Lebioderus brancuccii

Diagnosis
The species is characterized by the distinct transverse furrows on the surface of the shining antennal club, and distinguished from all other congeners by the strongly compressed, wide tibiae and the elevated pygidial glandular openings.

Distribution
Laos

Biology
Both specimens have been collected in flight intercept traps that were exposed in secondary mountain forest at 1420m alt. during the hot and humid monsoon period. Virtually nothing is known on the mechanisms of how the two sexes locate themselves. Flying specimens which are attracted to light traps are dominated by males while females are found more regularly in pitfall traps (NAGEL 1987, GEISELHARDT et al. 2007). At least males are attracted by their host ants’ nest odour and mating probably happens near to or in the ants’ nest (NAGEL & MOORE, in preparation). It is therefore interesting to learn that in the case of L. brancuccii sp.nov. one male and female each were flying along the same track.