Tshernyshev S. E., Shcherbakov M.V.
A new genus and species of the soft flower beetles tribe Apalochrini (Coleoptera: Malachiidae) from Africa
Number: 416, Pages: 1 - 9
A new genus and species, Tibipectinus caeruleoviolaceus gen. et sp. n., is described in the tribe Apalochrini (Coleoptera: Malachiidae) from Tanzania, East Africa. In special male characters, the species of the new genus differ from Hadrocnemus Kraatz, 1895 by strongly dilated anterior tibiae, swollen and appendiculate intermediate tibiae, and emarginate femora in intermediate legs, and from Hapalochrops Bourgeois, 1908 in characters as follows: a first tarsomere of anterior legs simple, not flattened of widened, comb above second segment small, not enlarged and curved, an outer spur in anterior legs not curved, elongate and strong, antennae filiform and dilated distally. A new genus, Tibipectinus gen. n., is described on the basis of characters mentioned above. Five species distributed in Africa, T. appendicifer (Pic, 1904), comb. n. (East Africa: Mozambique; Zanzibar; South Africa: Cape Province, KwaZulu-Natal), T. fissipes (Champion, 1920), comb. n. (Democratic Republic of Congo; Ethiopia; Kenya; Sudan; Uganda), T. claripes (Evers, 1990), comb. n. (Congo, Parc national de l'Upemba), T. dilaticornis (Champion, 1920), comb. n. (Nigeria, Onitsha), and T. testaceicornis (Pic, 1914), comb. n. (Congo, Nyangwe; Uganda), are provisionally transferred to a new genus on the basis of external characters given in original description. External appearance, special characters and genitalia of male of the new species are illustrated, and a distribution map is provided.