Cephennodes (s. str.) alius, Jałoszyński, 2025

Cephennodes (s. str.) alius sp. nov.

( Figs 151–154 View FIGURES 151–154 )

Type material. Holotype: CHINA (YUNNAN Prov.): ♂, two labels: “CHINA: Yunnan [ CH07-14 ], Baoshan / Pref., Gaoligong Shan , 33 km SE / Tengchong , 2100-2200 m, 24º51’22’’N, / 98º45’36’’E, decid. forest, litter, wood, / fungi sifted, 31.V.2007, M. Schülke ” [white, printed]; “ CEPHENNODES (s. str.) / alius m. / P. Jałoszyński, 2025 / HOLOTYPUS ” [red, printed] ( MNB). GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. Body very small, BL around 1 mm; antennae with indistinctly delimited trimerous clubs; punctures on clypeus virtually absent, on frontovertexal region small but sharply marked and dense, separated by spaces subequal to their diameters, pronotum and elytra with fine, inconspicuous punctures; subhumeral lines as long as about 0.4 × EL. Male: abdomen ( Fig. 152 View FIGURES 151–154 ) with only sternite V modified, with median transverse carina; aedeagus ( Figs 153–154 View FIGURES 151–154 ) in ventral view with subtriangular capsular region of median lobe, its distal portion projecting into elongate subtriangular and apically rounded process, apical projection subtriangular, separated from distal region of capsular portion, with narrow subtriangular apex and distal margin oblique in relation to long axis of aedeagus at ~45°.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 151 View FIGURES 151–154 ) strongly convex, oval, with distinct constriction between pronotum and elytra, moderately light brown with lighter tarsi, covered with light brown setae. BL 1.05 mm.

Head broadest across moderately large and moderately strongly convex, coarsely faceted eyes, HL 0.13 mm, HW 0.25 mm; frontovertexal region weakly convex at middle; supraantennal tubercles weakly elevated. Punctures on clypeus virtually absent, on frontovertexal region small but sharply marked and dense, separated by spaces subequal to their diameters; setae sparse, short, suberect. Antennae moderately long and slender, with indistinctly delimited trimerous clubs, AnL 0.53 mm, antennomere 1 about as long as broad, 2 strongly elongate, 3–7 each about as long as broad, 8–10 each weakly transverse, 11 slightly shorter than 9 and 10 combined, about 1.6 × as long as broad.

Pronotum semi-oval, strongly convex at middle and flattened near hind corners, broadest near middle and distinctly narrowing posterad; PL 0.33 mm, PW 0.50 mm. Anterior margin in strictly dorsal view nearly straight; lateral margins strongly rounded in anterior half and weakly so posteriorly, finely microserrate, posterior corners nearly right-angled; posterior margin shallowly bisinuate; lateral marginal carinae simple (i.e., not doubled); lateral antebasal pits shallow but distinct, each slightly closer to posterior than lateral pronotal margin. Punctures on pronotal disc fine and inconspicuous; setae short and moderately dense, suberect.

Elytra slightly wider than pronotum, together oval, broadest near anterior third; EL 0.60 mm, EW 0.53 mm, EI 1.14; subhumeral lines as long as about 0.4 × EL, developed as sharp borders between elevated humerus and lower mesal region, strongly divergent posterad; basal elytral fovea on each elytron situated slightly closer to lateral margin of mesoscutellum than to subhumeral line; elytral apices separately rounded. Punctures on elytra slightly more distinct than those on pronotum but still fine and inconspicuous; setae similar to those on pronotum.

Hind wings functional.

Metaventrite lacking lateral impressions.

Legs long and slender, unmodified.

Abdomen ( Fig. 152 View FIGURES 151–154 ) with short transverse median carina on sternite V.

Aedeagus ( Figs 153–154 View FIGURES 151–154 ) of simonis form, AeL 0.15 mm; median lobe in ventral view with subtriangular capsular region, its distal portion projecting into elongate subtriangular and apically rounded process, apical projection subtriangular, separated from distal region of capsular portion, with narrow subtriangular apex and distal margin oblique in relation to long axis of aedeagus at ~45°; parameres long and slender, one nearly reaching apex of aedeagus, each with one moderately long subapical seta.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. S China: Yunnan.

Etymology. The Latin adjective alius means another, different.

Remarks. Among the Chinese members of the C. simplicipes group, only males of C. alius have one abdominal sternite (V) with transverse carina, whereas in the previously known C. simplicipes and the newly described C. nubis two sternites (IV and V) are modified. The aedeagus of C. simplicipes differs strongly from those of C. alius and C. nubis in the apical plate being adpressed against the distal region of the capsular portion of median lobe, with its distal margin transverse in relation to the long axis of the aedeagus. In C. alius and C. nubis , the apical plate is separated from the distal region of the capsular portion, and its distal margin is strongly oblique to the long axis of the aedeagus (in C. alius at an angle of ~45°, in C. nubis much larger than 45°). The remaining species of this group are known to occur in the Himalayas, and three of them have only the sternite V with a single transverse carina: C. tharepatianus , C. minisulcatus , and C. bahrabisensis . The modifications of abdomen in these species have different shapes than those in C. alius and C. nubis , and all of them have the apical plate of the aedeagus adpressed to the capsular region of the median lobe, not separated, as in C. alius .