Setosicornia argentina Pic, 1911

Telnov, Dmitry, 2024, On the taxonomy of some South American and Australo-Pacific Anthicidae Latreille, 1819 (Coleoptera) with new subfamily and tribe-rank synonymies, Zootaxa 5501 (3), pp. 401-424 : 416-418

Setosicornia argentina Pic, 1911 ( Fig. 6 )

Pic (1911: 117).

Type material examined. Syntype ♂ MNHN: Républ. Argentine CHACO DE SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, RIO SALADO [printed] // Type [handwritten] // Setosicornia n g. argentina n sp [handwritten] // Anthicidae : Eurygeniinae [handwritten] Det. D.A. Pollock 19 [printed] 97 [handwritten] [label black framed] // SYNTYPE [printed, label red] // Syntype Setosicornia argentina Pic, 1911 [printed] // MNHN, Paris EC19977 [printed, provided with a QR code]. The right antenna (antennomeres 2‒11) detached from the specimen and mounted on a separate card nearby; antennomeres 3‒11 of the left antenna, the right anterior and the left posterior leg missing. Described from an unspecified number of specimens.

Redescription. Syntype male ( Fig. 6 ), total body length about 7.9 mm; head length about 1.7 mm (counting exposed cranial ‘neck’ of the syntype), head width across compound eyes about 1.4 mm, pronotal length about 1.4 mm, maximum pronotal width about 1.3 mm, elytral length about 4.8 mm, combined maximum elytral width about 1.8 mm. Dorsum and venter brown. Head opaque dorsally and ventrally, elliptical, narrowed and slightly prolonged anteriorly. Frontoclypeal suture or impression not observed. Clypeus truncate at anterior margin. Labrum small and narrow (exposed part), emarginate at anterior margin, mandibles exposed. Mandible protruding anteriorly, apex unidentate, tapered (narrowly scooped). Frons very narrow, narrower than dorsal eye length. Compound eye large, distinctly protruding from lateral and slightly – from dorsal outline of head, anterior margin broadly emarginate. Interfacetal setae moderately long. Postocular area very short, head base subtruncate. Head dorsal punctures irregularly shaped (generally elongate), subannular, dense, shallow, with microscopically corrugate background. Intervening spaces microscopically corrugate. Head dorsal setae moderately long, whitish, generally appressed, not fully concealing dorsal surface of head. Antenna very long and slender and strongly filiform, extending slightly beyond elytral apex when directed posteriorly. Antennomeres 3‒11 with long erect setae on one margin, with shorter and generally appressed setae on opposite margin. Basal antennomere slightly elongate, much longer than strongly shortened, slightly elongate antennomere two. Antennomere three about 2.2‒2.3× as long as antennomere two, about 0.8‒0.9× as long as antennomere four. Antennomeres four to ten becomes each gradually longer than preceding. Terminal antennomere symmetrical, strongly elongate, slender, barely shorter than penultimate antennomere. Terminal maxillary palpomere small, subtriangular, apically rounded. Cranial ‘neck’ wide, about 0.6‒0.7× head width across compound eyes (e.g., more than half wide as head). Pronotum opaque dorsally and laterally, barely longer than wide, flattened in dorsal aspect, narrower than head across compound eyes, maximum width in anterior half, lateral margins slightly emarginate posterior to middle. Anterior dorsal flange of pronotum distinct; ventrally and laterally only narrow anterior collar is present. Suture of anterior flange incision-like, deep and narrow laterally, shallower and broader dorsally. Basal pronotal margin dorsally with a narrow sulcus which widens at lateral margins. Vague median longitudinal sulcus less strongly punctate present on pronotal disc. Dorsal pronotal punctures similar to those on head. Intervening spaces opaque, microscopically corrugate. Pronotal dorsal setation whitish, moderately dense, appressed, pointed to various directions, not fully concealing dorsal sculpture of pronotum. Tactile setae not observed. Scutellar shield small, narrow, narrowly rounded at posterior margin, densely punctate, subopaque. Elytron strongly elongate, opaque, gradually narrowing posteriorly. Humerus broadly rounded. Postbasal transverse impression not indicated. Elytral punctures elliptical, dense and deep. Intervening spaces microscopically corrugate. Elytral setation white, moderately long and dense, appressed, directed posteriorly, effectively concealing dorsal sculpture of elytron. Tactile setae not observed. Sutural stria not present. Epipleuron very narrow, incomplete. Metathoracic wing fully developed (functional). Legs very long and slender. Femora thickened, meso- and metafemur somewhat clavate. Tibia straight, very slender, with distinct small spines (mainly in posterior half). Setation on tibiae longer and stronger erect compared to that on femora. Tibial terminal spurs paired, long, margins smooth, apically tapered. Tarsomeres of all legs strongly elongate, penultimate tarsomere slightly shortened, not bilobate. All pretarsal claws simple, long. Male tergite VII subtruncate at posterior margin. Male morphological sternite VII broadly emarginate at posterior margin. Aedeagus not studied in detail, symmetrical, tegmen distinctly constricted apically.

Sexual dimorphism. Female is unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Setosicornia argentina is clearly different from its only known congener S. curacaoae comb. nov. (see below) in the significantly shorter dorsal vestiture, the absence of the maculate pattern on the elytra, the comparatively longer male second antennomere, the nearly equally long male antennomeres three and four (the male antennomere four about 1.8× as long as antennomere three in S. curacaoae comb. nov.), the truncate anterior margin of clypeus (the clypeus is broadly rounded at the anterior margin in S. curacaoae comb nov.), the comparatively wider interocular distance at the anterior margin of the compound eyes in males, and the complete absence of the tactile setae on elytra.

Ecology. Unknown.

Distribution. Argentina.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Setosicornia argentina Pic, 1911, syntype ♂. A—Habitus, dorsal view; B—ditto, ventral view: C—ditto, lateral view; D—ditto, head, antero-dorsal view; D—ditto, antenna, antennomeres 2‒11 [not to scale]. Image courtesyAntoine Mantilleri and Christophe Rivier (MNHN).