Thortus parallelus, Leschen & Chen & Harmer, 2024

Thortus parallelus sp. nov.

( Fig. 16 View Fig )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♁ ( NZAC), labelled: ‘ New Zealand. NN. Oparara Basin, Oparara Arches Tk. 27 Feb 2007. K. Marske. KM026 Sifting. mixed Nothofagus /podocarp fores. Sifted wood and leaf litter. 41.09S 172. 11E // NZ Arthropod Collection Private Bag 92170 Auckland New Zealand NZAC03019630 About NZAC GoogleMaps ’. PARATYPE (1; NZAC). SOUTH ISLAND: NN: 1, Oparara Basin, Box Canyon/Crazy Paving Caves track and carpark, 27 Feb 2007, mixed Nothofagus and podocarp forest, sifted wood and leaf litter, K. Marske, 41°8.076′S, 172°11.525′E, KM028, NZAC 04235139.

Diagnosis. Thortus parallelus sp. nov. is a unicolourous species with a well-developed eye, a narrowed clypeus and parallel abdominal postcoxal lines. It is most similar to T. bullerensis sp. nov. but the pronotal sides are subparallel and the abdominal postcoxal lines are parallel.

Description. Length 1.35 mm. Colour of body unicolourous red-brown, with lighter antennal club, mouthparts and legs. Body surfaces glabrous, microsculpture absent, apart from the gular region. Dorsal setae golden, consisting of short scattered suberect straight and subdecumbent curved setae. Ventral surfaces with suberect straight and subdecumbent curved setae; punctation ovate on prosternum, mesoventrite foveolate and moderately impressed, disc of metaventrite with punctures variable, larger on lateral portions, and about as impressed as those on prosternum, punctation of abdominal ventrites 1 to 4 smaller or equal to those on metaventrite, setae not longer at sides, punctation on ventrite 5 denser with a well-defined patch of posteriorly-directed setae. Head not lengthened with a relatively short gena with length subequal to length of antennomere 1; frons constricted, narrowed to a width that is less than about half the length of antennomere 1; supra-antennal ridge with well-developed rim, bead absent; vertex delimited anteriorly by a transverse crenulate line, anterior surface distinctly punctured, posterior surface virtually glabrous and lacking punctures; gular punctation irregular and ovate, diameters larger and more dense than those on sides of head. Eye consisting of approximately 17 facets. Antennomere 2 barrel-shaped, wider than long, antennomere 3 subconical, longer and narrower than 2 and longer and slightly wider than 4, proportions of antennomeres 4–8 same, antennomere 9 wider than 8 and narrower than 10 and 11, antennomere 10 transverse and about the same width as 11, antennomere 11 longer than 10, slightly shorter than 9 and 10 combined. Pronotum transverse, pronotal length/width ratio ~0.91, widest at middle; anterior margin convex; anterior angles obtuse, not projecting and rounded; lateral edges weakly convex, slightly converging anteriorly, gradually converging posteriorly; pronotal disc with punctation subuniform and foveolate, shallow, sparse in central disc (without a distinct median glabrous strip), separated by a distance of up to 1–1.5 times their diameter; median impression absent; transversely depressed at basal 1/5; basomedial macropuncture present, triangulate; posterolateral angles almost right, sharp, not projecting posteriorly; posterior margin sinuate with weak scutellar lobe. Prosternal process with well-developed lateral marginal beads, without longitudinal depression medially, process subparallel-sided and converging posteriorly, slightly expanded posteriorly behind procoxae, apex rounded, width subequal to width of procoxa and 0.5 times as long as prosternum; procoxal cavity with anterolateral notch. Scutellary shield trapezoidal and transverse, 1.9 times as wide as long. Elytra about 1.31 times as long as combined widths, about 1.12 times as wide as width of pronotum, about 1.87 times as long as length of pronotum; setation dual consisting of relatively short suberect and subdecumbent setae; humeral plica weak; parasutural stria present, incomplete, present to middle of elytra; punctation less dense and smaller than pronotum, more impressed at base. Metaventrital process with anterior margin straight, marginal bead weakly indicated at middle. Tarsi moderately slender, 5-5- 5 in female, male unknown; mesotarsomeres 1–3 of subequal lengths, mesotarsomere 5 shorter than tarsomeres 1–4 combined. First abdominal ventrite with broad rounded intercoxal process, postcoxal lines long, parallel, extending to middle of sclerite.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the Latin adjective ‘ parallelus ’, referring to both the shape of the abdominal postcoxal lines and the subparallel sides of the pronotum.

Distribution. South Island: NN ( Fig. 21 View Fig ).

Remarks. Thortus parallelus sp. nov. is known from two female specimens collected at Oparara Arches.