Operclipygus rufescens, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Operclipygus Marseul (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 271, pp. 1-401 : 218-221

Operclipygus rufescens sp. n. Fig. 59AMap 21

Type locality.

COSTA RICA: Puntarenas: Monteverde Reserve [10°13.5'N, 84°49.5'W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "COSTA RICA: Puntarenas-Guanacaste border, Monte Verde, 1760m" / "10 May 1989, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, R. Leschen, ex. flight intercept trap"/ "Snow Entomol. Mus., Costa Rica Exped #092" / "SEMC0903631 KUNHM-ENT" (SEMC). Paratypes (10): COSTA RICA: Puntarenas: 1: Monteverde, 1500m, 21. ii– 1.iii.1983, FIT, cloud forest, D. Lindemann (SEMC), 1: 1520m, 9.v.1989, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, R. Leschen (INBIO), 1: 1520m, 11-18.vi.1983, FIT (CHSM), 1: 1520m, 2-9.vii.1983, FIT, D.H. Lindeman (CHSM), 1: 1520m, 21.v.1989, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, R. Leschen (MSCC), 1: 1610m, 7.vii.1990, FIT, S.E. Roberts (AKTC), 1: 1400m, 9.v.1989, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, R. Leschen (FMNH), 1: 1400m, 21.v.1989, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, R. Leschen (SEMC), 1: 1570m, 21.v.1989, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, R. Leschen (SEMC); 1: Cerras Amigos, 1780m, 21.v.1989, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, R. Leschen (SEMC).

Other material.

COSTA RICA: Alajuela: 1: Peñas Blancas, 800m, 19.v.1989, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, R. Leschen (SEMC); 1: Peñas Blancas, 1420m, 20.v.1989, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, R. Leschen (SEMC); Guanacaste: 2: Parque Nac. Guanacaste, Est. Pitilla [misspelled Patilla], 10°59'22"N, 85°25'33"W, 13-15.vii.2000, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, Z. Falin (SEMC); Heredia: 5: La Selva Biol. Stn., 10°26'N, 84°01'W, 22.vi.1998, FIT, C.E. Carlton & A.K. Tishechkin (LSAM), 6: 23.vi.1998 (LSAM), 2: 24.vi.1998 (LSAM), 3: 25.vi.1998 (LSAM), 1: 26.vi.1998 (LSAM), 7: 21.vi.1998 (LSAM), 2: 28.vi.1998 (LSAM), 4: 29.vi.1998 (LSAM), 2: 24.ii.1992, FIT, W. Bell (SEMC), 1: 3.iii.1992 (SEMC), 1: 22.i.1992 (SEMC), 1: 9.ii.1992 (SEMC), 2: 17.ii.1992 (SEMC), 1: 24.iii.1992 (SEMC), 1: 14.ii.1992 (SEMC), 1: 27.iii.1992 (SEMC), 4: 5-8.iii.2001, FIT, E.G. Riley (TAMU), 1: 8.vii.2001, pitfall, A. Cline (AKTC), 3: 10.vi.2012, OTS Beetle Course, DNA Extracts MSC-2304, MSC-2335, MSC-2336 (SBMNH, MSCC, LSAM), 1: 15.vi.2012, DNA Extract MSC-2323 (LSAM); Limón: 1: Area Cons. Tortuguero, Sector Cerro Cocori, Fca. de E. Rojas, 150m, i.1993, E. Rojas, (INBIO), 2: iii.1993 (INBIO), 2: iv.1992 (INBIO), 2: ix.1991 (INBIO), 2: vi.1993 (INBIO), 1: vii.1993 (INBIO), 1: 9-30.xi.1992 (INBIO); 1: Sardinas, Barra del Colorado, 15m, 26. iv– 3.v.1995, F. Araya, (INBIO); Puntarenas: 8: Las Alturas Biol. Sta., 08°56.17'N, 82°50.01'W, 1660m, 31. v– 3.vi.2004, FIT, J.S. Ashe, Z. Falin, I. Hinojosa (SEMC); 3: Est. Biol. Las Alturas, Coto Brus, 8°57'N, 82°52'W, 1600m, 30.iii-3.iv.2002, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (AKTC, LSAM); 2: Est. Biol. Las Cruces, San Vito, 1200m, 1-30.vii.1982, FIT, B.D. Gill (BDGC), 6: 17.viii-12. ix.1982, FIT, B.D. Gill; 2: Est. Biol. Las Cruces, Coto Brus, 8°47'N, 82°57'W, 1100m, 25-30.iii.2002, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (AKTC, LSAM), 1: 31. iii– 1.iv.2002, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (LSAM); 4: Altamira Biol. Sta., 09°01.76'N, 83°00.49'W, 1510-1600m, 4-7.vi.2004, FIT, J.S. Ashe, Z. Falin, I. Hinojosa (SEMC); 2: Est. La Casona, 1520m, 15.viii.1994, 23.viii.1994, K.L. Martinez, (INBIO). PANAMA: Chiriquí: 6: Hartmann's Finca, 4km N Sta. Clara, 1500m, 30. vi– 13.vii.1982, FIT, B.D. Gill (AKTC, BDGC); 1: La Fortuna Dam, 1200m, 14. vi– 16.vii.1982, FIT, B.D. Gill (BDGC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.87-1.90 mm, width: 1.44-1.47 mm; body rufescent, elongate, ovoid, generally widest behind humeri; frons moderately depressed at middle, lacking microsculpture; central portion of frontal stria varied from complete to fragmented to absent; labrum broad, almost 3 × as wide as long, emarginate apically; sides of pronotum usually sinuate in basal third, rounded to subangulate to anterior corner; pronotal disk with fine, sparse ground punctation, lacking coarser lateral punctures, with shallow, poorly defined depression along and behind anterolateral portion of submarginal stria; marginal pronotal stria generally descending to hypomeron at anterior corner, delimiting antennal cavity beneath, often effaced entirely; anterior and lateral portions of submarginal stria generally connected, continuous along anterior and lateral margins, arched forward to near anterior pronotal corner, outward to nearly intersect lateral margin, then diverging from margin slightly, running parallel to margin in basal half; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, with outer subhumeral stria fine, present in apical third, inner subhumeral stria absent, striae 1-4 complete, 5th stria present in apical half, sutural slightly longer; venter with microsculpture on prosternum, mesoventrite, and anterior fourth of metaventral disk, with rudimentary sculpturing on the 1st abdominal ventrite; prosternal keel, mesoventrite, and anterior half of metaventrite markedly depressed, especially in males, posterior half of metaventrite convex and prosternal lobe deflexed; prosternal keel weakly emarginate at base, carinal striae complete, with weak secondary striae; some populations with distinct presternal swelling at base of prosternal lobe; mesoventral margin weakly projecting, with marginal stria interrupted; mesometaventral stria arched forward to near anterior mesoventral margin; lateral metaventral stria extended toward middle of metacoxa, slightly abbreviated apically; 1st abdominal ventrite with single, abbreviated lateral stria; propygidium and basal half of pygidium with conspicuous microscuplture; propygidial punctures very small, irregularly separated by about 5 × their diameters; pygidium elongate, about 1.3 times as long as maximum width, with fine ground punctures, few coarser punctures in basal corners; marginal pygidial stria fine, obsolete along basal half or more of margin, often secondarily interrupted. Male gentialia extremely similar to those of Operclipygus hamistrius (see Figs 57 A–D), differing as follows: T8 broader, with deeper basal emargination; S8 slightly more elongate and with narrower, more attenuate apical guides; S9 with apex slightly narrower and base slightly broader; tegmen (Fig. 57L) very slightly shorter, broader, dorsoventral curvature more even, less abruptly curved ventrad.

Remarks.

This species is quite variable in many external characters, and hard to characterize. But most individuals can be recognized by the shallow depression behind the anterior portion of the submarginal pronotal stria (Fig. 59A), in addition to the marginal stria of the pronotum descending to the hypomeron very close to the anterior corners, much further forward than in Operclipygus hamistrius . The lateral submarginal pronotal stria also runs very close to the margin in the anterior half, and it is generally continuous with the anterior submarginal stria (not broken and recurved posterad). The type series is limited to those specimens from Monte Verde, Costa Rica, although specimens from other localities agree well in most diagnosticcharacters.

Etymology.

This species is named for its rufescent coloration, which it shares with many species in the Operclipygus hamistrius group.