Sphallomorpha vratislavi, Region & Baehr, 2020

Sphallomorpha vratislavi View in CoL , sp. nov.

Figs 1 View Fig , 2 View Fig

Type material. Holotype: ♀, “ Australia, NSW, 8.Dec. 2007 Nombinnie NR., Mt.Hope 27 km SW 32° 57 '47.4" S, 146 °06'35.4" E Allan M. Sundholm lgt. SetUp by Vr.R. -Colloredo-Mansfeld” (AMS) GoogleMaps .

Etymology. The name is a patronym in honour of Vratislav Beyšák. The specific epithet is a substantive in the genitive case.

Diagnosis. Medium sized, depressed, unicolourous black species, but with rufous lateral margins of

promotum and elytra; with distinct mental tooth, rectangular gular suture, barely excised labrum, and with extremely faint, barely visible elytral striae. The combination of the chetotaxy of the dorsal and ventral surfaces and of the female gonocoxite is unique within the genus.

Description

Measurements. Length: 10.9 mm; width: 5.8 mm. Ratios: Width pronotum/head: 1.63; width elytra/ pronotum: 1.06; width/length of pronotum: 2.48; length/width of elytra; 1.17; length elytra/pronotum: 3.09.

Colour ( Fig. 1 View Fig ). Rather glossy black, only labrum, mouth parts, antenna, and tarsi rufous; lateral margins of pronotum and elytra wide, rufous translucent.

Chetotaxy. Supraorb: 1; preorb: 1; clyp: 1; labr: 4; ment.med: 2; ment.lat: 6-7; gloss: 4; gul: 2; postorb: 3; suborb: 9-10; pron.ant: 1; pron.post: 1; proeps: 1 + 2-3; marg: 15; st VI: 2; ♁ st VII:?; ♀ st VII: 4-6 .

Head. Narrow in comparison to pronotum, short, fairly depressed, without distinct frontal impressions. Eye large but laterad barely projected. Clypeus almost straight, clypeal suture barely indicated.Lateral border of head very oblique, strongly convex, slightly incurved in front of eye. Labrum moderately wide, laterally convex, anteriorly straight, in middle barely excised.Mentum with distinct unidentate mental tooth. Wings of mentum wide, apex rounded, medially oblique. Glossa feebly excised, barely excavate, border obtuse. Dorsal part barely surpassing ventral, medially slightly excised, with few short hairs. Gular sutures strongly angulate. Terminal palpomere of labial palpus elongate, barely widened apicad, with oblique apex; terminal palpomere of maxillary palpus elongate, almost parallel-sided, apex slightly oblique. Antenna very narrow and elongate, median antennomeres c. 4 × as long as wide. Microreticulation of surface dense, extremely fine though distinct, isodiametric, minute punctures dense, but very difficult to detect within the micromeshes. Surface with a few indistinct strioles inside of the eyes, with very sparse, short, erect pilosity, rather dull. Palpi very sparsely pilose.Galea with some very short hairs along anterior border and at apex. Ventral surface apparently impilose.

Pronotum. Very wide, moderately convex, triangular but slightly convex, lateral margins explanate. Apex much narrower than base, with deep excision. Anterior angle projected, rather acute.Lateral margin evenly convex, widest immediately in front of the posterior marginal seta.Basal angle widely rounded. Base almost straight. Lateral margin anteriorly with distinct border line which becomes very fine towards base. Apex and base only laterally very finely bordered. No discal impressions visible. Microreticulation very dense and fine, slightly silky, isodiametric, minute punctures dense, barely perceptible, surface almost devoid of strioles, with sparse, short, erect pilosity, rather dull.

Elytra. Rather short, slightly longer than wide, rather parallel-sided, widest about at middle, dorsally rather depressed.Lateral margin almost straight in slightly more than basal half, posteriad evenly convex, moderately explanate. Apex fairly wide, slightly oblique and faintly convex. Even the median striae barely perceptible. Series of marginal pores slightly spaced in middle. Microreticulation distinct, isodiametric, dense, slightly coarser than on head and pronotum. Punctures rather dense but almost invisible within the microreticulation. Surface with very sparse, short, erect pilosity, moderately glossy.

Lower surface. Prosternal process elongate, narrow, apex almost straight; ventral surface convex, straight to apex, bisetose. Metepisternum c. twice as long as wide at apex. Terminal abdominal sternum in female slightly convex.

Legs. Elongate and very slender. Metatarsus as long as metatibia. 1 st tarsomere of metatarsus as long as 2 nd and 3 rd tarsomeres together. Squamosity of male protarsus unknown.

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Female gonocoxites ( Fig. 2 View Fig ). Gonocoxite 1 elongate, apex with few setae. Gonocoxite 2 short and robust, triangular, apicad curved, with acute apex; ventral surface densely setose; without dorso-median and ventro-lateral ensiform setae, but with two attached, elongate, nematiform setae in apical third which originate from an elongate pit.

Variation. Unknown.

Distribution. Central New South Wales, Australia. Known only from the type locality.

Biology. Not recorded. Probably a bark inhabiting species like its congeners.

Acknowledgement

I am indebted to Vratislav Bejsák (Sydney) for the kind loan of the specimen.