Tetragonoderus quadriguttatus

Shpeley, Danny & Ball, George E., 2008, Taxonomic review of the Neotropical Tetragonoderus quadriguttatus assemblage (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cyclosomini) with description of T. deuvei, new species, and new West Indian and Nearctic locality records, Insecta Mundi 2008 (50), pp. 1-16 : 6-7

Tetragonoderus quadriguttatus assemblage

Adults with character states of intersectus complex, further restricted as follows. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Size small, SBL 2.36-4.34 mm, ratio Hl/Hw 0.417 -0.490, and ratio Pl/Pw 0.597 -0.676. Dorsal surface uniformly dark, deep brunneo-piceous to black, or

elytra bicolored, with more or less circular

subhumeral and preapical pale markings (Fig. 2A-

C) dark to bright testaceous. Ventral surface uni-

formly dark; antennae, mouthparts, proepipleura,

elytral epipleura and legs paler. Males with adhe-

sive vestiture on fore-tarsomeres 1-3 broadly

biseriate squamo-setae ( Shpeley and Ball 2000: 30,

cf. fig. 12B), and on mid-tarsomeres 1-4, dense pads

of articulo-setae ( Shpeley and Ball 2000: 30, cf. fig.

12E) Tarsal claws with evident denticulations,

easily visible at 50X magnification. Phallus slightly

left anopic-pleuropic.

Geographical distribution (Fig. 6 and 7). The

range of this group extends throughout South

America east of the Andes, and northward in the

Greater Antilles, and southern Florida.

Relationships. We postulate that the

Figure 4. SEM photgraphs, left elytron of Tetragonoderus quadriguttatus assemblage is monophyletic, based species, illustrating microsculpture mesh pattern. A) T. on overall similarity and chorological affinity of laevigatus Chaudoir. B ) T. deuvei , new species. C) T. the included species. Chaudoir (1876: 44-49) in- quadriguttatus Dejean. D ) T. subfasciatus Putzeys.Scale cluded this assemblage in the intersectus complex. bars = 10 m.

Also included were T. subfasciatus and additional species, males of which exhibit the abdominal sternal and tarsal features noted above, and which have the elytral color pattern variegated, with extensive pale markings.

The species of the quadriguttatus assemblage are very similar to one another in external features. Male genitalia, however, are distinctive, and should be examined to provide a certain identification.

The basis for postulating species relationships is the transformation series of the elytral microsculpture mesh pattern from isodiametric, to slightly transverse, to markedly transverse, exhibited respectively by T. laevigatus , T. deuvei , and T. quadriguttatus (Fig. 3A-C and 4A-C). We suggest that T. subfasciatus is a relative of the quadriguttatus assemblage, but not a member.

Figures

Figure 1. Digital image illustrating dorsal habitus of Tetragonoderus deuvei, new species, female (“Jatahy, Goyaz”, Brazil [MNHP]. SBL = 3.82 mm).