Hyboptera apollonia Erwin, 2004

Erwin, Terry L. & Henry, Shasta C., 2017, Hyboptera Chaudoir, 1872 of the Cryptobatida group of subtribe Agrina: A taxonomic revision with notes on their ways of life (Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini), ZooKeys 714, pp. 61-127 : 94-97

Hyboptera apollonia Erwin, 2004 Apollonia’s humps-backed beetle Figs 6A , 10A , 11

Hyboptera apollonia Erwin, 2004: 33.

Holotype.

Male. Panamá, Colón, 30 km NE Colón, Porto Bello, 9.555°N, 79.653°W, 9m, 23 February 1911)(EA Schwarz)(NMNH: ADP007943).

Derivation of specific epithet.

The specific epithet, apollonia , is an eponym based on the first name of Michael Corleone’s beautiful young Italian wife in the movie The Godfather whose death in a car explosion perpetrated by Mafia competition signifies the useless instantaneous death of so many species when humans put fire to the tropical rain forest in time of drought.

Proposed English vernacular name.

Apollonia’s humps-backed beetle.

Diagnosis.

With the attributes of the genus and angulicollis species group as described above and with only dark non-metallic markings on the pronotal disc; pronotum with discal rugae etched horizontally and linear. Elytra black with paler margin not reaching suture. Mouthparts, appendages, margin of prothorax, venter of head and prothorax, abdominal segments II-V testaceous; meso- and metathorax, and abdominal segment VI infuscated.

Description.

(Figs 6A , 10A ). Size: See Appendix 1. Length (SBL) medium for genus, ABL = 4.19-5.14mm, SBL = 3.53-4.26 mm, TW = 2.09-2.57 mm.

Color: See diagnosis, above.

Luster: Shiny, no metallic highlights, subtle iridescent around tubercles.

Microsculpture: Mostly isodiametric or slightly stretched, well-impressed, cells somewhat stretched around elytral tubercles.

Head: Rugae moderately coarse, mostly not arranged. Eye very large, sub-hemispheric, evenly rounded anteriorly, subtly more prolonged posteriorly. Antenna short, barely reaching humerus. Labrum rectangulate, shallowly bilobed, anterior margin slightly emarginate. Neck finely transversely rugose.

Prothorax: Pronotum markedly broad, disc centrally slightly depressed with dense transverse rugae. Lateral margins very broadly explanate and obtusely rounded medially then nearly straight to obtuse hind angle, base medially produced and rounded posteriorly.

Pterothorax: Normal for Agrina , fully winged. Elytron intervals 3 with 7, and interval 5 with 6 (5) discal unisetiferous tubercles, other intervals moderately convex, side margin moderately explanate laterally only at middle third. Elytron broad and moderately short, moderately narrower than the pronotum at the broadest part, apex truncate, slightly rounded with distal corner broadly and obtusely rounded, disc not significantly convex, basal third slightly depressed. All interneurs well-impressed.

Legs: Femur dorso-ventrally moderately depressed, tibia coequal in length, more depressed; tarsus less than half the length of the tibia, fourth tarsomere markedly bilobed and with tarsal pad of setae.

Abdomen: Sparsely setiferous; normal ambulatory setae on sterna 3-5; female with two pairs of ambulatory setae on sternum 6, medial pair of setae less than the length of lateral pair; males with only the lateral pair of longer setae on sternum 6.

Male genitalia: Phallus (Fig. 10A ) with ostium of 1/6 its length, catopic, apex very short, moderately rounded; endophallus with flagellum (base obvious in illustration), flagellum not barbed. Parameres asymmetric, right very small, left larger.

Female genitalia: Not investigated, likely similar to that of H. lucida (Fig. 8 ).

Dispersal potential.

These beetles are macropterous and capable of flight. They are moderately swift and agile runners. Modern collecting methods have acquired specimens, including insecticidal foggings and malaise traps.

Way of life.

An adult of this species was fogged from a tree in the genus Guarea at La Selva and another caught in a Malaise trap as part of the ALAS Project. F. Nevermann collected a specimen on a rotten log. The known elevational range of this species is between 9 and 815 m.a.s.l. Adults have been obtained in January-April, and September-October; hence they are active in both the dry and rainy seasons in the lowlands and lower middle altitudes, both on the east and west sides of the Cordillera Central.

Other specimens examined.

Costa Rica, Heredia, 11 km SE La Virgin, 10.4313°N, 84.0056°W, 450-650m, 11 May 2003 (Proy. ALAS)(INBIO: ADP135881, female), 250-350m, 22 February 2004 (Proy. ALAS)(INBIO: ADP140501, female), 3 km S Pto. Viejo, Estacion Biologica La Selva , 10.4313°N, 84.0056°W, 150m, 18 May 1993, (Proy. ALAS)(HESP: ADP102312, female), 13 January 1996 (Proy. ALAS)(INBIO-OET: ADP135879, female) ; Limón, Rio Reventazon, Ebene, Hamburg Farm , 10.4149°N, 83.7506°W, 50m, 4 October 1928 (F Nevermann)(NMNH: ADP007942, female), 20 April 1932 (F Nevermann)(NMNH: ADP007945, female), P.N. Tortuguero, Tortuguero, Estación Cuatro Esquinas, 10.5338°N, 83.5071°W, sea level, June 1991 (J Solano)(INBIO, 007578, male) ; Puntarenas, Peninsula de Osa, Rancho Quemado , 8.6790°W, 83.5667°W, 200m, September 1991 (F Quesada)(INBIO: ADP100266, male) . Panamá, Colón, 30 km NE Colón, Porto Bello, 9.555°N, 79.653°W, 9m, 2-11 March 1911 (EA Schwarz)(NMNH: ADP007944, male), Gamboa, Pipeline Road , 9.124°N, 79.749°W, 37m, 17-22 June 1993 (SW Lingafelter)(SEMC: ADP007577, female) ; Panamá, Cerro Jefe , 9.2373°N, 79.3549°W, 815m, 20 May 1972 (RT Allen)(NMNH: ADP011167, female) .

Geographic distribution

(Fig. 11 ). This species is currently known from the type locality in Panamá and throughout southern Central America north to Costa Rica.

Notes.

Adults of this species are unusual in that they subtly bear two attributes similar to species in the angulicollis species-group: faint traces of metallic green and a short narrow nubnen-like apex of the phallus, rather than short and broadly blunt. Adults of the angulicollis species-group are extensively green and the phallus apex, while narrow is elongate.

Figures

Figure 6. Digital Photo-illustration. Habitus, dorsal aspect. A Hyboptera apollonia Erwin, male, ADP 007944 B Hyboptera auxilidora Erwin, male, ADP 007622.

Figure 8. Digital Photo-illustration, female reproductive system dorsal and ventral aspects. Hyboptera lucida Henry & Erwin sp. n., ADP 148100. Legend, bc, bursa copulatrix; sg, spermathecal gland; sgd, spermathecal gland duct; sp, spermatheca. Dorsal aspect; lt, laterotergite; gc 1, gonocoxite 1; gc 2, gonocoxite 2, des, dorsal ensiform seta, b, base of gonocoxite 2; bl, blade of gonocoxite 2. Scale line = 0.25 mm.

Figure 10. Digital Photo-illustration, male aedeagus in repose, dorsal, ventral, left lateral aspects: A Hyboptera apollonia Erwin, ADP 100266 B Hyboptera dilutior Oberthuer, ADP 134143 C Hyboptera lucida Henry & Erwin, sp. n., ADP 135785 D Hyboptera tuberculata (Dejean), ADP 135797 E Hyboptera verrucosa (Reiche), ADP 082523. Legend, fl, flagellum. Scale line = 0.25 mm.

Figure 11. Distribution map for known localities of Hyboptera species.