Madrasostes lini C. -B. Wang, 2025

Madrasostes lini C. -B. Wang, 2025 View in CoL

Figs. 8 View FIGURE 8 , 9 View FIGURE 9

Madrasostes lini Wang, 2025: 392 View in CoL (original description and iconography). Material examined. 1♀, CHINA: Guangxi, Laibin City , Jinxiu County [ aeħ县], Dayao Mountains [ 大NJƜ], 1124 m, 20.XII.2024, leg. Wenyong Feng (ZCLC).

Complementary description. The species was described on the basis of three males from Dayao Mountains (Jinxiu county). Wang (2025) noted that the male mesotibia has a single apical spur. He did not notice that the inner margin of the mesotibia is bent inwards apically (false apical spur), as it is apparent from photo 4B in Wang’s paper. The first author was able to obtain a single female from Mount Dayao, Jinxiu county, Laibin, Guangxi. The female differs from the male in lacking the false apical spur of mesotibiae (which have a single apical spur like in males) and in having the protibial apical spur less bent inwards apically ( Fig. 8B View FIGURE 8 ), as often happens in many species of Ceratocanthinae View in CoL . Wang mentioned that the wings are largely reduced. We here provide an image of one of the wings ( Fig. 8E View FIGURE 8 ), which reveals that the beetle is micropterous. We here also provide for the first time images of the vaginal palpi, of the mouthparts and of the legs, which will be discussed below.

Remarks. Madrasostes lini is an enigmatic species, whose attribution to Madrasostes remains doubtful. Like M. deharvengi it shares the presence of a single apical mesotibial spur, the spiculum gastrale with a short manubrium, and the mandibles ( Figs. 9A, B View FIGURE 9 ) lacking the basal pore typical to the Perignamptus generic group (to which Madrasostes belongs) as defined by Ballerio (2009). Like in M. deharvengi the mandibles have also a quite sharp and developed apex. An unusual feature of the labial palpi is the shape of the third palpomere ( Fig. 9E View FIGURE 9 ), which is not widened as happens in the Perignamptus generic group. Despite the above mentioned similarities with M. deharvengi , the overall body architecture of M. lini is quite different from the one of M. deharvengi ( Fig. 8A View FIGURE 8 ). As discussed elsewhere ( Ballerio & Maruyama 2025), Madrasostes is a heterogeneous genus, but the shortage of available specimens and the many undescribed species make any decision about its splitting premature. Wang mentioned the presence of anastomosing lines on head and pronotum as the diagnostic character differentiating this species from the other Madrasostes . This character is however present also in other species, such as M. orousseti Paulian, 1981 from the Philippines. Based on what we know on M. lini , this species can be differentiated from the other known Madrasostes by the following combination of characters: a) head sculpturing made of anastomosing deep lines, b) pronotal sculpturing, especially on disc, made of transverse deep comma-shaped punctures (each one having a fine simple puncture inside) often merged together in groups of two to six to form short transverse irregular lines, c) elytra, especially on medial and distal thirds with large very deep simple punctures (a character also found in Madrasostes clypeale Paulian, 1993 and M. thai Paulian, 1987 ), d) mesotibiae ending with a single apical spur ( Fig. 8C View FIGURE 8 ), e) male mesotibiae having a false apical spur bent inwards at a right angle, f) metatibiae inner margin with a distinctive toothed proximal widening ( Fig. 8D View FIGURE 8 ), g) mandibles lacking basal pore, h) mandibles with a sharp and developed apex, i) the third palpomere of labial palpi not widened, j) micropterous.