Neopachylopus pakistanicus Lackner, 2002

Neopachylopus pakistanicus Lackner, 2002: 143 [Pakistan].

Type material. Holotype: /, with printed label : // PAKISTAN, Baluchistan /, / 7.-11. 3 1995 /, / 70 km NNW Karachi /, / SONMIANI DAMM /, / D.Hauck & L.Cizek / //; // Ammostyphrus /written/, spec. nov /written/, det.P.Kanaar 1999/ printed-written / //; // red label NEOPACHYLOPUS PAKISTANICUS, Holotype, det T. Lackner, 2000 /printed/ //

The Holotype is deposited in the Zoologisch MuseumAmsterdam.

Description. Length (without head, propygidium and pygidium): 2.0 mm; width: 1.5 mm; height: 1.1 mm.

Body. Oval and strongly convex, colour light brown; pronotum and head darkbrown; feeble metallic lustre. Antennae rufocastaneous, antennal club somewhat darker, legs rufocastaneous.

Head (Fig. 1). Labrum transverse, microscopically punctate. Clypeus with 2 ­ 3 small tubercules on front rim. Frons shiny, finely punctate, almost smooth, only with one vaguely marked chevron. Occipital stria fine, complete; supraorbital stria somewhat elevated, distinct, straight. Frontal keel complete, feebly arcuate outwards.

Thorax. Pronotum (Fig. 2). Convex, shiny, castaneous, broader than long. Pronotal sides nearly straight and weakly convergent on basal 5/6, thence strongly arcuate and convergent apically. Posterolateral angles rather blunt. Marginal pronotal stria complete, well visible. Pronotum almost smooth, only with sparse microscopic punctuation and with a row of small, shallow punctures along base. Post-ocular foveae missing, lateral pronotal stria missing. Epipleura ciliate. Elytra (Fig. 2). Convex, light brown, feebly shining. Posterior third of elytra, covered by scattered shallow punctures, reaching approximately 2/3 of elytral length apically along sutural stria. Marginal epipleural stria present, very thin. Marginal elytral stria fine, complete, continued as complete apical stria that is well connected with fully developed
sutural stria. Oblique humeral stria fine, rather thin. Elytra with 4 dorsal striae, first longest, reaching approximately 3/4 of elytron length apically, second reaching approximately 2/3 of elytron length, third about same, but shortened basally and fourth reaching about as far as second or third, well connected with sutural stria. Prosternum (Fig. 3). Anterior margin of median portion of prosternum obtuse-angulate. Carinal stria distinctly and shortly impressed, divergent posteriorly between procoxae, further evanescent. Prosternal keel compressed, on basal third represented by a triangular disc; ciliate. Preapical foveae distinct, rounded. Epipleura setose. Rudimentary lateral striae shortly present and convergent apically, apical ends evanescent (not attaining middle of keel). 2 Mesosternum (Fig. 3). Anterior margin of mesosternum feebly arcuate outwardly, its marginal stria well impressed, distinctly curved backwards. Disc shiny, with scattered punctures. Meso-metasternal suture sparsely
crenulate. Metasternum. Disc smooth, shiny, with a row of coarse punctures along hind margin. Lateral metasternal stria carinate, well impressed, extended obliquely, not reaching hind coxa. Lateral disc pubescent, densely punctate. Interspaces between punctures with fine, leather-like microsculpture. Intercoxal disc of first abdominal sternum with scattered shallow punctures. Hind margin marked by an area of microscopical leather-like microsclupture. Lateral stria of disc well impressed, almost straight, divergent posteriorly. Protibia with two large distal teeth on lateral margin, followed by one smaller tooth and one rudimentary, almost invisible tooth. Medial margin setose. Mesotibia strong and expanded. Lateral margin with several spines and long sparse setae. Medial margin marked by small spines.
Metatibia stronger and more expanded, spines on lateral margin even bigger than those on mesotibia. Lateral margin also setose. Medial margin marked by spines like those on mesotibia. Meso and metatarsi with long, thick, sclerotized setae, distal segments bearing two stout bent nails.

Abdomen. Propygidium and Pygidium. Propygidium transverse, broad, with scattered punctuation; without microsculpture on interspaces. Pygidium very long, shiny; with sparse distinct points bearing smaller and almost disappearing toward apex; with two depressions in apical area. Marginal stria present, rather thin.

Distribution. South Pakistan, Baluchistan (based on holotype).

Discussion. The newly described species N. pakistanicus differs from the other species presently contained in Neopachylopus by carinal prosternal striae being united between the procoxae, but thence they are not continued as a sharp keel. On the other hand the striae are evanescent and the keel is somewhat rounded, not sharp. In addition, the prosternal keel is clothed with setae. Another peculiarity are the lateral prosternal striae which are evanescent, rudimentary. But the most distinguishing character of this new species is the shape of the protibia (Fig. 2), which is marked by only two big distal teeth, being typical for psammophilous species; plus one small and one rudimentary. Other species of the genus Neopachylopus have normally shaped protibiae, not psammophilous-like. Because of these and other characters (e.g. epipleura of the pronotum being fimbriate) the taxonomic status of this new species within Neopachylopus is questionable. Maybe a new subgenus, or even genus later will be erected for it, when more material of this interesting group of saprinine histerids inhabiting sandy banks and beaches will be available.

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