Bioacoustics of Laccophilus makay

Description of holotype . Habitus ( Fig. 3 ) oval-oblong, with lateral sides widely rounded, posteriorly rather strongly tapered to rounded apex; lateral outline continuous between pronotum and elytra; maximum body width at about 43% of total body length and about 31% of elytral length; dorsal surface evenly and moderately convex; in lateral view maximum height at about first third of total length. Colouration. Dorsal surface of head rufo-testaceous. Pronotum rufo-testaceous, very narrowly darkened along posterior margin. Elytron with typical alluaudi- group colour pattern as in Fig. 3 ; brown longitudinal vittae weakly contrasting with testaceous background, anteriorly vaguely delimited, leaving rather wide basal area and humeral region entirely testaceous; pale stripes between dark longitudinal vittae irregularly interrupted. Ventral surface entirely rufo-testaceous ( Fig. 7 ). Antennae, palps, anterior and median legs testaceous; posterior legs rufo-testaceous. Head . Anterior outline of clypeus widely rounded, subtruncated in middle. Surface shiny, with double reticulation; large meshes irregular and of variable sizes, more strongly impressed than small meshes; with sparse micropunctures, on vertex denser and coarser; larger punctures present along inner eye margins and in two irregular transverse rows sub-laterally on frons. Pronotum . Lateral margins evenly arcuate. Surface shiny, with double reticulation; large meshes irregular and of variable sizes, more strongly impressed than small meshes; small meshes rounded, more strongly impressed than on head; punctation inconspicuous except in anterior quarter and close to posterior angles with sparse, moderately large and coarse punctures. Elytron. Surface shiny, with double reticulation; large meshes indistinct except in scutellar region; small meshes irregularly polygonal, of rather homogeneous sizes, larger and much more strongly impressed than on pronotum; punctation inconspicuous beyond rather indistinct discal and lateral puncture rows. Ventral surface . Prosternal process narrowly lanceolate, strongly convex, with apex acutely pointed. Metacoxal lines anteriorly subparallel. Apical abdominal ventrite strongly convex, in posterior half almost tectiform; without protuberance; posterior margin unmodified, very weakly arcuate on each side of slightly produced, evenly rounded apex. Entire ventral surface very shiny; on elytral epipleura, metaventrite, metacoxa and abdominal ventrites with very fine regular microstriae; on abdominal ventrites with oblique striae, more strongly impressed on ventrites I–III; surface impunctate except on antero-medial prosternal region, anterior region of metaventrite and apical abdominal ventrite with shallow punctures of moderate size. Metacoxal plate without stridulatory apparatus. Legs. Pro- and mesotarsi not distinctly broadened, but with four transverse rows of small adhesive setae. Aedeagus . Median lobe in lateral view as in Fig. 11 , in ventral view as in Fig. 18 ; parameres as in Figs. 27– 28 . Females. Pro- and mesotarsi without ventral adhesive setae. Variability. Specimens vary slightly in dorsal colour pattern, mainly with respect to homogeneity of colouration within the elytral brown longitudinal markings (in some specimens entirely pale brown, in others with gradually paler medial area enclosed in dark markings) and, to a lesser extent, degree of fragmentation of the pale interspaces between dark bands. However, the overall elytral pattern (notably, position of the anterior extremities of the dark bands) is highly stable among studied individuals. Measurements. Holotype : TL = 3.9 mm , TL without head = 3.7 mm , MW = 2.1 mm , ratio TL/MW = 1.83. Paratypes : TL = 3.6–4.2 mm (3.91±0.17), TL without head = 3.4–4.0 mm (3.74±0.16), MW = 2.0– 2.4 mm (2.18±0.10), TL/MW = 1.71–1.94 (1.79±0.04).