Hemipeplus pseudoklematanicus KC & Pollock, 2025

Kc, Sajan & Pollock, Darren A., 2025, Review of the Hemipeplinae (Coleoptera: Mycteridae) fauna of the world with descriptions of twenty-nine new species, Zootaxa 5574 (1), pp. 1-140 : 106-107

Hemipeplus pseudoklematanicus KC & Pollock , sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EA387F13-3616-459D-8A28-75F3B937B4E7

(Figs 48, 65)

Type Material. Holotype, male, labeled: ‘[oval label with green color on upper side, blank] / [underlined in yellow] Sarawak, [/underlined in yellow] Borneo, Wallace. / Pascoe Coll. 93–60. / Hemipeplus [something illegible] / Hemipeplus klematanicus, Gestro Determined from description. G.J.A. / [green label] ♂ / [red label] HOLOTYPE ♂ Hemipeplus pseudoklematanicus KC & Pollock’, in BMNH.

Derivation of Specific Epithet. The specific name (adjective in the nominative case, in gender agreement with substantive) is given in allusion to the species’ close morphological resemblance to Hemipeplus klematanicus .

Diagnosis. Hemipeplus pseudoklematanicus sp. nov. can be distinguished from the similar-appearing H. klematanicus (Fig. 46) by its rounded, instead of acutely pointed, temples, wider pronotum, and paler color. Hemipeplus pseudoklematanicus sp. nov. has the following diagnostic features: temples short and rounded; scape moniliform, apically dilated; eyes large (longer than scape + pedicel), moderately wide and moderately convex; pronotum subcordiform; anterior emargination distinct; anterior half slightly wider than posterior half; pronotal pad distinct; anterior pronotal angles rounded, posterior angles obtuse; pronotal lobe slightly present without median notch; body long; elytra slightly convex; color dull, rufotestaceous, not nearly as dark as H. klematanicus , pronotum lighter; distribution: Malaysia ( Sarawak).

Description. Measurements (in mm)—GHW: 0.65; HL: 0.65; AL: 1.23; GPW: 0.75; PL: 0.60; GEW: 0.93; EL: 2.84; TL: 4.09.

Head (Fig. 48B) about as long as wide (GHW/HL: 1); eyes large (longer than scape + pedicel), moderately wide and moderately convex; temples short and rounded; occiput with strongly raised areas; antennae subequal to head and pronotum length combined; antennal scape moniliform, apically dilated; pedicel small moniliform; antennomere III more elongate and apically dilated; IV shorter and moniliform, apically dilated; V moniliform, larger, apically dilated; VI–X subtriangular or bowl shaped, each wider than the next; XI subpyriform with apex narrowed after the notch; lateral mandibular tooth unobservable in the specimen. Pronotum (Fig. 48B) wide (GPW/PL: 1.25); anterior margin with distinct emargination; anterolateral angles rounded, produced; lateral margins moderately sinuate; posterior half contracted; posterolateral angles obtuse; pronotal lobe slight without median notch; pronotal pad distinct (Fig. 48C); pronotal pits deep with moderate grooves. Scutellar shield transverse, subpentagonal, about twice as wide as long. Ventral surface. Prosternal process short, not extending posterior of procoxae; hypomeral edges not very close together unlike in H. klematanicus , and well separated; mesosternal process narrow and linear. Elytra (Fig. 48A) long (EL/GEW: 3.05), slightly convex; vestiture short and dense; apical patch broad and rufous. Color dull, rufotestaceous, pronotum lighter.

Male Genitalia (Figs 48D–F). (Tegmen length = 0.29 mm) Lobe of basale short and apically pointed; shoulders obtusely angled with moderate slant; parameres arcuate apically with corners of apices darker which is because of an additional lobe that extends behind them (visible on lateral view) (Fig. 48F); apices thick and blunt; penis longer than tegmen, shrunk at the halfway point and apically.

Remarks. Hemipeplus pseudoklematanicus sp. nov. superficially resembles H. klematanicus (Fig. 46); both species are sympatric in Malaysia ( Sarawak).

Geographical Distribution (Fig. 65). Malaysia ( Sarawak).

FIGURE 48. Hemipeplus pseudoklematanicus sp. nov. (Holotype). A. Dorsal habitus (with scale bar); B. Dorsal head and prothorax; C. Lateral view of head and prothorax; D. Male genitalia dorsal view with spiculum gastrale; E. Tegmen dorsal view (with scale bar); F. Tegmen lateral view with one paramere removed.