Hemipeplus craigi 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 : 123-125

Hemipeplus craigi KC & Pollock , sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1B17066E-E02C-4C4A-94FA-F448787B6726

(Figs 57, 64)

Type Material. Holotype, male, labeled: ‘ NEW BRITAIN Keravat 135 m. Nov. 20–25, ‘59 / T. C. Maa Collector / [light green label] BPBM / [dark green label] ♂ / [red label] HOLOTYPE Hemipeplus craigi ♀ [typo for ♂] KC & Pollock’, in BPBM . Allotype, female, labeled: ‘ NEW BRITAIN Gazelle Pen Kerawat 60 m. IX-11-’55 / J.L. Gressitt Collector’, in BPBM. Nine paratypes: 1 specimen, sex, unknown, labeled: ‘ NEW BRITAIN: Gazelle Pen Kerawat 60m. 29.viii.1955, Gressitt leg.’, in BPBM; 1 specimen, female, labeled: ‘ NEW GUINEA: (NE) Bulolo 1005m. Aug. 25, 1956 / E. J. Ford, Jr. Collector’, in BPBM; 3 specimens, 1 male, 2 female, labeled: ‘ NEW IRELAND ( SW) Ridge above “Camp Bishop” 15 km up Kait R. 250-500 m. VI-11-1956 / J.L. Gressitt Collector’, in BPBM; 1 specimen, female, labeled: ‘ NEW IRELAND ( SW) Ridge above “Camp Bishop” 15 km. up Kait R. 250-450 m. VII-9-1956, / J.L. Gressitt Collector’, in BPBM; 1 specimen, sex unknown, labeled: ‘ NEW BRITAIN Gazelle Pen. Bainings: St. Paul’s 350 m. Sept. 8. 1955 / J.L. Gressitt Collector / definitely not nuciferae’, in BPBM; 1 specimen, sex unknown, labeled: ‘ PNG.Keravat, New Britian, VII. X.1973 J.Stibick / temples Det. D.A. Pollock’, in CNCI; 1 specimen, sex unknown, labeled: ‘ DUTCH NEW GUINEA: Cyclops Mts. ,Sabron. 930 ft. vi.1936. L.E. Cheesman. B.M. 1936-271. / Hemipeplus’, in BMNH .

Derivation of Specific Epithet. The specific name (noun in the genitive case) is given in allusion to the first author’s longtime friend from the USA, Craig Winzelberg.

Diagnosis. Hemipeplus craigi sp. nov. can be distinguished from the similar-appearing H. saymyname sp. nov. (Fig. 58) by its uniformly rufous color and parameres of male genitalia much broader, penis and lobe of basale shorter. Hemipeplus craigi sp. nov. has the following diagnostic features: temples short and roundish to angulate; scape submoniliform; eyes moderately large (just as long as scape + pedicel), moderately wide and moderately convex; pronotum subcordiform; anterior emargination moderate; anterior half wider than posterior half; pronotal pad narrow but distinct; anterior pronotal angles rounded and produced; posterior angles square, rounded; pronotal lobe very slight with median notch; body long; elytra slightly convex; color dull, uniformly rufous; distribution: Indonesia (Papua: Jayapura), Papua New Guinea (East Papua: Bulolo; New Britain).

FIGURE 57. Hemipeplus craigi sp. nov. (Holotype; Figs E, F from paratype). A. Dorsal habitus (with scale bar); B. Dorsal head and prothorax; C. Lateral view of head and prothorax with spiculum gastrale; D. Male genitalia dorsal view; E. Tegmen dorsal view (with scale bar); F. Tegmen lateral view with one paramere removed.

Description. Measurements (in mm)—GHW: 0.58–0.66; HL: 0.56–0.60; AL: 0.98–1.08; GPW: 0.58–0.72; PL: 0.50–0.58; GEW: 0.73–0.82; EL: 2.58–3.43; TL: 3.64–4.61.

Head (Fig. 57B) wide (GHW/HL: 1.04–1.10); eyes moderately large (just as long as scape + pedicel), moderately wide and moderately convex; temples short and roundish; occiput with raised areas; antennae about subequal to or shorter than head and pronotum length combined; antennal scape submoniliform, apically dilated and externally produced on one side; pedicel small moniliform; antennomere III more elongate and apically dilated; IV smaller, submoniliform; V more elongate, apically dilated; VI–X subtriangular or bowl shaped, each wider than the next; XI subpyriform with apex narrowed after the notch; lateral mandibular tooth absent. Pronotum (Fig. 57B) wide (GPW/PL: 1.16–1.24), subcordiform; anterior margin with moderate emargination; anterolateral angles rounded, produced; lateral margins sinuate; posterior half contracted; posterolateral angles obtuse to square, rounded; pronotal lobe very faint with median notch; pronotal pad (Fig. 57C) narrow, but well distinct; pronotal pits moderately deep with moderate grooves. Scutellar shield transverse, subhexagonal, about twice as wide as long. Elytra (Fig. 57A) long (EL/GEW: 3.53–4.18), slightly convex; vestiture moderately long and dense; apical patch long but very faint. Ventral surface. Prosternal process short, not extending posterior of procoxae; hypomeral edges narrowly to well separated; mesosternal process narrow and linear. Color dull, uniformly rufous; ventrally uniformly rufotestaceous with palpi lighter to uniformly rufous.

Male Genitalia (Figs 57D–F). (Tegmen length = 0.32 mm (n = 1)) Lobe of basale short and moderately slender; shoulders obtuse, rounded, moderately slanted; apicale and basale with distinct suture; parameres slightly arcuate near the apices, tips sharp and moderately pointed; penis slightly longer than tegmen.

Geographical Distribution (Fig. 64). Indonesia (Papua: Jayapura), Papua New Guinea (East Papua: Bulolo; New Britain).