Antennoluprops triplehorni Schawaller and Aalbu, new species

Antennoluprops triplehorni Schawaller and Aalbu, new species

(Figs. 1–5)

Type Material. Holotype (♂): Madagascar, Antsiranana, Parc National de Marojejy, Manantenina River, 27.6 km 35° NE Andapa, 9.6 km 327° NNW Manantenia, 14°26′06″S, 49°45′36″E, 775 m, 15.– 18.XI.2003, leg. B. L. Fisher et al., code BLF 8872, CASC. Paratypes: Same data as holotype, 7♀ CASC, 1♂ 1♀ RLAC, 1♂ 1♀ SMNS.

Etymology. This species is named for Charles (Chuck) Triplehorn, a prominent worker in Tenebrionidae and a great mentor and co-worker to many students of Tenebrionidae.

Description. Body length 2.1–2.6 mm. Dorsum and venter dark brown without metallic shine; pronotal lateral margins, all appendages lighter colored; dorsal and ventral surfaces punctured, punctures with distinct appressed setae, surface between punctures shiny (Figs. 1, 3). Head with slightly smaller but denser punctation than pronotum, genae somewhat swollen, not dilated, weak, transverse impression between genae, anterior margin of clypeus straight, without excavation or other modifications; eyes oval in lateral view, not prominent, not narrowed by genae; maxillary palps with large, triangular terminal segment; antenna with 10 short, thick antennomeres (Figs. 2, 4), male antennomere 5 swollen, keeled laterally, distinctly lighter in color than other antennomere, antennomere 3 not prolonged in both sexes, terminal 2 antennomeres forming an indistinct club, all antennomeres with similar setation. Pronotum widest before middle, all margins unbordered, lateral margins slightly crenulated, anterior and posterior angles prominent, surface convex, lateral parts flattened, surface with irregular punctation, punctures somewhat larger than on head, similar in size as on elytra, propleura with larger but sparser punctation, shorter setation than on pronotum, prosternal process short. Scutellum visible. Wings reduced. Elytra ovate, widest near the base, lateral margin with fine dentation, visible in dorsal view throughout length, surface with irregular punctures without rows or striae, epipleura with similar punctation, surface of epipleura somewhat uneven. Abdominal ventrites laterally with larger punctures than medially, surface somewhat uneven, last visible ventrite unmargined, membranes between ventrites not exposed. Legs sexually dimorphic: male anterior tibia with excavation at tip, medial and posterior tibiae with an internal hook at tip; in females, all tibiae simple and not modified; in both sexes, tibiae without external keels, tibial spurs not visible; all tarsomeres short. Aedeagus (Fig. 5) with thick, long basale and small, hooked apicale in lateral view.

Diagnosis. Antennoluprops triplehorni can be recognized by the distinct dorsal and ventral setation, the shape of the antennomeres in males, and the shape of the aedeagus. Both other known congeners from Madagascar, Antennoluprops bremeri Schawaller, 2007 and Antennoluprops andohahelae (Ferrer, 1998), have a glabrous integument (compare figures in Schawaller 2007). In A. bremeri, antennomere 5 in males is dilated on the medial side and periscope-like, and the aedeagal apicale has a rounded tip. Antennoluprops andohahelae is known only from a single female holotype, and thus shapes of the male antennomeres and aedeagus are unknown.