Thortus latus, Leschen & Chen & Harmer, 2024

Thortus latus sp. nov.

( Fig. 10 View Fig )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀ ( NZAC), labelled: ‘NEW ZEALAND,NN, Mount Arthur , 13 Jan 2020, sifted dead wood, Y. Chen, R. Leschen, H. Lindsay, 41°11.448′S, 172°44.252′E, RL2270 // NZ Arthropod Collection Private Bag 92170 Auckland New Zealand NZAC04272556 About NZAC GoogleMaps .’ PARATYPE ( NZAC). SOUTH ISLAND: NN: 1, Kaituna,Aorere, 6 May 1965, litter, G. Kuschel, [40°42.900′S, 172°35.457′E], NZAC 04235091.

Diagnosis. Thortus latus sp. nov. is a unicolourous species with a short gena, a weakly indicated or absent parasutural stria and a notch at the lateral edges of the supra-antennal ridge. It can be recognized from similar-looking species by its broad body and eye composed of 6 or 7 facets.

Description. Length 1.25 mm. Colour of body unicolourous red-brown, with lighter antennal club, mouthparts and legs. Body surface glabrous, microsculpture absent. Dorsal setae silver, consisting of sparse, short suberect curved setae. Ventral surfaces with sparse suberect curved setae; punctation ovate on prosternum, mesoventrite weakly foveolate, not strongly impressed, disc of metaventrite with punctures variable, about as impressed as those on prosternum, punctation of abdominal ventrites 1 to 4 generally weaker than on metaventrite, setae slightly longer at sides, punctation on ventrite 5 denser with a patch of posteriorly- -directed setae. Head not lengthened with a relatively short gena that is subequal to the length of antennomere 1; frons moderately constricted, narrowed to a width equal in length to antennomere 1; supra-antennal ridge with well-developed rim, terminating at a notch laterad, bead absent; vertex delimited anteriorly by a transverse crenulate line, anterior surface punctured, posterior surface glabrous virtually impunctate; gular punctation irregular and ovate, diameters larger than those on sides of head. Eye consisting of 6 or 7 facets. Antennomere 2 barrel-shaped, wider than long, antennomere 3 subconical, as long as and slightly narrower than 2 and longer and slightly wider than 4, proportions of antennomeres 4–8 same, antennomere 9 wider than 8 and narrower than 10 and 11, antennomere 10 transverse and about the same width as 11, antennomere 11 longer than 10, slightly shorter than 9 and 10 combined. Pronotum transverse, pronotal length/width ratio ~0.84, widest at middle; anterior margin convex; anterior angles obtuse, not projecting and rounded; lateral edges weakly convex, weakly curved anteriorly from middle, parallel-sided at basal half; pronotal disc with punctation subuniform and foveolate, shallow, sparse (without a median glabrous strip), separated by a distance of up to 1–2 times their diameter and larger at the base; median impression absent; transversely depressed at basal 1/5; basomedial macropuncture weakly indicated; posterolateral angles almost right, sharp, slightly projecting posteriorly; posterior margin sinuate with scutellar lobe. Prosternal process with well-developed lateral marginal beads, without longitudinal depression medially, process subparallel-sided and slightly converging posteriorly, not expanded posteriorly behind procoxae, apex curved, width wider than procoxa and 1.75 times longer than length of prosternum; procoxal cavity without anterolateral notch. Scutellary shield trapezoidal and transverse, 1.8 times as wide as long. Elytra about 1.28 times as long as combined widths, about 1.11 times as wide as width of pronotum, about 1.09 times longer than length of pronotum; setation uniform consisting of relatively short suberect and curved setae; humeral plica present; parasutural stria incomplete, barely visible, punctation less dense than pronotum, but at base slightly more impressed. Metaventrital process with anterior margin straight. Tarsi moderately slender, female 5-5-5, 5-5- 4 in male, tenent setae not present, but long curled setae present on pro- and mesotarsomeres 1–4 of both sexes; mesotarsomeres 1–3 of subequal lengths, mesotarsomere 5 subequal to combined lengths of tarsomeres 1–4. First abdominal ventrite with broad rounded intercoxal process, postcoxal lines long, weakly convergent, extending middle of sclerite. Aedeagus with relatively long parameres articulated to phallobase, paramere about 3 times longer than wide; apices not expanded and subacute; basipenis about 2.87 times as long as distipenis; distipenis about 1.33 times as long as wide, lateral lobes not separated, basal plate absent; internal sac (?) with a single, elongate endophallite.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the Latin adjective ‘ latus ’, meaning ‘broad’, in reference to the distinctive body form.

Remarks. Thortus latus sp. nov. is known from a single specimen collected from forest litter. The aedeagus was damaged during dissection.

Distribution. South Island: NN ( Fig. 21 View Fig ).