Mesoxenomorphus rugipennis Colonnelli 2014, sp. nov.

Mesoxenomorphus rugipennis sp. nov.

(Figs 40, 42)

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J (NMPC), ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Bizidig // Avicennia marina mangrove, // 13.vi.2012 // 12°18.6′N, 53°48.2′E, 6 m’, ‘Socotra expedition 2012 // J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, // P. Kment, I. Malenovský, // J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg. ’. PARATYPES: 13 JJ 28 ♀♀, same label data as holotype (29 NMPC, 2 BMNH, 10 ECRI).

Additional material examined. 1 J in very bad condition and with broken elytra, ‘Homaq, 11.x.2007, R. Sindaco leg.’ (MCCI).

Description. Male holotype. Body length 2.7 mm. Cuticle bare, shining, pitchy brown, legs and antennae dark ferruginous. Ventral side somewhat alutaceous, mesoventrite and ventrites I, II and V with not so dense moderately large punctures (Fig. 40).

Head. Rostrum 0.6× as long as pronotum, moderately curved, rather finely punctured, sides slightly concave. Antennae inserted shortly apicad of middle of rostrum; scape thin, slightly curved forward and moderately clubbed; funicular antennomere I slightly longer than wide, thicker than remaining ones which are all from moderately to strongly transverse; club quite small, suboval and about as long as preceding three antennomeres. Head subconical, convex, continuing curve of rostrum; space between eyes same as that of base of rostrum and with elongate pit. Eyes small and barely protruding from head convexity, temples convex and little more than twice eye diameter.

Pronotum about as long as wide, with rounded sides up to apical third, then rapidly narrowing towards base, strongly constricted and collar-shaped at apex, apical margin slightly convex, maximum width of pronotum about at basal third; disc moderately convex, with quite sparse and rather fine punctures. Scutellum almost invisible.

Elytra 1.80 times longer than wide, disc moderately convex, maximum width at middle; sides subparallel and almost straight up to apical fifth, then jointly rounded towards apex; humeri and preapical calli wanting. Striae catenulate. Interstriae wider than striae, almost flat, with irregular transverse sulci forming somewhat undulate surface.

Legs moderately robust; femora quite strongly clubbed and slightly compressed, sparsely setose like short almost straight tibiae; tarsi rather narrow, third tarsomere only slightly wider than preceding one and almost not bilobate, claws simple.

Ventral side. Metaventrite and abdominal ventrite I with large common depression in middle, ventrite I slightly longer than II, this about as long as ventrites III+IV, ventrite V crescent-shaped and about as long as ventrite I.

Variability. Apart from the colour which is more or less dark, other specimens are very similar to the holotype. Females have rostrum hardly thinner and longer, and lack abdominal depression.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus as depicted in Fig. 42.

Body length 2.3–2.7 mm.

Differential diagnosis. This new species is at once distinguished from M. africanus Wollaston, 1873 (Fig. 41) and M. luridus Hesse, 1928, both from southern Africa, by its elytra with deep and sulciform instead of finely and shallowly punctured striae, and unevenly subrugulose instead of flat smooth intervals. The third species of the genus, the central African M. pilifer Voss, 1934 is very different from M. rugipennis sp. nov. especially by its raised claviform setae and elongate rostrum.

Etymology. The sulcate, subrugulose elytra suggested the species name, Latin adjective rugipennis (- is, - e), meaning ‘with rugulose wings’.

Collection circumstances. Specimens from Bizidig were sifted from decaying leaves in sand under an isolated stand of mangrove Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh. (Acanthaceae) (J. Hájek, pers. comm.).