Apiomerus peninsularis Berniker & Szerlip, 2011

Berniker, Lily, Szerlip, Sigurd, Forero, Dimitri & Weirauch, Christiane, 2011, 2949, Zootaxa 2949, pp. 1-113 : 22-23

Apiomerus peninsularis Berniker & Szerlip , sp. nov. Figs 1–15, Map 1

Apiomerus crassipes (in part) Uhler 1894: 284 (distribution)

Type data: Holotype: 1 ♂; MEXICO: Baja California Sur: 6 mi N of Santa Anita [23.23606 ° N 109.71657 ° W], 11 Sep 1967 / J. Chemsak, A. & M. Michelbacher Collectors / Apiomerus crassipes (Fab.) Det. by S. L. Szerlip 1972 / Univ. Calif. Insect Survey Specimen # 149859 / HOLOTYPE ♂ Apiomerus peninsularis n. sp. Berniker & Szerlip Det. by: Berniker & Szerlip 2011 / ( UCR _ENT 00033611) ( UCB).

Diagnosis: Recognized by its relatively small size (12.5–14.5 mm), dark red body and legs, orange posterior pronotal margin, red hemelytra ( Fig. 1G), and the dorsolateral lobes of the endosoma not clearly divided into proximal and distal portions ( Fig. 6G).

Description: Male: Small, total length 12.5–13.3 mm. COLORATION: HEAD: Dark red to black. THORAX: Pronotum and scutellum dark red, margin of posterior pronotal lobe orange, thoracic pleura, corium and all legs dark red. ABDOMEN: including pygophore dark red to black, connexivum orange. STRUCTURE: HEAD: about as long as pronotum, head width about 5 times width of eye, length of eye in dorsal view about 1/5 of head length. THORAX: pronotum 1.3 times wider than long, anterolateral angle truncate, disc of anterior lobe with paired greatly convex lobes, posterior margin straight. ABDOMEN: pygophore about 1/5 length of abdomen, median pygophore process U-shaped in caudal view, ramus longer than base width ( Figs 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G). GENITALIA: distal portion of tergite 9 with setae on entire distal portion, posterior margin of dorsal phallothecal sclerite pointed in dorsal view ( Fig. 8A), apex in dorsal view narrow, less than half the width of dorsal phallothecal sclerite, endosomal struts fused at base and apex, or almost fused at apex, but not medially, dorsolateral lobes a single folded sclerite, not divided into proximal and distal portions ( Fig. 8A), median basal sclerotization tongue shaped ( Fig. 8A), distal dorsal lobe with two parallel rows of strong denticles ( Figs 6G, 7G).

Female: Total length 13.42–14.54 mm. STRUCTURE: ABDOMEN syntergite 9/10 with distal margin flat ( Fig. 11G). GENITALIA: gonapophysis 8 with two distinct sclerotizations ( Fig. 15G), bursa copulatrix with two narrow, transverse sclerotized folds ( Fig. 14G).

Etymology: Named for the Baja California peninsula.

Biology: Specimens examined were collected between May and November at elevations between 285 and 1830 m.

Distribution: Baja California Sur, Mexico (Map 1).

Discussion: The only species that overlaps in range with A. peninsularis is A. cazieri . Apiomerus peninsularis is fairly uniform in color, and though individuals of A. cazieri found on the Baja Peninsula are similar in size to A. peninsularis , they do not have the characteristic dark red body and hemelytra, or orange pronotal margin of A. peninsularis (see A. cazieri discussion regarding color variation).

Paratypes: See Appendix; 55 specimens examined.