Paraethus raunoi, Magnien, 2014

Paraethus raunoi n. sp.

Type material: Holotype, Ƌ, Congo, 128-96, DIBOWSKY ( MNHN) . Paratype, 1 ♀, same data as holotype ( MNHN). Both dissected, genitalia in microvials on the same pin as the specimens ; other specimen (pygophore lacking): 1 Ƌ, Ouganda, LE MOULT leg. ( MNHN) .

Description

Body broadly oval, coloration black, shiny.

Head ( fig. 4): Black or blackish-brown, much broader than long; dorsal surface (except clypeus and area between ocelli) densely finely punctured; clypeus free, tapering apicad, slightly shorter than paraclypei and subapically without setigerous punctures; each paraclypeus submarginally with a row of about 10 setigerous punctures (the present state of the specimens, which have almost completely lost their vestiture, does not allow to differentiate between peg-like setae and hair-like setae); eyes brownish or yellowish, each with long and slender apical spine; ocelli large, yellowish; antennae reddish brown, the 5 th segment yellowish, 2 nd segment shorter than 3 rd by about one fourth, subequal to 4 th and somewhat smaller than last (1.01, 0.75, 1.01 and 1.15 mm, respectively); rostrum pale brown, long, reaching middle coxae.

Thorax: Pronotum almost two times broader than long, umbones not swollen; pronotal disc densely, almost evenly punctured (except callal areas and middle hind margin); each lateral margin with about 12 submarginal setigerous punctures bearing hair-like setae. Disc of scutellum densely and evenly punctured, less in the fore part, punctures of same size as those on pronotum. Corium distinctly punctured; clavus with one complete and one partial rows of punctures; mesocorium with two rows of punctures, parallel to clavo-corial suture, mesocorial disc with dense puncturation, punctures equal to those on scutellum; exocorium less deeply punctured; costa with 2-4 setigerous punctures; membrane yellowish-brown, reaching tip of abdomen. Propleuron with many coarse punctures in depression, several punctures occur also on posterior convexity. Evaporative areas ( fig. 5) large, the mesopleural with a polished band running to the level of the apex of vestibulum, which bears a claw-like tooth posteriorly ( fig. 6). Coxae and femora dark brown, tibiae black; fore tibia apically broadened and compressed, dorsal margin of fore tibia with 7-8 stout spines, tarsus yellowish-brown; middle tibia slightly flattened; posterior tibia conspicuously compressed, margins with many long spines.

Abdomen: Sternites reddish-brown or dark reddish-brown, their lateral thirds with numerous distinct punctures.

Male genitalia: Paramere ( fig. 20), penis slightly curved upward ( fig. 21), phallobase short, vesica and processes longer by about one half of its length, upper conjuctival process bilobate ( fig. 22).

Female genitalia: Spermatheca ( fig. 27): intermediate part swollen; dilation of the duct translucent, small, smaller than the intermediate part; triangular fold of the vaginal wall of about the same width as the posterior part of the duct, strongly sclerotized.

Measurements (mean, (min-max)): total length Ƌ 13.4 (13.2-13.7) mm – ♀ 12.5 mm: width Ƌ 8.3 (8.2-8.3) mm – ♀ 7.8 mm; ocular index 2,5 (2,3- 2,7), interocellar index 3,6 (3,5-3,9).

Derivation nominis: It is a pleasure for me to dedicate this species to my colleague RAUNO LINNAVUORI, in recognition of all his contributions to the knowledge of African Cydnidae . I hope he will forgive me for electing his first name rather than his family name, but I did this thinking to all our colleagues who will have to write the labels in the years to come.

Distribution: Congo, Ouganda.

Discussion

Paraethus raunoi n. sp. can be readily separated from all the other species of the genus by its size, which is by far the largest in the genus. The biggest specimens of the largest already known species, P. capicola (WESTWOOD, 1837) , do not even reach 10 mm and are about 25 % smaller than the smallest specimen of P. raunoi n. sp. Two other features of habitus may be useful to differentiate the new species from P. capicola , the eye of which are much smaller (ocular index more than 3.1, 2.3-2.7 for P. raunoi n. sp.) and the fact that the hemelytra are not wider than the pronotum for capicola , wider for the new species by 5 to 10 %. Conspicuous differences also appear in the genitalia. The penis of P. capicola is slender, recurved ventrad, the processi not surpassing the phallobase by more than 25 % of its length, whereas it is stout, recurved dorsad, and the processi surpass the phallobase by half of its length in the new species. In the female genitalia, the inflation of intermediate part is wider and much longer than the receptacle in P. capicola ( fig. 31), whereas it is smaller than the receptacle in the new species ( fig. 27).