Schizaraeus fouquei, Giraldo-Mendoza & Flores, 2020

Giraldo-Mendoza, Alfredo E. & Flores, Gustavo E., 2020, Schizaraeus fouquei sp. nov., the first record of Schizaraeus from Peru (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Stenosini), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 60 (1), pp. 89-93 : 90-92

Schizaraeus fouquei sp. nov.

( Figs 2–10 )

Type locality. Peru, Cusco Region, Quispicanchi Province, Lucre District, Huacarpay, aprox. 3020 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ‘ PERU, Cusco, Quispicanchi | Lucre Huacarpay , aprox. 3020 m | E. Yábar coll. 10.viii.1982 || Schizaraeus | fouquei n. sp. | HOLOTYPUS | Det. A. Giraldo and | G. Flores 2018 ’ ( MEKRB). PARATYPES: 3 spec., same data as the holotype, (2 MEKRB, 1 IADIZA); 6 spec., ‘ PERU Apurímac | Curahuasi 2585 m | 28–30.iv. 2012 | Leg. V. M. Diéguez | Habitos nocturno || Schizaraeus | fouquei n. sp. | PARATYPUS | Det. A. Giraldo and | G. Flores 2018 ’ (3 VMDM, 1 NMPC, 1 IADIZA, 1 NHMB).

Description. Small, elongate, glabrous, apterous; light to dark ferrugineous-brown. Head, pronotum narrow, abdomen pyriform ( Fig. 3 ). Length: 4.7–5.0 mm (n = 10).

Head ( Figs 4–6 ) long, oval, widest at epicanthus, longer, wider than pronotum, sides slightly curved ( Fig. 4 ). Eyes small, round, convex, not divided, sharply faceted (21–24 facets in six rows) ( Fig. 5 ), in the middle of lateral sides of head, each one limited dorsally by longitudinal keel (ocular ridge), ventrally by carinated margin of postgenae. Genae continuous with anterior margin of clypeus, ending on anterior margin of eyes. Clypeus with anterior margin truncate, armed with row of teeth. Frons, vertex with longitudinal keel at midline. Antennae thick, flattened, moderately covered with long hairs, slightly exceeding base of pronotum, with shallow coalescent punctures, giving reticulate appearance. Antennomere I thick, longer than wide; antennomere II short, wider than long; antennomere III thick, longer than wide, as long as IV–VI combined, 1.3 times as wide at apex than at base; antennomeres IV–X short, wider than long; antennomere XI truncate diagonally, wider than long, two thirds length of X. Mentum subquadrate, flat, rough, with anterior margin concave ( Fig. 6 ).

Thorax ( Figs 7–8 ). Pronotum narrow, subquadrate, as wide as long, lateral margins serrate, subparallel on anterior half, constricted at base, widest at midpoint, slightly tapering towards base ( Fig. 7 ). Anterior margin nearly straight, anterior angles right to obtuse, disc higher than lateral margins, delimited by two parallel longitudinal keels over entire length of pronotum, slightly converging at base; punctation shallow, coalescent, giving reticulate appearance, posterior margin shorter than anterior margin, straight, posterior angles pointed, protruding. Prosternum oblique from anterior margin to prosternal process, truncate behind procoxae ( Fig. 8 ). Prosternal punctures separated by one to three puncture diameters.

Elytra ( Fig. 9 ) with base narrow, not carinate, widest before midpoint, five times greater than width of base; each elytron with two discal sharp keels and ridge-shaped lateral margin (third keel), only second keel reaching elytral apex; elytral punctation strong, foveolate, dense, coalescing, occupying entire intervals. First elytral interval narrow with two rows of punctures, second, third intervals twice as wide as first, with three to four rows of punctures; pseudopleuron with four rows of punctures ( Fig. 10 ); epipleuron delimited throughout, with one row of punctures, margin forming keel in apical third ( Fig. 10 ). Abdominal ventrites with small, shallow, dense punctures, separated by less than one puncture diameter.

Legs slender, covered with mixture of stout, fine golden setae. Femora longer than tibiae ( Fig. 10 ); tibiae with small spines on outer surface. Apical pro- and mesotarsomeres longer than III and IV combined; metatarsomere I 1.5 times as long as metatarsomere II; apical metatarsomere as long as II and III combined.

Female genitalia not dissected but ovipositor exposed externally in the paratype used for SEM (IADIZA): coxites with lobes 2–4 fused, basal lobe not extended over paraproct, baculi transverse, length paraproct / coxite short (P/C ≤ 1.2) ( DOYEN 1994: Fig. 41, Araeoschizus), gonostyli small, sub-apical with setae at apex. Paraprocts with baculi parallel.

Comparative diagnosis. Schizaraeus fouquei sp. nov. and S. acuticosta can be separated by the shape of pronotum. Schizaraeus acuticosta has pronotum with lateral margins curved in anterior 2/3 and narrowed in posterior third, anterior angles rounded and posterior angles straight ( Fig. 1 ). On the other hand, S. fouquei sp. nov. has lateral margins of pronotum subparallel in anterior half and constricted at base, anterior angles straight and posterior angles pointed and protruding ( Fig. 7 ).

Etymology. The species name is a tribute to the Czech entomologist René Fouquè (1980–2016) ( SEKERKA 2017) for his contribution to the knowledge of the Stenosini and particularly, for his collaboration in the identification of this species.

Distribution. The species is known only from two localities in the high Andean Mts. of southern Peru ( Fig. 11 ) belonging to the biogeographic province of Puna (MORRONE 2014).

Figures

Fig 11. Geographic distribution of Schizaraeus fouquei sp.nov.in southern Peru and S. acuticosta Kulzer, 1955 in northern Argentina.

Figs 1-2. Dorsal habitus.1 – Schizaraeus acuticosta Kulzer, 1955, holotype (NHMB); 2 – S. fouquei sp. nov., paratype NMPC.Fig. 1 provided by courtesy of René Fouquè; Fig. 2 taken by NMPC staff.

Figs 3-10. SEM images of S. fouquei sp. nov.: 3 – habitus 25×; 4 – head dorsal 95×; 5 – eye 500 ×; 6 – mouthparts 180×; 7 – pronotum 120×; 8 – prosternum 100×; 9 – elytra 43×; 10 – abdomen 43×.