Cylloepus francescae, 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 : 11-13

Cylloepus francescae sp. nov.

( Figs. 15–17 )

Diagnosis. Head granulated, with oblong and coarse granules. Pronotal surface with dense, coarse, oblong granules on the anterior half of the disc and along the inner margin of the sublateral carinae; large and deep punctuations at sides of the medial groove and on the median ridges, where they are smaller; coarse round granules on the transversal elevations and between sublateral carinae and at the lateral margin of the pronotum; surface between punctuations and granules finely wrinkled. Abdomen with first ventrite with carinae short not elevated, not reaching its posterior margin.

Description. Holotype: Male ( Figs. 15–17 ). Total length 3.6 mm, greatest width 1.4 mm. Body elongate, with sub-parallel sides, moderately convex.

Color: Cuticle glossy black with first two basal antennal articles and tarsi reddish-brown.

Head: Partly retractable, without distinct impressions. Surface granulated with oblong coarse granules; area between granules with fine sparse golden setae. Eyes protruding laterally; separated by a distance about twice the eye-width. Antennae 11-segmented, filiform; first two basal articles thicker than the remaining ones; apical article long with cluster of apical setae. Clypeus sub-rectangular and short, the front-clypeal suture very shallow; surface granulated like the head. Labrum short, surface glossy with anterolateral portions with some moderately long golden setae.

Thorax: Pronotum as long as wide (1.0 mm and 1.0 mm, respectively); anterior width less than posterior width; anterior margin convex; sides broadly convex in the posterior half, with anterior angles produced and acute, posterior ones almost right-angled; base tri-sinuate. Sublateral carinae extending from base to anterior margin, moderately elevated and slightly sinuate mainly on basal third, where they are slightly larger and depressed. Disc with median longitudinal groove extending from distal third to the base; groove not reaching the anterior margin of pronotum, very shallow at about apical third, deep and large midway, much narrower posteriorly. Disc in front of the scutellum on basal third with sides of median groove forming on every sides a broadly convex and prominent median ridge that is gradually lacking towards the anterior half of pronotum. Surface towards the base between the sublateral carinae and the median ridges with a feeble depression followed by a small transversal elevation. Surface of pronotum with dense, coarse oblong granules on anterior half of disc and along inner margin of sublateral carinae; large deep punctuations at sides of the medial groove, smaller ones on the median ridges; coarse round granules on the transversal elevations, between the sublateral carinae and the lateral margin of pronotum; surface between punctuations and granules finely wrinkled. Scutellum obovate, longer than wide, smooth and glossy with some granules. Elytra more than twice as long as pronotum; nearly parallel-sided; sides slightly sinuate at anterior third; anterior margin convex; humeral angles broadly rounded and elevated; apex moderately produced and broadly rounded. Each elytra with ten coarse sub-parallel striae formed by a row of well separated punctuations diminishing in size towards apex. Sublateral carinae on the sixth and eighth interstria, both reaching to declivity of elytra, outer very more elevated apically than the inner one. Intervals slightly convex except the third one which is slightly more elevated on basal third. Elytral surface wrinkled, finely punctuated with small, dense, round granules. Prosternum distinctly produced anteriorly, in lateral view with the anterior two-thirds bent moderately downwards; sublateral carinae short, limited to basal third; surface granulated; prosternal process slightly longer than wide, feebly depressed with sides slightly elevated and with sub-acute apex; surface as prosternum. Hypomera wrinkled. Mesoventrite deeply grooved medially for the reception of the prosternal process; narrower anteriorly, largely rounded behind. Metaventrite with a large deep medial groove running its entire length; surface with dense coarse granules, diminishing in size towards the metaventrite sides where the surface is tomentose. Legs thin, covered by dense round granules. Protibiae and metatibiae with a single lateral fringe of tomentum, extending in the former from about mid-tibia to nearly the tip, in the latter extending from before mid-tibia to nearly the tip. Mesotibiae with two fringes of tomentum, the ventral one shorter than the lateral one. First four tarsal segments with some short teeth blunted on the ventral surface.

Abdomen: First ventrite with short carinae not elevated, not reaching its posterior margin; anterior half of disc wrinkled, slightly depressed with large round granules, posterior half smooth, tomentose with some small granules, each one with a long golden seta, the granules becoming sparser towards sides. Ventrite 2 with sides like the first one. Ventrites three to five tomentose with much smaller granules. Ventrites 4–5 with lateral margins slightly produced.

Genitalia: Parameres slightly shorter than median lobe. Parameres in dorsal view ( Fig. 16 ) wide from base to midlenght then narrow and strongly bent inwards. Parameres in ventral view sub-rectangular with apico-internal angles visible in dorsal view almost at a right angle ( Fig. 16 ). Parameres in lateral view ( Fig. 17 ) truncate at apex, wider at base. Median lobe in dorsal view ( Fig. 16 ) wider at base, moderately compressed laterally in the apical half and slightly dilated shortly before the apex then narrow and blunted at apex. Median lobe in lateral view ( Fig. 17 ) longer than parameres. Phallobase ( Figs. 16, 17 ) asymmetrical.

Female. Unknown

Intraspecific variation. The specimens examined do not show significant morphological variability.

Type locality. Ecuador: Cotopaxi, S. 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 & F. Zinetti leg., 26.VI.2009 ( MZUF Collection number 15627). Paratype: 1 male, same data as holotype ( QCAZ).

Etymology. Dedicated to our friend and colleague Francesca Zinetti (MZUF) for her help during the entomological research.

Comparative notes. The male genitalia of Cylloepus francescae sp. nov. is unique, different from the other described species.

Figures

FIGURES 15 – 17. Cylloepus francescae sp. nov. 15) Holotype, dorsal habitus (total length: 3.6 mm). 16) Male genitalia, dorsal view. 17) Male genitalia, lateral view (total length of the male genitalia: 0.6 mm).