Promethis skalei n. sp. from West Papua is described, illustrated and differentiated from its congeners by unusual head armature and last abdominal ventrite morphology.
1 Introduction
The species of the genus Promethis Pascoe, 1869 (Tene brionidae: Stenochiinae: Cnodalonini) are typical forest dwellers of the Oriental, Papuan and Australian Regions, and were revised by Kaszab (1988a, b). Further species were described by Ba & Ren (2009) from Hainan Island (China), Grimm (2011, 2013) from Borneo, Masumoto et al. (2005) from Taiwan, Ren & Bai (2005) from Gansu Province (China), Ren & Hua (2006) from Guizhou Province (China), and Ren & Yang (2004) from Guangxi Province (China). André Skale (Hof/Saale, Germany) collected in West Papua a species new for science which is described in the present paper.
2 Description of the new species
Promethis skalei n. sp.
(Figs. 1–2)
Holotype ♂: W Papua, Manokwari prov., 18 km NW Ransiki, Anggi Gida, Kampung Itkau, 1830 m, cutting area, primary forest, 01°24.23′S/133°35.53′E, 4.III.2007, leg. A. Skale (CRG).
Paratypes : Same data as holotype, 1 ♀ (CRG), 1 ♀ (SMNS).
Etymology
This species is named in honour of André Skale (Hof/Saale, Germany), the collector of the type specimens.
Description
Elongate-oval, black, body length 23.6–25.5 mm, body width 9.0–10.0 mm.
Head widest across middle of eyes; anterior border of clypeus straight, laterally arcuate towards clypeo-genal meeting; fronto-clypeal and clypeo-genal sutures well incised, frontal suture insignificant. Genae terminating apico-laterally in a spine-like process (Fig. 1a). Surface densely, but finely punctured. Antennae short, reaching middle of pronotum. Mentum subcordiform, apico-laterally declivous, basal border arcuate; surface in the ♂ densely hirsute; in the ♀♀ densely coarsely to rugosely punctured with only scattered long erect hairs (remaining hairs possibly abraded?).
Pronotum widest in the middle, transverse, width/ length ratio (measured along transversal and longitudinal midlines) 1.42–1.56. Anterior border shallowly emarginate, lateral borders slightly arcuate towards apical angles, nearly straight and slightly converging towards basal angles, and shallowly emarginate before base. Apical angles obtusely rounded, basal angles subrectangular. All borders distinctly margined, apical margin interrupted in the middle. Surface densely punctured, punctures weakly impressed, with long, adpressed hairs, interspaces weakly microreticulate; disc with basally keeled midlongitudinal sulcus, somewhat flattened along lateral borders. Propleura nearly smooth, basally shallowly rugulose with scattered punctures; apically with fine, scattered punctures or microgranulate. Prosternal process broad, flat, bisulcate, slightly arcuate towards apex.
Elytra striate-punctate; intervals convex, with scattered minute punctures. Lateral margins in dorsal view visible along entire length. Metaventrite rugulose, with interspersed fine, hairy punctures or microgranules. Abdominal ventrite 1 rugulose, with interspersed setigerous punctures; ventrites 2–3 anteriorly rugulose, posteriorly finely punctured; ventrites 4–5 minutely punctured; ventrite 5 not bordered, but apically with distinct tooth (Fig. 1b).
Legs without modifications, but apex of ♂ protibiae widened and flattened ventrally, and fringed with yellow hairs on inner side.
Aedeagus see Fig. 2.
Differential diagnosis
Promethis skalei n. sp. can be easily separated from all described congeners by the apicolateral spine-like process
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to Johannes Reibnitz (Stuttgart) for taking the photographs and assembling the plate. Liu Shanshan (Baoding) and Dr. Wolfgang Schawaller (Stuttgart) kindly helped in getting copies of papers on Chinese Promethis. Dr. Ottó Merkl (Budapest) and Dr. Wolfgang Schawaller (Stuttgart) reviewed the manuscript.
