Autocrates soni, Cho & Kim, 2024

Autocrates soni sp. nov.

( Figs 3–5 View Fig View Fig View Fig )

Type locality. Vietnam, Khanh Hoa Province, Khanh Vinh District, Son Thai, 12°11′26.5″N, 108°43′03.5″E, 1,604 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPF: J ( NMPC), “ Vietnam, Khanh Hoa Province, Khanh Vinh District, Son Thai, 12°11′26.5″N 108°43′03.5″E, v.2020, local collector leg.”, plus red holotype label. PARATYPFS: 3 JJ 4 ♀♀ ( MIM), same data as holotype, plus red paratype label; 4 JJ 6 ♀♀ ( MIM), same data as holotype except viii.2020; 1 J 1 ♀ ( HCC), same data as holotype except vi.2022; 1 ♀ ( NMPC), same data as holotype except v.2023; 1 ♀ ( HCC), same data as holotype except vi.2023; 1 J 1 ♀ ( MIM), same data as holotype except 16.vi.2023, T. W. Kim leg.

Description. General appearance ( Figs 3A–E View Fig ). Body length 54.0– 76.5 mm, width 21.0– 27.5 mm, elongate-oval and dorsoventrally flattened. Ground colour uniformly black with weak metallic lustre. Dorsum entirely covered with dense, short, appressed, yellow to ochre pubescence; venter laterally covered with dense, rather long, reddish-brown pubescence.

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Head prognathous, transverse, distinctly narrower than pronotum. Frons slightly impressed, declivous. Clypeus weakly emarginate along anterior margin. Labrum strongly transverse, broadly emarginate, with setose anterior margin. Compound eyes moderately large, strongly vertically oriented and narrow. Mentum sparsely covered with long setae. Hypopharynx densely covered with long setae. Mandible enlarged, apex unidentate, with strongly asymmetric inner teeth; apical half of male mandible distinctly bent upwards, particularly in large males. Apical maxillary palpomere narrowly securiform, slightly longer than penultimate palpomere. Genal ridges produced anteriad and apically subacute in male, more strongly produced and apically acute to subacute in female. Male antennae much longer than half body length; antennomere I (scapus) largest, longest, distinctly widened distally; II (pedicellus) short; III–VIII elongate, each subequal in length; VIII with distinct lateral projection on distal part; IX–X flabellate; XI lanceolate. Female antennae less than half body length; antennomere VIII with shorter lateral projection in distal part.

Thorax. Pronotum transverse, about twice as wide as long, anterolateral angle strongly obtusely produced, posterolateral angle with short spine. Lateral margin of pronotum with 6–8 acute spines; largest spine directed obliquely backwards, situated in posterior 1/3. Pronotal disc densely punctulate, decumbently setose. Prosternal intercoxal process glabrous, finely and sparsely punctulate. Meso- and metaventrite with meson largely glabrous. Scutellum slightly wider than long, narrowed posteriorly.

Elytra, hind wings and femora. Lateral sides moderately widened posteriorly up to basal 1/4, thence gradually narrowed posteriorly. Elytral apices not meeting at suture, each armed with short angulate tooth. Humeral calli broadly rounded. Disc densely punctulate, decumbently setose. Hind wings well developed. Femora covered with sparse punctures bearing short setae with row of brush-like, dense setae at inner margin.

Abdomen. Each abdominal ventrite nearly glabrous along midline. Basale of aedeagus broad; apicale elongate, slender and apically tapering, with two short apical processes; pair of accessory lobes long and narrow extending beyond apex of apicale, with spatulate and setose distal part ( Figs 4A–B View Fig ). Male sternite VII deeply U-shaped emarginate. Male tergite VII narrowed apically, posterior margin broadly emarginate, densely setose ( Fig. 4C View Fig ). Male tergite VIII shallowly emarginate on posterior margin, surface densely setose ( Fig. 4D View Fig ). Male sternite VIII strongly bilobed, posterior margin deeply emarginate and densely setose, with pair of long and slender protrusions on lateral margin ( Fig. 4E View Fig ). Male tergites IX and X fused, elongate oval and membranous ( Figs 4F–G View Fig ). Female tergites VII– VIII and sternite VIII as in Figs 4H and I View Fig . Ovipositor very long and slender, with short gonostyli.

Differential diagnosis. Autocrates soni sp. nov. is almost identical to A. vitalisi Vuillet, 1912 , in its general appearance and genital structure. However, the new species can be distinguished by the reddish-brown pubescence on the ventral side as shown in Fig. 5A View Fig (yellow, ochre to ochre-greyish in A. vitalisi as in Fig. 5B View Fig ); femora except inner margin covered with sparse punctures bearing short setae (much longer setae in A. vitalisi ); dorsum black with very weak metallic lustre (dorsum generally cupreous, purple or pale green metallic in A. vitalisi ). Autocrates lini Hu, Drumont & Telnov, 2022 , is also similar, but differs in the golden pubescence on venter and glabrous dorsum.

Etymology. This new species is dedicated to Mr. Hyunsu Son (Hwaseong, South Korea), an amateur beetle collector who first pointed out the morphological differences of this new species.

Distribution. Vietnam: Khanh Hoa.