Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 94. (Budapest 2002)

Kirejtsuk, A. G. ; Viklund, B.: Contributions to the knowledge on the subgenus Meligethes (Clypeogethes Scholtz, 1932) from Kenya (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)

Head slightly and gently convex dorsally, somewhat shorter than distance between eyes, with arcuate striae along inner edge of eyes, its anterior edge as in Fig. 27. Antennae about 3/4 as long as head width, their nearly regularly oval club about 1.3 times as long as wide, comprising about 1/4 of total antennái length and arcuate at apex. Pronotum gently sloping to distinctly and narrowly explanate sides, its posterior angles with pointed apices, its base very shallowly sinuate at sides of scutellum. Elytra with steeply sloping sides and without marked trace of humeral striae; lateral edges scarcely visible from above. Pygidium with broadly rounded apex. Antennái grooves subparallel. Mentum bisinuate at anterior edge of its basal part, more than 3 times as wide as long, surface behind it without any raised fossa. Prosternai process moderately wide, about 1.3 times as wide as antennái club, and far projecting posteriorly, with a widely rounded and unbordered posterior edge (Fig. 29). Distance between mesocoxae almost twice and that between metacoxae about 3.0 times broader than that between procoxae. Mesosternum vaulted medially. Metasternum subflattened, with anterior edge emarginate and a pair paramedian longitudinal tubercles at sides of a weak median depression lacking of punctation and pubescence. Submetacoxal line running closely to posterior edge of coxal cavities. Hypopygidium with a transverse posterior edge and with an isolated transverse shining concavity without punctation and pubescence (its length somewhat less and its width more than width of antennái club). Protibia slightly wider, meso- and metatibiae about 1.5 times wider than antennái club (Fig. 28); meso- and metatibiae with extremely dense, fine and short setae. Femora less than 1.5 times as wide as correspondent tibiae, profemur with moderately convex anterior edge. Protarsus about 1.5 times narrower, but meso- and metatarsi much narrower than correspondent tibiae, claws narrow and simple. Aedeagus (Figs 30-31) moderately sclerotized. Female - Differs from male in absence of secondary sexual characters in structure of metasternum and hypopygidium. Ovipositor (Fig. 32) moderately sclerotized. Variability - Length 2.0-2.2 mm. Females are somewhat larger than the males. Coloration of underside in the two paratypes much paler than in the holotype. Configuration of teeth on the protibial outer edge shows some variability maintaining a general outline similar to that in the holotype. Diagnosis - M. (C.) leileri sp. n. most resembles M. (C.) nobilis EASTON, 1964 described from Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), but differs from it in the more slender and more shining body, paler underside and especially appendages, broadly rounded lateral angles of anterior part of the frons, different and almost uniform punctation of dorsum, narrower protibia with smaller teeth, peculiarities in the characters of male metasternum and hypopygidium. The antennái grooves of this new species are nearly subparallelsided, but those in M. (C.) nobilis are clearly divergent behind mentum. This new species and M. (C.) nobilis are very similar in many characters to M. (C.) ruficollis REITTER, 1872 (distributed through Eastern Africa to the southernmost Cape region) and can be included in the composition of the ruficollis (including gloriosus) species-group (see EASTON 1959, KlREJTSHUK 1996). They are more similar to M. (C.) ruficollis and M. (C.) mitis KlREJTSHUK, 1996 (described from Namibia), but this new species differs from both of the latter in its smaller, more slender and shining body, narrower pronotum with angular apices of its pos-