Setizembrus pendleburyi Germann, 2025

Germann, Christoph, 2025, Setizembrus Germann, a new genus of the subtribe Cotasteromimina with five new species from Malaysia (Coleoptera, Curculionidae: Molytinae, Pissodini), Zootaxa 5659 (2), pp. 283-295 : 291-294

Setizembrus pendleburyi Germann sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B12FB837-35B2-415E-AB00-6FC92B5B65FC

Figs. 5 A–I .

Holotype: male, B.N. BORNEO, Mt. Kinabalu , Pakka, 10,000 ft. 21 Mar. 1929 // Ex F.M.S. Museum. B.M. 1955– 354 ( BMNH).— 2 paratype females, 3 paratypes, unsexed, same data as holotype ( BMNH, NMB).

Description. Body length: 3.60–4.80 mm. Body dark auburn ( Fig. 5A–C ), prothorax and elytra with both, scarce standing bowed, light brown, pointed and more regular standing raised, clubbed, elongate scales, more than five times (up to seven times) longer than wide, rounded apicad. Rostrum subequal to pronotum ( Figs 5C–D ); in dorsal view weakly narrowed just behind antennal insertion, widening anteriad, and towards frons. Funicular antennomeres subequal. Club of antennae oval, three times as wide as last antennomere ( Fig. 5I ). Prothorax as long as wide (L/B: 1.0) ( Fig. 5A ), constricted before anterior margin; dorsal surface with coarse, rounded punctures of different sizes separated by raised interspaces ( Figs 5A, E ). Basisternum simply raised, mostly impunctate ( Fig. 5B ). Procoxae subcontiguous; mesocoxae separated by about their diameter; metacoxae separated by less than twice their diameter ( Fig. 5B ). Externally visible part of scutellum small and elongate-pentagonal ( Fig. 5F ). Elytra elongate (L/B: 1.6), dorsally widest before last third, weakly diverging in first two thirds, broadly rounded to apex, hind wings absent. Intervals as wide as striae, with blunt, dark and shiny tubercles, uneven elytral intervals weakly raised; raised (uneven) intervals on elytra with regularly arranged clubbed-elongate raised scales and scarce shorter, pointed recumbent scales; even intervals with irregularly arranged clubbed-elongate scales. Each puncture of striae laterally with a small granule and often with a tiny recumbent bristle at anterior margin. Meso-, metaventrites and abdominal ventrites coarsely punctate; each puncture with a thin clubbed and bowed, yellowish scale ( Fig. 5B ). Legs slender, femora clubbed, without teeth ( Figs 5A–C ). Tarsi with weakly bilobed ( Fig. 5H ) third tarsomere; claws free. Penis rectangular with triangular tip, bisinuate apicad, dorso-ventrally flattened, with one pair of angular internal sclerites, tegmen with well sclerotized parameres, as long as tip of penis ( Figs 6J–L ). Female genitalia with compressed c-shaped spermatheca ( Fig. 6S ), weakly sclerotized gonocoxites with elongate styli, narrowed apicad ( Fig. 6T ). Ventrite 7 ( Fig. 6U ). Slight sexual dimorphism: males are a little smaller than females ( Figs 5A, E ).

Derivation of name: This species is dedicated to the late Henry Maurice Pendlebury (1893–1945), former director of the “ Federated Malay States Museum” also known as “ Selangor Museum”, who collected the new species 96 years ago.

Remark: Not all specimens of this species were re-mounted and genitalia were not examined due to the comparatively fragile state of the historic specimens.

Remarks on natural history and ecology

Henry Maurice Pendlebury (1893–1945) was director of the “ Federated Malay States Museum” also known as “ Selangor Museum”. That museum was founded in colonial times under the British. During Second World War (1939–1945) Japan attacked the Federated Malay States. Wisely , Pendlebury had already evacuated a major part of the collections to London before that attack. He had been arrested by the Japanese and then died in air while flying from a prisoner-of-war camp in Singapore to England. On 10th March 1945 the museum building was unintentionally destroyed by American bombs, and apart from a small part of the insect collection, which could be evacuated, most was also destroyed at the same time. Right after the war, the Malayan Emergency followed (1948–1960). The evacuated parts of the beetle collection in London were integrated into the BMNH in the 1950ies. Interestingly, minor parts, which remained in Malaysia, are still intact, although in bad shape. Unfortunately, no details are known of the collection techniques applied by Pendlebury. He used light to attract insects, he had good skills in collecting and he likely engaged more helpers, who are not indicated on the labels. The beetle material in the BMNH is estimated to comprise more than 10,000 specimens (M. Geiser, pers. comm.) .

The specimens in the collection of the NMB were collected by Petr Pacholátko ( Czech Republic) in tree canopies using a sweeping net on a telescopic pole (see comment in Germann (2022)).

Figures

FIGS 5A–C. Setizembrus pendleburyi. Male holotype, habitus dorsal, ventral and lateral views. D. Frontolateral view. E. Female habitus, dorsal view. F. Scutellum. G. ventrites. H. Third tarsomere. I. Antenna (Photos: C. Germann).

FIGS 6A–C. Setizembrus semai. Holotype penis ventral, dorsal and lateral views. D–F. Setizembrus bispinosus. Holotype, same. G–I. Setizembrus geiseri. Holotype, same. J–L. Setizembrus pendleburyi. Same. M–O. Female genitalia of S. geiseri. M. Spermatheca. N. Gonocoxites. O. Ventrite 7. P–R. Same for S. lyali. S–U. Same for S. pendleburyi. (Photos: C. Germann).