Apogonia daksina Sreedevi, Venkateswaran, Correya & Bezděk, 2026, sp. nov.
Year: 2026
Type: other
Abstract: Apogonia daksina sp. nov. Fig. 8 A – H Type material. • Holotype: ♂ (NBAIR), “ India: Kerala, Malappuram, / Nedumkayam, 11°17'N, 76°19'E, / 28. iv. 2022, / leg. Judith Corolin Correya ” // ICAR- NBAIR -APO 1 ” (Fig. 8 A – H). Description of the holotype. (Fig. 8 A – D): Body shiny, blackish brown to dark brown. Measurements: Body length – 10.5 mm, body width – 5.9 mm. Head: Clypeus trapezoidal, emarginate, densely and deeply punctate; punctures running into rugae at margin, frons densely and deeply punctate, diameter of punctures larger at the center than those at the margin, vertex densely and deeply punctate, diameter of punctures slightly smaller than frons. Antenna decamerous, antennomere 1 elongated, gradually widened towards the apex, antennomere 2 constricted, anteriorly forming a bead-like structure, antennomeres 3–7 gradually decreasing in length and increasing in width. Antennal club trimerous with short erect setae, shorter than funicle. Mandibles densely punctate with slender setae, labrum anterior margin straight, densely deeply punctate with a group of erect setae directed towards the middle of the oral cavity. Prementum densely punctate with dense setae, mentum sparsely punctate, diameter of punctures smaller than that of labrum punctures, submentum almost rectangular in shape with very shallow sparse punctures. Maxillary palpus tetramerous, palpomeres gradually increasing in length and width towards the apex with slender setae. Labial palpus trimerous. Pronotum densely coarsely punctate, anterior angle acute, posterior angle obtuse, lateral margins almost rounded. Scutellar shield densely irregularly punctuate, posterior half impunctate. Elytra densely punctate, punctures near to costae arranged in longitudinal rows. Thoracic and abdominal ventrites: Prosternum shallow, uniformly punctate with creamy white short setae. Mesoventrite shallow, densely punctate with minute white setae. Metavetrite sparsely punctate at middle and densely at margin, laterally with minute white setae. Diameter of punctures larger in middle and progressively decreasing towards margin. Metepisternum densely punctate with creamy white setae; length of setae gradually decreasing from base to apex. Abdominal ventrites densely punctate with slender short setae. Propygidium with sparse punctures bearing minute setae, pygidium with sparse punctures and minute setae, punctures arranged almost in circular pattern, center of pygidium almost smooth and impunctate. Legs: Protibia tridentate with a single basal spine, densely punctate, diameter of punctures wider at middorsal line. Short erect setae arranged in 5 rows. Row 1 near to the outer margin, row 2 at middorsal line, rows 3–5 arranged between middorsal line to outer margin. All legs with 5 tarsomeres. Protarsomere 1 elongated and longer than tarsomere 2, protarsomere 4 smaller than rest, protarsomere 5 longer bearing a pair of equal cleft claws. Mesotibia thick, short, surface rugose with short erect setae. Mesotarsomere 1–4 gradually decreasing in length and width, mesotarsomere 5 longer than rest, bearing a pair of cleft equal claws. Metatibia thick flattened, sparsely punctate with short setae. Length of setae gradually increasing from anterior to posterior end. Metatarsomere 1 smaller than tarsomere 2 and metatarsomere 2–4 gradually decreasing in length and width, metatarsomere 5 longer than rest bearing a pair of equal cleft claws. Aedeagus (Fig. 8 E – H): Parameres broader at proximal end and gradually narrowed distally (wedge shaped) with three curved, sclerotized filamentous structures arising from middle, of these two are positioned dorsally and one ventrally. Female unknown. Differential diagnosis. By the shape of the body, the new species resembles A. rauca, a species also known from Kerala state. Both species are easily recognizable by the punctation of the pronotum, which is more coarsely punctated in A. daksina sp. nov. (Fig. 8 C) than in A. rauca (Fig. 7 B). Protibia in A. rauca is bidentate, while it is tridentate in A. daksina sp. nov. Shape of parameres also differs in both the species (compare Fig. 10 E – H and Fig. 6 E – H). Etymology. The species name “ daksina ”, a Sanskrit noun meaning south, which refers to the southernmost region of India where this species inhabits (Kerala). It is a noun in apposition. Distribution. India: Kerala.
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7213530228