Eucymatodera tenebricosa, Gerstmeier, 2025

Gerstmeier, Roland, 2025, Six new species of the genus Eucymatodera Schenkling, 1899 (Coleoptera, Cleridae, Tillinae), Zootaxa 5686 (3), pp. 406-424 : 413-414

Eucymatodera tenebricosa sp. nov.

( Figs 20 , 27 )

Holotype ♂: Zambia, 529 m, Nkwali, S. Luangwa, GMA, Edward’s Funnel, S13°07‘03“, E31°44‘16“, 10.– 18.11.2012, Light Trap, leg. Smith, R & Takana, H; NHMUK010369073 ( BMNH).

Paratypes ♀♀: RSA: Northern Province , Amatola Farm NE Vivo, 1000 m, N Soutpan Mts. 15.– 17.12.2003 leg. W. Schawaller (2 ex. SMNS, 1 ex. RGCM) .

Diagnosis. Head with punctation and wrinkles. Antennae reaching base of pronotum or going beyond (when laid back); antennomeres dilated from A5 onwards, from A7 onwards wider than long. Elytral base margined, punctation with a basal seta. Prosternal length equal to procoxal diameter. AMP rectangular, anterior and posterior margin bulging. Gula pads adjoined or separated.

Description. Length: 6.1–7.8 mm.

Head black, glossy, conspicuously wrinkled in front, middle with diffuse punctation, vertex with punctation and wrinkles; labrum and palpi whitish yellow, anterior part of clypeus brown. Antennae reaching base of pronotum (when laid back), in males longer, brown, larger part of antennomeres light brown; antennomeres dilated from A5 onwards, from A7 onwards wider than long, A11 shorter than A9+A10, slightly bulbous in the middle, slightly constricted towards tip.

EyW: 0.38–0.49 mm; EyD: 0.44–0.62 mm; EyD/EyW: 1.18.

Pronotum slightly constricted in front, more constricted towards base, slightly sinuate before middle, black, anterior margin very narrowly reddish or pronotum in general more red-brown; anterior transverse depression slightly more conspicuous, in front with punctation and wrinkles, then with coarse, more-or-less deep wrinkles, base with a pair of gibbosities.

PL: 1.26–1.80 mm; PW: 0.96–1.40 mm; PL/PW: 1.3.

Elytra black, often with a red-brown gleam, glossy. Elytral base margined, elytra subparallel, only slightly dilated towards apex. Punctation in 10 rows, the first three rows reaching slightly beyond the middle or rows 2 and 3 almost reaching apex, rows 4 to 8 almost reaching apex, rows 9 and 10 much shorter, apex more-or-less smooth, punctation small, roundish to slightly longitudinal, diameter of first three rows smaller than interstices, then diameter of outer rows increasing, interstices almost smooth; punctation with a basal seta.

EL: 3.74–5.21 mm; EW: 2.0– 2.62 mm; EL/EW: 1.93.

Legs uniformly brown to light brown.

Lower surface. Head, pro- and mesothorax dark red-brown, metaventrite and abdomen light red-brown to light brown. Gula light brown, U-shaped, with slight transverse wrinkles, gular pads medium-sized, almost adjoined or conspicuously separated. Prosternal length more-or-less equal to procoxal diameter. AMP more-or-less rectangular, anterior and posterior margins bulging, with coarse and deep punctation. Mesoventrite in the middle with very deep and coarse punctation, sides smooth. Metaventrite almost smooth.

Genitalia. See Fig 27 .

Distribution: Republic of South Africa, Zambia.

Etymology. The specific epithet, tenebricosus, - a, -um Latin adjective, refers to the dark habitus of the whole beetle.

Figures

FIGURE 27. Eucymatodera tenebricosa sp. nov. Genitalia. A) Aedeagus ventral; B) Aedeagus lateral; C) Spicular fork; D) Male pygidium; E) Male ventrite 6; F) Female pygidium; G) Female ventrite 6. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 17–21. 17) Eucymatodera senegalensis; 18) Eucymatodera speciosa; 19) Eucymatodera strigata sp. nov., Paratype; 20) Eucymatodera tenebricosa sp. nov., Paratype; 21) Eucymatodera variabilis.