Austrelmis tafi, Manzo, Veronica & Archangelsky, Miguel, 2015

Manzo, Veronica & Archangelsky, Miguel, 2015, Austrelmis Brown (Coleoptera: Byrrhoidea: Elmidae) from Argentina: five new species, Zootaxa 4058 (3), pp. 403-416 : 408-410

Austrelmis tafi sp. nov.

( Figs 1 c; 4 a–c)

Diagnosis. This new species may be distinguished from all the other known Austrelmis species by the following combination of characters: 1) pronotum with complete sublateral carinae, divided at basal 2/3 by oblique impression; carinae more evident on apical half, hardly perceptible basally; 2) prosternum with lateral carinae on basal two thirds; 3) metaventrite without lateral carinae; 4) disc of ventrite I with complete lateral carinae; 5) aedeagus long; penis wide, fibula and corona present, basolateral apophyses short; parameres shorter than penis; phallobase longer than penis, open.

Description. Holotype: male. Body elongated, sides subparallel. Lenght: 3.40 mm; greatest width: 1.30 mm (posterior third of elytra).

Color: cuticle dark brown; antennae, mouthparts and legs reddish dark.

Plastron: covering genae, sides of prosternum, meso- and metaventrite, epipleura (except apical area), inner face of coxae, femora and sides all ventrites.

Head: surface punctured, punctures as wide as facet of eyes, punctures separated by 1–2 times their diameter, surface between punctures smooth and shiny. Fronto-clypeal suture straight; clypeus subrectangular, surface with punctures like those on head. Labrum rounded, lateral margins with long golden setae. Antennae with 11 antennomeres, apical segment longest.

Thorax. Pronotum: wider than long (length: 0.80 mm; width: 1.00 mm) ( Fig. 1 c). Lateral margins sinuous, anterior margin arcuate, anterolateral angles long and acute; posterolateral angles short and weakly acute, base trisinuate. Surface punctured, shiny and smooth between punctures; disc convex, surface with punctures of two sizes: larger and smaller than facets of eyes, both separated by 1–1½ times their diameter, randomly distributed. Surface on lateral and basal area microreticulated with punctures larger than facet of eyes and dispersed golden setae. Sublateral carinae complete, divided at basal 2/3 by the oblique impression; carinae more prominent on apical half and moderately arcuate outwards, hardly perceptible at base. Hypomeron: surface microreticulated and rugose. Prosternum wide, with sublateral carinae present on basal 2/3. Prosternal process almost as wide as long, apex straight. Metaventritre: with groove for reception of prosternal process; punctured, punctures like those on pronotum, separated by 1–2 times their diameter, surface between punctures smooth; with dispersed setae; with complete median longitudinal line and without lateral carinae.

Legs: elongated. Pro- and metatibiae with lateral cleaning fringe on apical 2/3; mesotibia with lateral and lateroventral cleaning fringes on apical 1/3 and 2/3 respectively. Length: forelegs 2.25 mm, middle legs 2.26 mm, hind legs 2.40 mm. Tarsi 5-segmented, tarsomeres with golden setae, fifth tarsomere longest; tarsal claws long and slender; not modified.

Elytra: more than twice as long as pronotum (length: 2.35mm, greatest width: 1.30 mm), with ten punctuate striae, punctures larger than facet of eyes, separated by 1–1½ times their diameter; elytral intervals flat, surface microreticulated and punctured with dispersed punctures and golden setae; sixth interval with carina present on basal half; eighth interval with carina extending from base to apical 4/5; elytral apex rounded. Scutellum trapezoidal, almost as wide as long; surface with small and dispersed punctures.

Abdomen: ventrites weakly convex; surface with punctures like those on metaventrite, with long and dispersed golden setae. Disc of ventrite I with complete lateral carinae; ventrite V with lateral margin produced as prominent tooth; rounded apex with golden setae.

Male genitalia: aedeagus ( Figs 4 a–b) long and moderately broad. Penis wide, narrower at acute apex; fibula and corona present; basolateral apophyses slender and short. Parameres subtriangular, shorter than penis. Phallobase asymmetrical, longer than penis, open.

Female: externally similar to male.

Female genitalia: as in Fig. 4 c.

Type series. Holotype (dissected and illustrated). Male. Argentina: Tucumán Province, Taf del Valle (near El Infiernillo), Amaicha River, 26°42ˈ 17 S65°47ˈ59 W, 2860 m, 11-X-2000, V. Manzo and L. Oroño leg. Paratypes: 110 females and 34 males same data as holotype; 4 males and 10 females, Santa Cruz, Cerro Muñoz, 26°54ˈ00 ̎S 65°47ˈ50 W, 2620 m. 7-I-2001, C. Molineri leg.; 9 males and 14 females, El Infiernillo, 26°42ˈ50 ̎S 65°47ˈ45 ̎W, 2900 m. 30-VIII-2000, E. Domínguez, C. Molineri, W. Flowers and C. Nieto leg.

Etymology. Named tafi , for the locality Tafí del Valle, intermountain valley, from which the type specimens were collected.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pronota of Austrelmis species: a) A. argentinensis sp. nov.; b) A. catamarcensis sp. nov.; c) A. tafi sp. nov.; d) A. talampayensis sp. nov.; e) A. robustus sp. nov. Scale bars 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 4. Austrelmis tafi sp. nov. (holotype): a) male genitalia, dorsal view; b) male genitalia, lateral view; c) female genitalia, ventral view. Scale bars 0.2 mm.