A new species of Pelecium Kirby (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Peleciini) from the Atlantic Forest biome, Brazil
Author
Orsetti, Artur
Author
Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano
text
Zootaxa
2016
4179
1
123
127
journal article
37944
10.11646/zootaxa.4179.1.9
356fb1f5-6f41-4425-9109-59c1817e8f84
1175-5326
261700
2DC877EE-6CCF-44D0-9240-37B3184F75AD
Pelecium igneus
Orsetti & Lopes-Andrade
,
sp. nov.
Figs 1−12
Type
locality.
“
Estação de Pesquisa
,
Treinamento
e
Educação Ambiental
Mata do Paraíso
” (officially abbreviated as “
EPTEA
Mata do Paraíso
”) in
Viçosa
, state of
Minas Gerais
, Southeast
Brazil
(
20°48'08.0"S
42°51'21.7"W
).
Etymology.
The specific epithet is from the Latin “
igneus
”, which means “on fire”, in reference to the reddish reflexes on pronotum and head.
Diagnosis.
A medium sized species (
13 mm
) distinguishable among other congeners by the combination of the following features: Fore body dorsum is bright metallic and thence contrasts sharply with the black elytra (
Fig. 1
). Head with frontal impressions punctiform (
Figs 1, 3
), with a short and shallow excavation. Pronotum with median line shallow (
Fig. 1
), barely discernible, deeper posteriorly; basal impressions very shallow. Apical labial and maxillary palpomeres triangular (
Fig. 4
). Adults of
P. i gn e us
and
P. helenae
are quite similar in the shape of the body, frontal fovea of head, median line and basal impressions of pronotum. However, in
P. igneus
the lateral edges of pronotum are more arcuate near base, giving it a subcordate shape when seen from above. Moreover, in
P. igneus
the elytra is comparatively rounder when seen from above and is shiny black, contrasting with its metallic reddish pronotum. In
P. helenae
, the dorsum is homogeneously violaceus.
Description, male
holotype
(
Figs 1–12
). Fully pigmented adult. Measurements in mm: AL1-11: 0.81, 0.48, 0.55, 0.52, 0.56, 0.50, 0.44, 0.45, 0.43, 0.45, 0.65, EL 6.89, EW 5.18, lp2L 0.57, lp3L 0.83, lp3
W 0.51
, mp3L 0.24, mp4L 0.68, mp4
W 0.46
, PL 3.85, PW 3.83, SL 0.49, SW 0.67, TL 12.85. Ratio: TL/EW 2.48.
Body
ovate and flat; discs of head and pronotum metallic wine reddish in dorsal view, with greenish and yellowish reflections along sides (
Fig. 1
); elytra shiny black (
Fig. 1
), glabrous, with only standard setae present (supraorbital, pronotal and parascutellar setae); ventral surface shiny black (
Fig. 2
),
Head
microreticulate, with a pair of frontal punctiform fovea, each with a short and shallow excavation at the outer side (
Fig. 3
, arrows).
Mouth parts
(
Fig. 4
): apical labial and maxillary palpomeres triangular, with long and sparse yellowish setae, surface mostly reddish brown, with apicalmost portion yellowish; fourth maxillary palpomere subtriangular, 2.8X as long as the third palpomere, covered with sparse yellowish slender setae, surface reddish brown, with apicalmost portion yellowish.
Pronotum
(
Fig. 1
) subcordate, minutely rough (in low magnification) to transversely microstriate (in magnification above 100X); lateral margins rounded in apical 4/5, sinuate just in front of basal angles; base truncate, with sides strongly oblique towards highly obtuse and blunt basal angles; median line fine and shallow, deeper posteriorly; basal impressions inconspicuous.
Scutellum
triangular (
Fig. 1
), minutely rough (in low magnification) to microreticulate (in magnification above 100X).
Elytra
with inner five interneurs deep; in between interneurs shiny and unpunctate, minutely rough (in low magnification) to transversely microstriate (in magnification above 100X).
Protibiae
(
Fig. 2
) expanded at apex.
Mesotibiae
(
Fig. 2
) not expanded at apex; densely pubescent ventrally, more ventroapically.
Metatibiae
(
Fig. 2
) slender, densely pubescent in apical half of ventral side.
Abdominal tergite IX
(
Fig. 12
) oval, asymmetric, with anterior portion narrowed to a sharp apex; posterior portion with asymmetric expansions on each side; posterior edge barely curved and growing to an obtuse angle.
Aedeagus
(
Figs 5−11
) with
penis
(
Figs 5−9
) cylindrical, slender, conspicuously curved in lateral views (
Figs 6, 8, 9
), its apical edge straight (
Figs 5, 7
);
parameres
asymmetric (
Figs 7, 10−11
), left paramere (
Fig. 10
) longer and narrower than right paramere (
Fig. 11
).
Type
series.
Holotype
♂
(
CELC
), labeled “
BRASIL
: MG,
Viçosa
Mata do Paraíso
,
08.xii.2014
pitfall, trilha do pesquisador leg.
A. Orsetti
\
Pelecium igneus
Orsetti & Lopes-Andrade
HOLOTYPUS
[printed in red paper]”.
Comments.
The sexsetose labrum, combined with quadrisetose pronotum, defines
Pelecium igneus
as a member of the subgenus
Pelecium
(s. str).
Pelecium igneus
is the unique species in the genus in which the color of head and pronotum is different from the color of elytra. We include
P. i g ne u s
in
P. rotundipenne
species group based on the following features: head frontal fovea punctiform, pronotum basal impression moderately deep to shallow, elytral interneurs 6 and 7 absent, interneurs 5 absent or reduced (
Straneo & Ball 1989
). It is necessary to alter part of the definition of the
P. rotundipenne
group, which now includes species with black colored, coppery, violaceus and partially reddish dorsum.
Pelecium igneus
sp. nov.
can be identified using key in
Straneo & Ball (1989)
, with couplets 25 and 26 modified in the following way:
25(24’) Elytron with only discal interneurs 1–4 deep, and only interneur 1 extended to apical declivity, 4 remote from base and apex. Pronotum with posterolatera1 impressions indistinct, shallow. .............................................................................
P. purpureum
25'. Elytron with at least interneurs 1–5 moderately deeply impressed, and extended to rather gradually sloped apical declivity. Pronotum with posterolateral impressions various. ...............................................................................................................
25a
25a(25’) Pronotum with sides markedly rounded; posterolateral impressions evident. .............................................................
P. paulae
25a’ Pronotum with sides less rounded, subsinuate to sinuate posteriorly; posterolateral impressions indistinct. .........................
26
26(25a’) Pronotum reddish, with green reflections laterally. Elytra black, with violaceous reflections. .........................
P. igneus
sp. n.
26’ Dorsum unicolored dark purplish, without green reflections laterally. ......................................................................
P. helenae