Agra ubicki Erwin

Erwin, Terry L., 2002, The Beetle Family Carabidae of Costa Rica: Twenty­nine new species of Agra Fabricius 1801 (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Lebiini, Agrina), Zootaxa 119, pp. 1-68 : 43-44

Agra ubicki Erwin , new species

( Figs. 18a, 18 b, 18c, 18d)

Holotype. Male, COSTA RICA: Puntarenas, 3 km NE Golfito, 8º 39'N 83º10'W, 100m, May, (D. Ubick)( CAS: ADP4553).

Diagnosis. Color piceous. Head markedly impressed on the occiput, almost foveate. Prothorax without the numerous long setae found in adults of A. hilaris Liebke. Elytral intervals not catenate.

Description. Color and luster: Color piceous. Surface shiny. Form: Head ( Fig. 18a ) behind eyes moderately long, markedly rounded, occiput markedly impressed on the occiput, almost foveate. Prothorax widest at basal third, pronotum somewhat flattened with moderately dense coarse punctures. Elytron with apex ( Fig. 18 b) almost truncate, lateral tooth small, sutural angle rounded, not projected acutely. Sternum VI ( Fig. 18 c) moderately emarginate and v­notched in both sexes. Aedeagus ( Fig. 18 d) with short ostium, apex of phallus a very broad triangular lobe, parameres glabrous. Size: small, 8.0 to 9.5mm in length, 2.48 to 3.24mm in width.

Other specimens examined. Costa Rica: 4 paratypes, 1 female, 3 males, from the Osa Conservation Area. Costa Rica, Puntarenas, 1m, P.N. Corcovado, Madrigal, 3.0 km W, 83°36'W 8°29'N, May, (D. Ubick)( CAS: ADP4554), 1m, Peninsula de Osa, 83°36'W, 8°29'N, August, (D.R. Whitehead)( USNM: ADP59571), 1m, Golfito, 3.0 km NE, 100m, 83°10'W, 8°39'N, May, (D. Ubick)( CAS: ADP4545), shaking foliage, tropical wet forest, 1f, May, (D. Ubick)( CAS: ADP4552).

Specific epithet. The specific epithet, ubicki , is the Latinized genitive form of the family name of the collector of the Holotype, Darryl Ubick of the Department of Entomology, California Academy of Sciences.

Notes. Adults of this species group are commonly found in suspended dry leaves in the understory of Neotropical forests.

The palmata species­group

Diagnostic combination of the palmata species­group includes the following: Labrum flat; mentum with lateral lobes acute, not spiniform. Head elongate or not , broader across middle than occiput, eyes large; head posterior to eyes normally elongate, not ballooned (lateral aspect), eyes less than 1.5 times their own diameter from cervical constriction. Tibia moderately or slightly compressed, laterally barely expanded, apex never prolonged; all tibiae latero­apically oblique. Elytral apex bidentate, dentiform projections small.

The palmata species­group was revised by Erwin (1984). At that time, it contained 39 species whose composite range extends from southern México to Paraguay. Since then, 13 new species have been discovered from throughout the overall range, plus another one from Costa Rica, described below.

Four other species of the palmata species­group are known from Costa Rica, A. atriperna Erwin , A. costaricensis Liebke , A. flavipes Straneo , and A. kayae Erwin.

Figures

FIGURE 18. A. ubicki, male, dorsal aspect: a) head; b) apex of elytron; c) Sternum VI, male (top), female (bottom), ventral aspect; d) aedeagus, dorsal (top), ventral (middle), left lateral (bottom) aspects. Measures (mm): HL = 1.5; WE = 1.5; male SW = 2.2, female SW = 3.0; AL = 2.0.