Thortus lobatus, Leschen & Chen & Harmer, 2024

Thortus lobatus sp. nov.

( Fig. 11 View Fig )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♁ ( NZAC), labelled: ‘ NEW ZEALAND, WD Ship Cr 6 Nov 2007 R. Leschen C. Carlton RL1299 ( RL007 ) // leaf litter and rotten log berlesate 43 45.556S 169 8.986E // NZ Arthropod Collection Private Bag 92170 Auckland New Zealand NZAC04235171 About NZAC GoogleMaps ’. PARATYPES (21; NZAC): NORTH ISLAND: TK: 1, Egmont National Park, Waiwhakaiho Track, 16 Jan 2008, sifted leaf litter, K. Marske, R. Leschen, T. Buckley, 39°13.371′S, 174°7.444′E, KM180, NZAC 04272537; 1, Pouakai Range, 9-13 Jan 1978, J.C. Watt, [39°14.451′S, 174°1.232′E], NZAC 04235150. SOUTH ISLAND: NN: 1, Collingwood, Kaituna,Aorere Valley, 3 Apr 1964, litter, J.I. Townsend, [40°43.442′S, 172°35.915′E], NZAC 04235034; 1, Karamea Saddle, 13 Oct 1970, litter, J.I. Townsend, [41°30.981′S, 172°1.229′E], NZAC 04235301. BR: 1, Punakaiki, Pahautane Bay, 9 June 1983, H.P. McColl, [42°6.317′S 171°20.183′E], NZAC 04272536; 1, Punakaiki, Pororari River Walk, 27 Aug 2010, washed soil sample supplejack/nikau forest, J. Nunn Collection, [42°6.431′S, 171°20.413′E], NZAC 04235172. WD: 2, Open Bay Islands, Taumaka Island, 30 Apr 1976, litter mainly Schefflera digitalis , Melicytus ramiflorus, R.H. Matlin , [43°51.644′S, 168°52.95′E], NZAC 04235169, NZAC 04272547. OL: 1, Haast Pass, Found Creek Culvert, 6 Mar 2003, sifted leaf litter and rotting logs, R. Leschen, C. McGuiness, 44°3.539′S, 169°22.778′E, RL785, NZAC 04235300. FD: 1, Bauza Island, 3 March 2010, sifted litter/rotten logs, S.A. Forgie, 45°17.768′S, 166°55.82′E, SAF030, NZAC 03027041; 1, Dusky Sound, Gilbert Islands, 25 Jan 2011, sifted litter/bark/lichen/moss/log scrapings, S.A. Forgie, 45°36.047′S, 166°39.595′E, SAF042, NZAC 03027121; 1, Eglington Valley, Cascade Creek, 21 Jan 1962, litter, J.I. Townsend, [44°53.694′S, 168°4.938′E], NZAC 04235081; 1, Routeburn Track, 11 May 200, ex Calostoma, R. Leschen, 44°49′S, 168°7′E, RL574, NZAC 04235142; 3, Secretary Island, Grono Bay, 24 Mar 1984, sifted litter, C.F. Butcher, [45°17.044′S, 166°56.321′E], NZAC 04235073, NZAC 04235078, NZAC 04235135; 2, Secretary Island, ridge towards Mount Grono, 30 Nov 1981, mats and mosses, C.F. Butcher, [45°16.553′S, 166°56.488′E], NZAC 04235111, NZAC 04235141; 2, Secretary Island, ridge towards Mount Grono, 30 Nov 1981, alpine mats, moss and tussock, C.F. Butcher, [45°16.553′S, 166°56.488′E], NZAC 04235059, NZAC 04235137; 1, Wilmot Pass, Jan 1970, mats, J.S. Dugdale, [45°30.482′S, 167°11.553′E], NZAC 04235082.

Additional material. SOUTH ISLAND: SD: 1, Port Liger, Marlborough, 26 Oct 1969, litter, F.Alack, 40°54.586′S, 173°58.688′E, NZAC 04235115.

Diagnosis. Thortus lobatus sp. nov. can be distinguished from most species by having complete parasutural striae and a relatively long gena. It is most similar to T. amoenus and T. sulcatus sp. nov.; it can be distinguished from T. amoenus by the narrow clypeus and from T. sulcatus sp. nov. by lacking a median pronotal impression.

Description. Length 1.20–1.55 mm. Colour of body dark reddish-brown, mouthparts, legs, and antennal club lighter. Body surface semiglabrous, microsculpture absent, apart from posterior portion of gula. Dorsal setae silvery-gold, consisting of very long decumbent and scattered suberect to erect and subdecumbent curved and straight setae. Ventral surfaces with shorter subdecumbent straight and slightly curved setae; punctation ovate, well-impressed, and not uniform in size, mesoventrite foveolate, central disc of metaventrite with punctures of different sizes, with larger ovate punctures present anteriorly and those on central disc smaller than those on prosternum, punctation of abdominal ventrites 1 to 4 about as large as those on the central disc of metaventrite, with those on ventrites 1–5 generally more closely packed and more shallower on ventrites 4 and 5, punctation on ventrite 5 denser with a well-defined patch of posteriorly-directed setae. Head lengthened with relatively long gena, about 1.5 times as long as length of antennomere 1; frons constricted, narrowed to a width about 2/3 the length of antennomere 1; supra-antennal ridge with well-developed rim, bead present, well developed and relatively broad; vertex not delimited anteriorly by a transverse crenulate line, surfaces punctate to foveolate (punctures larger in a specimen from Taranaki); gular punctation irregular, deep and ovate, diameters similar to those on side of head. Eye consisting of about 11–18 facets. Antennomere 2 cylindrical, slightly longer than wide, antennomere 3 subconical, longer and about as wide as 2 and longer and about as wide as 4, proportions of antennomeres 4–8 same, antennomere 9 wider than 8 and slightly narrower than 10 and 11, antennomere 10 transverse and slightly wider than 11, antennomere 11 longer than 10, shorter than 9 and 10 combined. Pronotum subquadrate, pronotal length/width ratio ~1.03, widest at middle; anterior margin slightly curved; anterior angles obtuse and rounded; lateral edges somewhat evenly rounded and gradually converging anteriorly and posteriorly; pronotal disc with punctures more or less regular and uniform and at base weaker or absent at middle and more strongly impressed along posterior margin, separated by a distance of 0.5–1.0 times their diameter; median impression absent; not or weakly transversely depressed at base; basomedial macropuncture absent; posterolateral angles obtuse and rounded, not projecting posteriorly; posterior margin sinuate with weak scutellar lobe. Prosternal process with well-developed lateral marginal beads, without longitudinal depression medially, process weakly widened posteriorly behind procoxae, apex subacute, width 0.48 times shorter than length of prosternum; procoxal cavity without anterolateral notch. Scutellary shield ovoid, 1.77 times as wide as long. Elytra about 1.50 times as long as combined widths, about 1.17 times wider than width of pronotum, about 1.70 times longer than length of pronotum; setation dual, consisting of very long straight and curved setae; humeral plica present; parasutural stria present and complete, interspace setose; punctation dissimilar to pronotum, more impressed, larger and dense at base, separated by a distance of up to 1–4 times their diameter. Metaventrital process with anterior margin straight, marginal bead absent. Tarsi moderately slender, 5-5- 5 in female, 5-5- 4 in male, male pro- and mesotarsomeres 1 and 2 with tenent setae; mesotarsomeres 1–3 of subequal lengths, mesotarsomere 4 slightly longer than tarsomeres 1–3 combined. First abdominal ventrite with postcoxal lines weakly convex, extending slightly beyond mid-length of sclerite; intercoxal process somewhat narrowed, rounded at apex. Aedeagus with long and slender parameres articulated to phallobase; paramere about 3 times as long as wide, apices asetose with long membranous extensions; basipenis about 3.92 times as long as distipenis; distipenis about 1.61 times as long as wide, lateral lobes not separated, basal plate absent; internal sac (?) with at least one slender endophallite.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the Latin adjective ‘ lobatus ’, meaning ‘lobate’, in reference to the modified apex of the parameres.

Distribution. North Island: TK. South Island: NN,?SD, WD, FD ( Fig. 21 View Fig ).

Remarks. Thortus lobatus sp. nov. is known from several specimens, including one from the North Island, Taranaki, with the rest from the western South Island. A single damaged specimen excluded from the type series with missing elytra from Port Ligar ( Fig. 22C View Fig ) may also be attributed T. lobatus sp. nov. based on the form of the frons and the shape of the pronotum. This specimen locality is shown in Fig. 24 as ‘ Thortus nr. lobatus ’. Specimens have been taken mainly by sifting moss, leaf litter and rotten wood.