Cylloepus cesari, Monte, Cinzia & Mascagni, Alessandro, 2012

Monte, Cinzia & Mascagni, Alessandro, 2012, Review of the Elmidae of Ecuador with the description of ten new species (Coleoptera: Elmidae), Zootaxa 3342, pp. 1-38 : 7-8

Cylloepus cesari sp. nov.

( Figs. 7–11 )

Diagnosis. Head granulated, area between granules wrinkled with fine and sparse golden setae. Pronotum strongly convex in its posterior half, well distinct in lateral view. Pronotal surface punctuated on the disc, glossy and smooth with sparse punctuations on the transversal elevations and along basal margin of pronotum. In front of scutellum prebasal admedian pits, deep and large. Elytra with sublateral carinae on the sixth and eighth interstria, outer reaching very near apex, inner to about apical third. Intervals very slightly convex except the third one which is prominent and carinate in the basal third.

Description. Holotype: Male ( Figs. 7, 9, 10, 11 ). Total length 3.3 mm, greatest width 1.4 mm. Body elongate, with sub-parallel sides, moderately convex.

Color ( Figs. 7, 8 ): Cuticle glossy, entirely black or black with elytral maculae reddish-brown; mouth-parts, antennal articles 1–5 and tarsi reddish-brown in both the chromatic forms.

Head: Partly retractable, without distinct impressions. Surface granulated, area between granules wrinkled with fine and sparse golden setae. Eyes moderately protruding laterally; separated by a distance about 2 times the eye-width. Antennae 11-segmented, filiform; first two basal articles thicker than the remaining ones; articles 7–10 with golden setae on distal margin; apical article long with cluster of apical setae. Clypeus sub-rectangular, with the front-clypeal suture slightly deep; surface granulated like on head. Labrum short surface glossy with sparse and fine hairs and with anterolateral portions with some moderately long golden setae.

Thorax: Pronotum slightly longer than wide (1.1 mm and 0.8 mm, respectively), anterior width less than posterior width; anterior margin convex; sides largely convex in the middle, lateral margin slightly but fairly regularly crenate with anterior angles produced and acute, posterior ones almost right-angled; base tri-sinuate. Sublateral carinae moderately elevated, extending from base to anterior margin, slightly depressed and sinuate in the posterior half of pronotum. Discal area strongly convex on the posterior half, mainly when viewed laterally, inclined forwards in the front half. Disc with median longitudinal groove extending from almost the anterior margin, where it is superficial, to almost mid-pronotum, where it is deeper and large, narrowing towards the base. Disc in front of the scutellum with sides of the median groove forming at every side a narrow, convex and elevated median ridge, which in the caudal portion of the groove converge with that of the opposite side to forms a narrow convex and elevated ridge that does not quite reach the posterior margin of pronotum. This ridge together with the other two forms a Y-shape. Surface towards the base between the sublateral carinae and the Y-shaped ridges with a slightly oblique depression followed by a small transversal elevation. Prebasal admedian pits in front of scutellum deep and large. Surface of pronotum punctuated, each punctuation with a long golden seta in the middle; surface glossy and smooth with sparse punctuations on the transversal elevations and along basal margin of pronotum. Elytra more than two times as long as pronotum; nearly parallel-sided and regularly crenated; anterior margin convex; humeral angles broadly rounded; apices very moderately produced and slightly obliquely truncated. Each elytra with nine coarse striae formed by a row of well separated punctuations diminishing in size towards apex and increasing in size towards sides. Sublateral carinae on the sixth and eighth interstria, outer reaching almost to apex, inner almost to apical third. Intervals faintly convex except the third one which is prominent and carinate in the basal third. Elytral surface finely punctuated, first five intervals with sparse small granules, denser towards the base. Scutellum obovate, flat and glossy. Prosternum ( Fig. 9 ) distinctly produced anteriorly, anterior two-thirds bent moderately downwards in lateral view; sublateral carinae indistinct; surface everywhere with a dense, even, reticulate microsculpture and with coarse, irregular granules, each one with a long golden seta; prosternal process slightly longer than wide, slightly depressed, with lateral margins slightly elevated and apex largely rounded; surface with dense, coarse, oblong granules. Mesoventrite deeply grooved medially for the reception of the prosternal process; narrower anteriorly, largely rounded behind. Metaventrite with a longitudinal medial groove, deeper and larger at its posterior edge; surface of disc and sides with coarse, oblong, dense granules smaller laterally. Legs thin, covered by dense granules each one with a long golden seta. Protibiae and metatibiae with a single lateral fringe of tomentum extending from about mid-tibia almost to the tip. Mesotibiae with two fringes of tomentum, the ventral one shorter than the lateral one.

Abdomen: First ventrite with carinae slightly elevated extending to posterior margin; surface of disc glossy and smooth with some granules adjacent to the carinae; rest of ventrite with coarse oblong granules diminishing in size towards sides. Second ventrite with oblong granules denser at sides, disc smooth and glossy with a few fine golden setae. Third ventrite as the second, but smooth and glossy only on the anterior margin of disc. Ventrites 4–5 as the third but without smooth glossy areas and with lateral margins slightly produced posterolaterally.

Genitalia: Parameres shorter than median lobe, in dorsal view ( Fig. 10 ) slender, slightly narrower towards apex; base largely rounded; apex slightly bent downwards. Parameres in lateral view ( Fig. 11 ) gradually narrowed towards apex and slightly bent downwards. Median lobe in dorsal view ( Fig. 10 ) longer than it is wide and constricted in the basal fourth, lateral margins nearly straight, slightly diverging apically and in particular basally, where they form short lateral apophyses; apex broadly rounded. Median lobe in lateral view ( Fig. 11 ) with apical portion bent downwards, apex sub-acute. Phallobase asymmetrical, closed by complex membranes ( Figs. 10, 11 ).

Female. Morphology like the male.

Intraspecific variation. Size range (n = 7): total length 3.3–3.6 mm, greatest width 1.4–1.5 mm. The elytral cuticles of the examined specimens vary in colour from pure black to black with reddish-brown markings consisting of a stout longitudinal band between the second and third intervals, a transversal short band near the base and an obovate macula in the half posterior of each elytra ( Figs. 7, 8 ).

Type locality. Ecuador, Cotopaxi, San Francisco de Las Pampas, Bosque Integral Otonga, unnamed small stream with mud, sand, bigger stones and submerged wood, flowing through primary forest, 1500–1600 m.

Type series. Holotype: Male, Ecuador, Cotopaxi, S. Francisco de Las Pampas, Bosque Integral Otonga, unnamed small stream in primary forest, 1500–1600 m, F. Cianferoni, G. Mazza, C. Monte, M. Pazmiño, C. Tapia & F. Terzani leg., 26.VI.2009 ( MZUF Collection number 15625). Paratypes: 1 male, 2 females, same data as holotype ( MZUF); 1 male, same data as holotype ( QCAZ); 1 male, same data as holotype (CMF). Paratype: 1 female, Ecuador, Pichincha, Alluriquín, Bosque Integral Otonga (Rio Las Damas), 1400 m, E. Tapia leg., 28.I.2001 (CMF).

Etymology. This new species is dedicated to Don César Tapia, tireless curator of the Bosque Integral Otonga and our gentle patient guide during our trips in the forest.

Comparative notes. Cylloepus cesari sp. nov. differs from all other described members of the genus by the strong convexity of pronotum in its posterior half, well distinct in lateral view, and by the unusual shape of male genitalia.

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 11. Cylloepus cesari sp. nov. 7) Holotype, dorsal habitus (total length: 3.3 mm). 8) Paratype, dorsal habitus (total length: 3.3 mm). 9) Detail of the prosternum, x 300, scale bar 50 µm. 10) Male genitalia, dorsal view. 11) Male genitalia, lateral view (total length of the male genitalia: 0.9 mm).