<strong> Genus-level revision of the family Phalacridae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) </ strong>
Author
Gimmel, Matthew L.
phalacrid@gmail.com
text
Zootaxa
2013
2013-01-15
3605
1
1
147
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3605.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3605.1.1
1175-5326
5259280
19CFDC67-4FCB-431D-8BF2-80EEB9EC76A4
32.
Malagophytus
Gimmel
,
gen. nov.
(
Figs. 3b
;
42g
)
Type
species:
Malagophytus steineri
Gimmel
, here designated.
Type
material.
See account of
M. steineri
below.
Diagnosis.
Distinguished by the separated mesocoxal cavities, lack of a protibial ctenidium, large scutellar shield, four convergent elytral discal striae, and paired postcoxal lines on abdominal ventrite I.
Description.
Very small, total length
1.3β1.5 mm
. Color solid rufotestaceous (
Fig.
42g
). Tibial spur formula 2- 2-2, tarsal formula 5-5-5.
Head.
Not
constricted behind eyes. Eyes medium-sized; weakly emarginate medially; with broad posterior emargination; periocular groove absent. Frontoclypeus emarginate above antennal insertion; clypeal apex arcuatetruncate. Antennal club 3-segmented, club weakly asymmetrical; antennomere XI constricted on posterior edge. Mandible with apex tridentate; with weak retinaculum. Maxillary palpomere IV fusiform, short, nearly symmetrical. Labial palpomere III fusiform, pointed. Gular sutures long, extending at least halfway to ventral mouthparts.
Thorax.
Pronotum with distinct, scattered microsetae; with weakly developed scutellar lobe. Procoxal cavity with anterolateral notchlike extension; prosternal process angulate in lateral view, with preapical setae, with broad translucent horizontal apical process, without spinelike setae at apex. Protibia without ctenidium on kickface. Scutellar shield large, about as wide as length of eye. Elytron without spectral iridescence; with one distinct sutural stria, plus four more-or-less complete striae, all striae convergent on sutural stria apically, with rudiments of additional striae; without transverse strigae. Mesoventral plate notched anteriorly, extending posteriorly to metaventrite, forming procoxal rests, with a moderately deep, circular, median depression for reception of prosternal process; mesanepisternum with complete transverse carina; mesocoxae approximate, separated by less than half width of a coxal cavity. Mesotarsomere III not bilobed. Metaventral process extending anteriorly just to halfway point of mesocoxae; metaventral postcoxal lines narrowly separated from mesocoxal cavity margin, arcuate; discrimen short, not extending halfway to anterior margin of metaventral process. Metatibial foreface with apical ctenidium straight, perpendicular overall to long axis of tibia; spurs cylindrical, longest spur subequal to width of tibial apex; metatarsomere I longer than metatarsomere II, but shorter than remainder of tarsus, joint between I and II rigid.
Abdomen.
Abdominal ventrite I (
Fig. 3b
) with paired lines extending from metacoxal process posteriorly about 2/3 of the way to suture between ventrites I and II, divergent posteriorly. Genitalia unstudied.
Immature stages.
Unknown.
Bionomics.
Only one of the specimens has any collection information: βon reed litter.β
Distribution and diversity.
Known so far only from
two specimens
(representing one species) from southeastern
Madagascar
(
Fig. 44b
).
Included species
(1):
Malagophytus steineri
Gimmel
,
sp. nov.
(Distribution:
Madagascar
)
Discussion.
Because this genus is known from only
two specimens
I did not perform a disarticulation. Accordingly, the above description lacks a number of internal and detailed external characters, and the genus was excluded from the phylogenetic analysis.
Etymology.
From
malago
-, referring to its Malagasy homeland, and Greek
phyton
(a creature). The gender of the name is masculine.