Here we describe seven new species of Cis Latreille from southern Africa: Cis aster sp. nov., Cis makebae sp. nov., Cis mandelai sp. nov., Cis masekelai sp. nov., Cis neserorum sp. nov., Cis stalsi sp. nov. and Cis urbanae sp. nov. We also provide information on their host fungi and geographic distributions.
Cis mooihoekite sp. n. is described based on specimens collected at two localities in the province of Mpumalanga, South Africa. The new species is included in the Cis bilamellatus species-group, which comprises species with a single plate on both anterocephalic edge and anterior pronotal edge in males, females with pronotum usually widest near the posterior end and gradually narrowing anteriorly and both sexes with dual elytral vestiture. Cis mooihoekite sp. n. can be distinguished from the other South African species in the group by the pronotum devoid of a median impunctate line, pronotal plate angularly emarginate forming two small and triangular horns with acute apex and anterocephalic edge with very acute corners. New geographical records and information on the host fungi of Cis pickeri Lopes-Andrade, Matushkina, Buder & Klass, 2009 are provided.
Cis renominatus Sandoval-Gómez, Lopes-Andrade & Lawrence, 2014, and Paratrichapus javanus (Pic, 1937) were originally described in the genus Xylographus Mellié, 1847. Their original descriptions are anecdotal and do not provide information on the morphology of male abdominal terminalia, which is essential for accurate identification of ciid beetles. Our aim is to redescribe C. renominatus and P. javanus based on careful examination of lectotypes and paralectotypes, and also on additional specimens of C. renominatus identified by us. The most remarkable feature of C. renominatus is the morphology of male genitalia, with penis about twice as long as tegmen, very slender, subparallel-sided, with apex hook-shaped and base spatula-shaped. Paratrichapus javanus is the largest species of the genus (length at least 3.50 mm) and is characterized by its very expanded and rounded metatibiae that bear about 25 spines, and by the anterocephalic edge of males bearing two tubercles with two tufts of bristles between them.
A synopsis of the Cis Latreille, 1796 from southern Africa is provided, with the description of 10 new species: Cis bicaesariatus sp. n., Cis foveocephalus sp. n., Cis grobbelaarae sp. n., Cis lacinipennis sp. n., Cis makrosoma sp. n., Cis mpumalangaensis sp. n., Cis parvisetosus sp. n., Cis tessariplacus sp. n., Cis umlalaziensis sp. n. and Cis westerncapensis sp. n. The introduced species Cis fuscipes Mellié, 1849 is recorded for the first time from the Republic of South Africa. New geographic records are provided for the following species: Cis neserorum Souza-Gonçalves & Lopes-Andrade, 2017; Cis regius Orsetti & Lopes-Andrade, 2016 and Cis stalsi Souza-Gonçalves & Lopes-Andrade, 2017. Most southern African Cis are placed in available or newly proposed species-groups and a provisional identification key is provided.
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