A new termitophilous genus and species of the tribe Amarygmini Gistel, 1848 from China (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
Author
Jiang, Ri-Xin
0000-0002-5339-853X
College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, 53 Zhengzhou Road, Qingdao, 266042, P. R. China. & maoshuwuyouzhi @ 163. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 5339 - 853 X
Author
Song, Hai-Tian
0000-0003-1042-7959
Fujian Academy of Forestry Sciences, Fuzhou, 350012, China. & haitiansong @ 126. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 1042 - 7959
Author
He, Xue-You
0000-0001-9436-5868
Fujian Academy of Forestry Sciences, Fuzhou, 350012, China. & fjhexueyou @ 126. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 9436 - 5868
Author
Engel, Michael S.
Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA.
Author
Wang, Shuo
0000-0003-0412-3799
College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, 53 Zhengzhou Road, Qingdao, 266042, P. R. China. & shuowang @ qust. edu. cn; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 0412 - 3799
shuowang@qust.edu.cn
text
Zootaxa
2021
2021-07-22
5004
4
577
586
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5004.4.6
1175-5326
5140867
7F231526-5ED9-45A9-8BB7-35A3D913D6D1
Genus
Termitocnemis
gen. nov.
(•.ƶ'NJ)
Type
species.
Termitocnemis huangi
sp. nov.
(黄氏•.ƶ')
Diagnosis.
Similar to
Gonocnemis
and
Paragonocnemis
. Body reddish brown, surface shiny, finely covered with short thin setae. Head downcast owing to strong hypognathy, compound eyes large, nephroid, not contacting medially on frons. Antennal tubercles distinctly raised; antenna not specialized, surface covered with sparse short setae, antennomeres I–III columnar, antennomeres IV–XI finely flat. Disc of pronotum strongly convex, anterior and posterior angles distinctly raised, with posterior angles acute and projecting. Apex of prosternal process nearly triangular. Each elytron with nine distinct intervals. Profemur armed with a triangular tooth on inner surface; other leg podites simple.
The new genus is most similar to the genus
Gonocnemis
, but can be easily distinguished by the following characters: 1) body shiny (usually dull in
Gonocnemis
); 2) different pronotal shape (pronotum of
Gonocnemis
spp.
not raised at anterior and posterior angles, and without strongly projecting posterior angles.). The new genus is also greatly similar to the
Gonocnemis
-like genus
Paragonocnemis
. Both genera have widely separated compound eyes on the frons, but the pronotum of the new genus lacks longitudinal ridges and the surface is shiny and about the same width at its base and apex, while the pronotum of species of
Paragonocnemis
have distinct longitudinal ridges, and the pronotum is narrowest apically and with the surface typically roughened.
Termitocnemis
gen. nov.
is also more or less similar to
Alienoplonyx
Bremer, 2019
, as both genera have the profemur armed and also have the pronotal posterior angles distinctly raised. However, the new genus differs from
Alienoplonyx
by the following characters: 1) antenna not specialized (dilated in
Alienoplonyx
); 2) frons not obviously raised, the head is not obliquely and straightly descending anterior to the genae (frons distinctly raised, head obliquely and straightly descending anterior to genae in
Alienoplonyx
); 3) compound eyes widely separated on frons (compound eyes almost contacting each other medially on frons in
Alienoplonys
); 4) pronotal width about the same basally and apically (widest at base and narrowest apically in
Alienoplonyx
); 5) tarsi long and stout (short and thin in
Alienoplonyx
).
Description.
Refer to the description of
Termitocnemis huangi
sp. nov.
(
vide infra
).
Etymology.
The new genus-group name is a combination of the Latin
termes
(meaning, “termite”, masculine; genitive
termitis
) and
cnemis
(New Latin derivative of Ancient Greek
knēmís
(
κνημῘ́ς
), feminine, meaning, “legging”; itself from
knḗmē
(
κνήμη
), meaning, “shin” or “tibia”, and –
ís
(–
ίς
), a suffix forming feminine nouns and adjectives). The name refers to the general similarity of the genus to
Gonocnemis
and its ecological association with termites. Gender feminine.