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

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

( Figs 25–31 View FIGURES 25–31 )

Type material. Holotype: CHINA (YUNNAN Prov.): ♂, two labels: “CHINA: Yunnan, Dali Bai Aut. Pref., / Zhemo Shan, 7 km SW Xiaguan , / 25º32-33’N, 100º10-11’E, 2870-2970 / m, scrub with bamboo, oaks & / Rhododendr., litter sifted, 18.IX. / 2009, leg. M. Schülke [ CH09-60 ]” [white, printed]; “ CEPHENNODES (s. str.) / deinonychus m. / P. Jałoszyński, 2025 / HOLOTYPUS ” [red, printed] ( MNB) . Paratypes (24 exx.): 14 ♂, 4 ♀♀, 2 exx. of unknown sex (mounted with fore legs folded under the body), same data as for holotype ; 1 ♂, “CHINA: Yunnan, Dali Bai Aut. Pref., / Jizu Shan, path to cable car, 37 km NE / Dali, 25º58’N, 100º23’E, / 2450 m, mixed forest, sifted from litter, / moss & pine apples, 5.IX.2009. / leg. M. Schülke [ CH09-29 ]” [white, printed] GoogleMaps ; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, “CHINA: Yunnan, Dali Bai Aut. Pref., / mount. range E Weishan, 12 km NE / Weishan, 25º17’02-15’’N, 100º22’ / 23-30’’E, 2630-2660 m, scrub with / pines and bamboo, litter sifted, 15.IX. / 2009, leg. M. Schülke [ CH09-54 ]” [white, printed]; each with yellow “ PARATYPUS ” label ( MNB, cPJ) .

Diagnosis. Body moderately large, around 1.5 mm in length; antennae with pentamerous clubs; punctures on head small but sharply marked and more distinct than those on pronotum and elytra; pronotal lateral carinae single; subhumeral lines short, as long as about 0.25 × EL. Male: antennomere 7 enlarged, longer and broader than 8; protarsi ( Fig. 27 View FIGURES 25–31 ) conspicuously modified, each with tarsomeres 1–3 bearing minute ventral subtriangular projection, tarsomere 4 transverse, projecting ventrad to form a large subtriangular lobe, tarsomere 5 almost as long as 1–4 combined, with one claw extremely enlarged, longer than tarsomere, the other claw of normal size; aedeagus ( Figs 28–31 View FIGURES 25–31 ) in ventral view with apical projections slightly longer than wide, in lateral view distal (dorsal) plate weakly curved, capsular region in ventral view lacking rounded lobe at each distolateral corner; parameral apices unmodified.

Description. Body of male ( Figs 25–26 View FIGURES 25–31 ) strongly convex, oval, with shallow constriction between pronotum and elytra, light to dark brown, in lightly pigmented specimens pronotum and head slightly darker than elytra, in fully pigmented specimens tarsi lighter than rest of body, vestiture light brown. BL 1.38–1.50 mm.

Head broadest across moderately large and moderately strongly convex, coarsely faceted eyes, HL 0.18–0.23 mm, HW 0.34–0.35 mm; frontovertexal region weakly convex at middle, unmodified; supraantennal tubercles weakly elevated. Punctures on frontovertexal area small but sharply marked, dense, separated by spaces subequal to their diameters, clypeus with finer and sparser punctures; setae sparse, short and suberect. Antennae long and slender, with pentamerous clubs, AnL 0.78–0.83 mm, antennomere 1 weakly elongate, 2 strongly elongate, 3–6 each weakly elongate, 7 enlarged, slightly elongate and slightly broader than 8, 8 and 9 each weakly transverse, 10 about as long as broad or weakly transverse, 11 about as long as 9 and 10 combined, about 1.8 × as long as broad.

Pronotum semi-oval, strongly convex at middle and weakly flattened near hind corners, equally broad between middle and base or in some specimens indistinctly narrowing posterad from near middle; PL 0.43–0.50 mm, PW 0.63–0.65 mm. Anterior margin in strictly dorsal view nearly straight; lateral margins strongly rounded in anterior half and parallel or nearly parallel posteriorly, microserration extremely fine and barely discernible; 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, weakly suberect.

Elytra indistinctly broader than pronotum, together oval, broadest between middle and anterior third; EL 0.75– 0.88 mm, EW 0.65–0.73 mm, EI 1.07–1.25; subhumeral lines carinate but relatively blunt, as long as about 0.25 × EL and distinctly divergent posterad; basal elytral fovea on each elytron located distinctly closer to lateral margin of mesoscutellum than to subhumeral line; elytral apices unmodified, separately rounded. Punctures on elytra fine, unremarkable; setae similar to those on pronotum.

Hind wings in some males functional, in others obliterated (but only a few have been checked).

Metaventrite with shallow lateral impressions about as long as half of its length.

Legs long and slender, with conspicuously modified protarsi ( Fig. 27 View FIGURES 25–31 ): each of tarsomeres 1–3 bearing minute ventral subtriangular projection, tarsomere 4 transverse, projecting ventrad to form a large subtriangular lobe, tarsomere 5 almost as long as 1–4 combined, with one claw extremely enlarged, longer than length of tarsomere, the other claw of normal size.

Aedeagus ( Figs 28–31 View FIGURES 25–31 ) of modified latus form, AeL 0.33 mm; capsular region in ventral view oval, lacking pair of distolateral lobes; apical projections subtriangular and slightly elongate, in lateral view distal (dorsal) plate weakly curved; parameres short and thick, their apical regions unmodified, each paramere with two similarly long apical setae.

Female. Externally similar to male but with unmodified protarsi and with slightly shorter antennae in relation to BL, wingless; BL 1.46–1.55 mm; HL 0.18–0.23 mm, HW 0.34–0.35 mm, AnL 0.75–0.78 mm; PL 0.48–0.50 mm, PW 0.65–0.70 mm; EL 0.80–0.85 mm, EW 0.73–0.75 mm, EI 1.07–1.17.

Distribution. S China: Yunnan.

Etymology. The noun deinonychus is borrowed from the name of a dinosaur and refers to a similar feature—the ‘terrible claw’ (Greek deinós and ónyx), as in Fig. 27 View FIGURES 25–31 .

Remarks. Cephennodes deinonychus is the only species of the genus (and of Scydmaeninae ) with an extremely enlarged one protarsal claw. Some variability in the body pigmentation (dark or light brown, see Figs 25 and 26 View FIGURES 25–31 ) and in the shape of the distal plates of the median lobe ( Figs 28 and 30 View FIGURES 25–31 ) was found, but a relatively large number of specimens (18 males) makes it possible to interpret these differences as intraspecific or, in the case of the aedeagus, resulting from a slightly different orientation in the mounting medium.