Miccolamia minuta Bi & Lin, 2025

Miccolamia minuta Bi & Lin sp. nov.

Figs 5 View Figures 1–12 , 6 View Figures 1–12 , 29 View Figures 25–43 , 54 View Figures 52–60 , 60 View Figures 52–60 , Map 1 Chinese common name: 小小沟胫天牛 View Map 1

Type material.

Holotype: • male, “ CHINA. Zhejiang, Hangzhou / Wuchaoshan / 150–250 m, 2017. V. 9–11 / leg. Wen-Xuan Bi ” ( SNUC) . Paratypes ( 27 males, 30 females): • 7 males, 12 females same data as holotype ( CBWX) ; • 1 male, 1 female same data as holotype ( SHEM) ; • 1 male, 1 female, “ CHINA. Zhejiang, Anji / Baofuzhen, Shenxicun / 400–500 m, 2016. V. 12 / leg. Wen-Xuan Bi ” ( CBWX) ; • 7 males, 8 females, ditto except “ 220–360 m, 2016. V. 21–24 ” ( CBWX) ; • 5 males, 4 females, ditto except “ 360 m, 2016. V. 31 ” ( CBWX) ; • 2 males, 1 female, “ CHINA. Zhejiang, Suichang / Xinluwanzhen / 240 m, 2023. V. 24 / leg. Wen-Xuan Bi ” ( CBWX) ; • 1 male, “ CHINA. Zhejiang, Ningbo / Longguanxiang, Wulongtan / 2009. IV. 2 / leg. Jian-Qing Zhu ” ( CBWX) ; • 1 male, 2 females, “ CHINA. Anhui, Chizhou / Meicunzhen, Likengcun / 50 m, 2023. V. 8 / leg. Wen-Xuan Bi ” ( CBWX) ; • 1 male, 1 female, ditto except “ leg. Jin-Teng Zhao ” ( CCCC) ; • 1 male, “ CHINA. Shanghai, Songjiang / Dist., Dongsheshan / 50 m, 2025. VI. 17 / leg. Hai Ma ( CBWX) .

Description.

Male (Fig. 5 View Figures 1–12 ). BL = 2.27–3.05, BW = 0.74–0.95 mm. Body and appendages mostly reddish brown, shiny; head, pronotum and apical three or four antennomeres darker; elytra light reddish brown in basal 2 / 5, remaining portion blackish; ventral surface with metaventrite and abdominal ventrites light brown. Head and appendages provided with very sparse yellowish hairs, finer on apical three antennomeres and longer on tibiae; pronotum with similar yellowish hairs very sparsely scattered, and with moderately dense whitish hairs on basal 1 / 5 forming a transverse band, these hairs are generally directed posteriorly; scutellum covered with yellowish hairs, becoming denser posteriorly; each elytron with sparse whitish hairs forming vague transverse band extending from subbasal tubercle to slightly before midlength and reaching suture; ventral surface clothed with whitish to yellowish hairs, sparser on abdomen and the central area of metaventrite.

Head slightly wider than pronotal anterior margin, shallowly concave between antennal tubercles; frons smooth, sparsely and finely punctate. Eyes deeply emarginated, upper and lower eye lobes connected by 1–2 rows of ommatidia; lower eye lobe ~ 2 × as long as wide, 1.3 × as long as gena. Antennae long and stout, AL / BL = 1.2–1.3; scape moderately clavate, finely punctate; antennomere III subequal to IV, 1.4 × as long as scape, 1.3 × as long as antennomere V.

Pronotum transverse, 0.9 × as long as width across lateral tubercles, 1.3 × as long as basal width, constricted at basal 1 / 5 by a deep groove; lateral tubercles situated near basal 2 / 5, strongly developed with acute apices; disk convex, very sparsely and finely punctate.

Elytra short, EL / EW = 1.9–2.0, EL / PL = 2.3–2.4, almost parallel-sided on basal 2 / 5, then gently dilated at apical 2 / 5 before converging to conjointly rounded apices; weakly convex near apical 2 / 5 in lateral view (Fig. 29 View Figures 25–43 ); humeri obtusely angulate. Each elytron provided with one large subbasal tubercle tufted with intermixed dense short and sparse long setae on tip; disk with large punctures vaguely forming five or six longitudinal rows in basal 2 / 5, abruptly becoming finer and sparser on dark portion. Ventral surface sparsely and finely punctate. Legs moderately long and thick; metatibiae slightly exceeding elytral apices; tarsal claws appendiculate.

Male terminalia. Tergite VIII (Fig. 54 a View Figures 52–60 ) transverse, slightly emarginated apically and broadly rounded at sides; apical margin bearing a few short fine setae. Tegmen (Fig. 54 b View Figures 52–60 ) with lateral lobe subparallel-sided, apices subacute bearing few long and short setae. Median lobe (Fig. 54 c View Figures 52–60 ) moderately curved in lateral view; apex obtuse. Endophallus in everted condition (Fig. 60 View Figures 52–60 ) undulate; BPH, MPH and APH well defined; cs present; MPH ~ 2.5 × as long as BPH, gently curved near basal 1 / 4 ventrally and near basal 1 / 3 dorsally, then distinctly curved near midlength ventrally and near apical 1 / 3 dorsally, with a subrounded bulb slightly before the midlength dorsally; APH short (possibly incompletely inflated), with gonopore situated at apex.

Female (Fig. 6 View Figures 1–12 ). BL = 2.18–3.05 mm, BW = 0.74–1.04 mm. Almost identical to male in general appearance. Body slightly stouter and appendages relatively shorter. AL / BL = 1.1–1.2. EL / EW = 1.9–2.0.

Remarks.

This new species is similar to M. savioi or M. mystica in general appearance. However, it can be readily recognized even among all congeners by the antennae remarkably long and stout, extending beyond elytral apices in both sexes; pronotum transverse; elytra rather short, subequal to or significantly shorter than twice their maximum width; and the subbasal tubercles of elytra comparatively large.

Prior to this study, several extremely small-sized cerambycid beetle species were known from China, e. g., Exocentrus kentingensis ( 2.5–5.5 mm; Kusama and Tahira 1978) from Taiwan, E. tantillus ( 2.4–2.8 mm; Holzschuh 2007) from Sichuan and Gracilia minuta (2.5–7.0 mm; Vitali 2018) from “ N. China ”, Henan and Shaanxi ( Hua 2002). Additionally, the authors’ collections contained extremely small specimens belonging to undetermined Exocentrus species, with none measuring < 2.3 mm in total body length. Therefore, Miccolamia minuta currently represents the smallest documented cerambycid species in China, with the smallest recorded specimen (a female) measuring only 2.18 mm in length.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is derived from the Latin minūtus, meaning very small, which refers to the size of this new species.

Distribution

(Map 1 View Map 1 ). China: Shanghai, Anhui, Zhejiang.