Euscelus maculicollis, Hamilton, R. W., 2001

Hamilton, R. W., 2001, New Species Of Euscelus Schoenherr From Central America (Coleoptera: Attelabidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 55 (4), pp. 453-470 : 468-469

Euscelus maculicollis , new species

Figs. 6 , 7, 13, 16

Type Locality. Mexico, Yucatan, nr. Chichen Itza .

Type Series. The type series consists of 77 specimens from the Mexican states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatan. The holotype male and allotype female are labeled as follows: Mexico, Yuc. [Yucatan], 2 km E. Chichen Itza , 20 m, 20.vii.1983, M. Kaulbars ( CMNC) . The sex and label data of the 75 paratypes are as follows: CAMPECHE : 4 males and 1 female, [1 leaf roll on separate pin with same data], 89 km NE Campeche , vii­31­90, CW and LB O’Brien ( CWOB) . YUCATAN: 4 females, 2 mi. E. Chichen Itza , 100', 19– 20, vii­83, dry trop. seas. forest, R Anderson, W Maddsison ( CMNC) ; 1 female, same as previous except, Anderson ( CMNC) ; 1 male, 14 mi. e. Chichen Itza , July 30–31, 1980, Schaffner, Weaver, MM Friedlander ( TAMU) ; 1 male, 3 mi. w. Chichen Itza , Aug. 6, 1974, on Neomillspaughia emarginata, CW and L O’Brien and Marshall ( USNM) ; 1 female, Uxmal Ruins , 150', 21.vi.83, R Anderson, roadside sweep ( CMNC) ; 1 male, [same as previous except, 50 m, RS Anderson] ( CMNC) ; 1 female, 3 km E Chichen Itza , 23 Oct. 1991, R. Turnbow ( RHTC) ; 1 male, 2 km E Chichen Itza , 16 June 1990, R Turnbow ( RHTC) ; 4 males and 1 female, Yuc. , 3mi E. Chichen Itza, Aug. 7, 1974, CW and LB O’Brien and Marshall ( CWOB) ; 6 males and 10 females, 1 female pinned with associated leaf roll, [same as previous except Aug. 6, 1974] ( CWOB) ; 5 males and 5 females, 1 male and 1 female pinned with associated leaf roll, 3 mi. W Chichen Itza , Aug. 6, 1974, on Neomillspaughia emarginata, CW and L O’Brien and Marshall ( CWOB) ; 1 male and 3 females, [2 females pinned with associated leaf rolls], 13 mi. E Valladolid, Aug. 7,197 4, CW and L O’Brien and Marshall ( CWOB) ; 1 female, Yuc. , 9 km N. Merida, viii­31­ 1990, CW and LB O’Brien ( CWOB) ; 1 male, Yuc. 51 km E. Merida, viii­1­ 1990, CW and LB O’Brien ( CWOB) ; 2 males and 4 females, Yuc. , 22 km S. Valladolid, viii­2­1990, CW and LB O’Brien ( CWOB) ; 2 females, [same as previous except vii­28­1990] ( CWOB) ; 1 female, [same as previous except 2 km S. Valladolid ] ( CWOB) ; 2 males, YUC., 6 km W. Valladolid , vii­2­1990, CW and LB O’Brien ( CWOB) ; 2 males, Yuc. , 26 km SW Merida, vii­30­1990, CW and LB O’Brien ( CWOB) ; 1 male, Yuc. , 36 km W. Chichen Itza, viii­1­ 1990, CW and LB O’Brien ( CWOB) ; 1 female, [1 leaf roll on separate pin with same data], Yuc. , 37 km SW Uman, vii­31­90, CW and LB O’Brien ( CWOB) . QUINTANA ROO: 1 male, Mpio: Lazaro Cardenas, 25 km NNE Leona Vicario, Reserva El Eden , 16–20/vii/95, R. Jones ( RWHC) ; 1 male, 17 km NW Carillo Puerto [Felipe Carillo Puerto ], 18 June 1990, R. Turnbow ( RHTC) ; 1 male and 1 female, 12 km N Carillo Puerto , 19 Oct. 1991, R. Turnbow ( RHTC) ; 1 male, Quint. Roo, Felipe Carillo, Pto. , 10–14 Oct. ‘86, sweeping ( CWOB) ; 1 male and 1 female, 32 km N. Fellipe Carillo P. [ Puerto ], 30 m, 17­vii­1983, M Kaulbars ( CMNC) .

Type Deposition. All types are located in their parent collections except the following: 1 female, 2 km E Chichen Itza , 23 Oct. 1991 ( AMNH) ; 1 male, 2 km E Chichen Itza , June 1990 ( AMNH) ; 1 female, 2 mi. e. Chichen Itza , 100', 19–20, vii­83 ( RWHC) ; 1 male and 1 female, 12 km N Carillo Puerto , 19 Oct. 1991 ( USNM) .

Color and Pubescence. Body reddish­brown and shiny throughout with the head, pronotum, and front legs somewhat darker. Pronotum, and usually head, with a variably darkened mid­dorsal mark. Pubescence absent above except for a few very small erect pale apical and apico­lateral elytral setae. Rostral apex, antennae, pygidium, legs and mid­ventrals more or less sparsely set with fine pale reclinate setae.

Size Range. Male 3.0 × 1.3 mm to 3.8 × 1.6 mm; Female 3.2 × 1.4 mm to 3.8 × 1.7 mm.

Adult Descriptive Synopsis. Head more or less rectangular, slightly wider at base, smooth, shiny, with very small scattered punctures; with postocular row of small punctures along margin of eye; frons smooth, shiny, without sculpture; eyes moderately protuberant. Rostrum short, slightly more than 1/3 length of head; in lateral view weakly arcuate; in dorsal view distinctly widened from antennal insertions to apex; width at apex about 1/3 wider than width at base; width at base twice as wide as frons; densely punctured throughout. Antennae inserted dorso­laterally near rostral base; club compact; first and terminal segment subequal in length; middle segment shorter; terminal segment acuminate. Pronotum wider than long; in dorsal view sides arched out; dorsal anterior edge weakly emarginate; widest near middle; smooth, shiny; with very small scattered punctures; with two small shallow depressions near middle; anterior collar weakly delimited, widest at middle; subbasal constriction linelike, punctate, incomplete laterally; width of basal piece at midline subequal to midline width of anterior collar. Elytra about 1/5 longer than wide; with weak transverse depression behind scutellum; in dorsal view widest just behind middle; strial punctures distinct in basal 1/3 of elytra, becoming smaller and indistinct posteriorly; intervals smooth, shiny, flat, wider than striae. Thorax with pleura and lateral edges of sterna sparsely punctured; metathoracic sternum weakly bulbous each side of middle. Legs with front pair greatly enlarged; profemora swollen, armed. Abdomen with sterna 1–4 subequal, smooth, shiny; sutures more or less indistinct; sternum 5 narrow; suture between 4 and 5 distinct; pygidium and last abdominal tergum moderately to densely punctate.

Profemoral Sexual Dimorphism. The profemur in males ( Fig. 6a ) is armed with a disti­ventral narrow thornlike spine and a medio­ventral, angled, anteriorly projecting, apically rounded denticle. The profemur in females is armed with a single more or less straight, acuminate disti­ventral spine and the tibial apices are bi­uncinate.

Distribution (Fig. 16). Specimens representing this species are from the Mexican States of Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo.

Comments. Euscelus maculicollis is distinguished by the small size, shiny reddish­brown body, and the dark mid­dorsal mark on the pronotum and head ( Fig. 6b ). The mid­dorsal pronotal mark is weakly formed in some specimens and the head mark in some specimens is indistinct. Males have a unique hoelike projection at the inner protibial apex (Fig. 7a and b). This characteristic does not occur in any other known eucelines although the inner apical margin of the protibia in E. lissus has a small, broadly rounded non­angled projection. The protibial apex of E. corallinus has a curved uncuslike projection on the inner apical margin which can easily be confused with the bi­uncinate tibial apices of females. This species is similar to E. corallinus and E. lissus but it is smaller in overall size and usually has the mid­dorsal mark on the pronotum. Males and females from the Mexican state of Yucatan are nearly as small as the smallest known eusceline, E. rufiventris Hamilton. It also differs from E. lissus in that it lacks the deep pronotal pits of that species. When males of E. maculicollis and E. lissus are compared, the males of E. maculicollis have a patch of setosity on the first abdominal sternum while males of E. lissus have two widely separated longitudinal rows of setosity accented with tufts. Eus­ celus maculicollis is closely related to E. corallinus . The setosity of the male sterna and the armature of the profemora is similar in E. maculicollis and E. corallinus but they can be separated by the dark mid­dorsal mark on the pronotum and the hoelike projection on the male protibial apex in E. maculicollis . The aedeagal TA of this species ( Fig. 13b ) is somewhat similar to that of E. stockwelli and E. breviceps but TA guides are absent. O’Brien and Marshall collected this species and it’s leaf rolls from Neomillspaughia emarginata (Gross) of the Polygonaceae family. Pterocoline association is unknown for this species. The specific epithet is in reference to the pronotal mark.

Figures

Figs. 1–6. New species of Euscelus, males,16X; left profemur (a) and dorsal habitus (b). 1) E. oaxacensis; 2) E. stockwelli; 3) E. similis; 4) E. spinosus; 5) E. bivittatus; 6) E. maculicollis.

Figs. 12–14. Species of Euscelus, male genitalia, dorsal view except 14c ventral, 64X; tegmen (a) and median lobe (b and c) with endophallic sac in repose. 12) E. bivittatus, n. sp.; 13) E. maculicollis, n. sp.; 14) E. spinosus, n. sp.