts with irregular longitudinal elevations between punctures. Wings fully developed.

Metatarsi 1.6 times as long as metatibia.

Abdomen convex, slightly narrower than elytra, with distinct transverse tomentose spots in middle part of abdominal tergite IV and narrow palisade fringe on apical margin of tergite VII.

Male unknown.

Female. Apical margin of abdomian tergite VIII truncate ( Fig. 3 View FIGURES 1–5 ). Apical margin of abdominal sternite VIII rounded ( Fig. 4 View FIGURES 1–5 ). Genital segment and accessory sclerite as in Fig. 2 View FIGURES 1–5 . Spermatheca as in Fig. 5 View FIGURES 1–5 .

Comparative notes. Carcinocephalus benedikti sp. nov. can be distinguished from all known species of the genus by the darkened large body with distinctly broadened and convex forebody, the shape of an apical part of strongly elevated and elongate shield-like part of the head, the shape of large and acute postocular ridge, the missing punctation on the head, the shape of elongate apical maxillary palpomere, and the missing of microscupture in the middle part of the head and the pronotum. Also see a key below.

Distribution. Carcinocephalus benedikti sp. nov. is known only from the type locality in western part of Nepal.

Etymology. Patronymic; the species named to honour my colleague Benedikt Feldmann (Münster).

Bionomics. The specimen was collected at elevation 2780 m a.s.l. by hand in gravel near river.