Cephalolycus major Pic, 1926

Ferreira, Vinicius S. & Ivie, Michael A., 2016, Redescription ofCephalolycus majorPic, 1926 (Coleoptera: Elateroidea: Lycidae) and a Discussion on Its Taxonomic Position, The Coleopterists Bulletin 70 (3), pp. 663-666 : 663-666

Cephalolycus major Pic, 1926

( Figs. 1–6 )

Cephalolycus major Pic 1926: 30 ; Kleine 1933: 34;

Blackwelder 1945: 348; Bocák and Bocákova

1990: 636; Bocákova 2003: 232. Lectotype

male (herein designated), deposited in MNHN.

Diagnosis. Cephalolycus can be separated from other Calopterini and Leptolycini by the tiny, three-segmented maxillary palps ( Fig. 2 ), serrate antennae ( Fig. 1 ), antennomeres II and III minute ( Figs. 2, 4 ), pronotum with weak longitudinal carina in anterior portion of pronotum, bifurcated posteriorly ( Fig. 5 ), elytra 11X longer than pronotal length, expanded in apical third and posteriorly dehiscent ( Fig. 1 ), median lobe of the aedeagus at least one-third longer than the dorsobasally fused parameres ( Fig. 6 ).

Redescription. General coloration dark blackbrown (possibly faded), except for 2 yellow, lateral spots just before widest point of elytra. Body densely setose. Head longer than wide, small, not covered by pronotum, prognathous ( Fig. 2 ). Eyes rounded, coarsely granulate; interocular distance approximately 2X eye width. Mouthparts strongly reduced, maxillary palp 3-segmented, palpomere I enlarged, II and III decreasing in length; labial palp very small, apparently 2-segmented; mandibles short, triangular; labrum free, elongate. Antennae inserted in a gibbous prominence; strongly serrate; antennomere I subconical, II and III minute, III approximately half length of II; IV about 4X longer than II and III together; IV–VII gradually decreasing in length; antennomeres IX–XI unknown ( Fig. 4 ). Pronotum trapezoidal; margins prominent; anterior angles acute; weak longitudinal carina in anterior portion of pronotum, bifurcated posteriorly ( Fig. 5 ). Hypomeron concave. Scutellum triangular, posterior margins rounded. Anterior spiracles elongate, protruding. Prosternum V-shaped; posterior margin rounded, reaching hypomeron; mesoventrite trapezoidal, posteriorly reaching anterior margin of metaventrite, connected to mesanepisternum by additional segment, mesepimeron more densely pubescent than surrounding sclerites. Metaventrite convex, posterior angles divergent and acute. Metadiscrimen complete, weak anteriorly, metanepisternum elongate ( Fig. 3 ). Elytra 11X longer than pronotum, expanded in apical 1/3, posteriorly broadened, each elytron with 3 distinct costae; strongly reticulate ( Fig. 1 ). Protrochantin slender, densely pubescent. Legs slender, elongate; trochanters tubular, about 1/3 length of femur; femora and tibiae clavate. Pro- and mesocoxae moderately obliquely oval, metacoxae transverse. Male genitalia symmetrical; median lobe at least 1/3 longer [apex damaged] than parameres; parameres dorsobasally fused, apices rounded; phallobase as long as parameres, no suture visible ( Fig. 6 ). Length 9.0 mm; width (across humeri) 2.0 mm.

Type Material. Lectotype, male: Alt. d.l. cruces/ Columb. 2200m; Museum Paris / Coll. M. Pic; Cephalolycus major Pic n sp (in Pic’ s handwriting) ( MNHN) ( Figs. 7, 8 ).

Type Locality. We expect that the label indicates “Alto de Las Cruces,” of which there are several place names in Colombia. The “Diccionario Geográfico de Colombia ” ( IGAC 2016 ) shows five places with this name when searching “Las Cruces”, and no alternatives are offered. Three are in Boyacá Department, one each in Maripí Municipality (southeast of the municipal capital or “cabecera,” it lacks a specific elevation, but Maripí is at 1,300 m), a telegraph/radio station southeast of the “cabecera” in Paya municipality (located at 1,500 m), and northeast of the “cabecera” of Jenesano Municipality (lacks a specific elevation, but Jenesano is at 2,100 m). The fourth is southeast of the “cabecera” of Cerrito Municipality in Santander Department, with no specified elevation, but the town of Cerrito is approximately 2,500 m in elevation. The last is a mountain ridge (“ Cuchilla ”) in the Cordillera Central , in the Municipality of Guarne , Antioquia Department, that reaches 2,250 m. The first and second seem too low, but all three others are in the range of 2,200 m as given on the label. However , none of these localities are known to have been visited by collectors in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries ( Fernando Fernandez , in litt.). Perhaps more likely the locality is an unidentified locality in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta , Magdalena Department, which was the source of most material described from Colombia during that period ( Fernando Fernandez , in litt.) .

Distribution. Colombia.

Figures

Figs. 1–6. Cephalolycus major, lectotype. 1) Habitus, dorsal view; 2) Head, ventral view; 3) Meso- and metaventrites; 4) Basal antennal segments; 5) Pronotum; 6) Male genitalia, dorsal and ventral views. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figs. 7–8. Cephalolycus major, lectotype. 7) Locality and collection labels. 8) Label on type, in Maurice Pic’s handwriting.