Pyticeroides pullis Opitz, 2010

Opitz, Weston, 2010, New taxa of Epiphloeinae Kuwert (Cleridae) and Chaetosomatidae Crowson (Coleoptera: Cleroidea), Insecta Mundi 2010 (123), pp. 1-28 : 22-23

Pyticeroides pullis Opitz , new species

Figure 22, 45, 63.

Holotype. Male. BRAZIL: Rondonia, 62 km. SW. Ariquemes , Fzda. Rancho Grande, X-10-1993, C.W. & L.B. O’Brien ( FSCA). (Specimen point mounted, gender label and antenna affixed to paper point; support card; locality label; collector label; FSCA acronymic label; Holotype label.)

Paratypes. Two specimens. Brazil: Rondonia: 62 km SW Ariquemes, Fazenda Rancho Grande, 10-X- 1993, C.W. & L.B. O’Brien ( WOPC, 1): Rio Grande do Sul: Eldorado do Sul, Fazenda São Jose, 5-I-2000, I. Heydrich ( MCNZ, 1).

Diagnosis (Fig. 63): The members of this species are most conveniently distinguished from superficially similar specimens of P. moraguesi by having the pronotum completely black. Also, in P. pullis specimens the elytral punctations are misaligned near the sutural margins, which is not the case in P. moraguesi specimens.

Description. Size: Length 4.5 mm.; width 1.0 mm. Integument: Cranium predominantly flavotestaceous, piceous postocular streaks prominent; pronotum black; legs bicolorous, femora mostly yellow, infuscated, tibiae and tarsi dark brown; elytra black. Head: Wider than pronotum (50:40); ratio of eye width to width of vertex (17:16); antenna (Fig. 22). Thorax: Pronotum transverse (42:37), side margins arcuate anterior and posterior to transverse depressions; elytra about 6 x longer than pronotum, elytral length to width ratio 3:0; anterior margin of protibia with 4 spines. Abdomen: Male pygidium not emarginate; aedeagus as in figure 45.

Variation. Size: Length 4.5-6.0 mm.; width 1.0- 1.4 mm. The elytra are proportionally longer in the female specimen.

Natural History. The available specimens were collected during January and October.

Distribution. Known only from central and south Brazil.

Etymology. The trivial name pullis is a Latin adjective that stems from pullus (= blackish). I refer to the black coloration of the pronotum.

Taxonomic Notes. The most closely related known species of P. pullis , P. moraguesi , is also made available in this contribution, therefore no modified key is presented in this section.