Operclipygus hintoni, 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 : 305-308

Operclipygus hintoni sp. n. Figs 80 G–H 81H, J–LMap 30

Type locality.

MEXICO: Mexico: Real de Arriba [21°2.5'N, 100°0.2'W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "Real de Arriba, Temescaltepec, Mex."/ "1934 B.M. 1959-100" / "H.E. Hinton, R.L. Usinger, Collectors" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00177" (BMNH).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.40 mm, width: 2.00 mm; body rufobrunneus, elongate oval; frons broad, depressed at middle, with sides of frontal stria weakly divergent between eyes, sinuate over antennal bases, weakly arcuate dorsad at middle; supraorbital stria concealed in type; epistoma wide, depressed, with fine lateral marginal striae, shallow ly emarginate apically; labrum about twice as wide as long, weakly emarginate apically; left mandible with blunt basal tooth, right with smaller, subacute basal tooth; pronotum lacking prescutellar impression, disk with fine but conspicuous ground punctation, lacking coarse lateral punctures; marginal pronotal stria complete along lateral and anterior edges; lateral submarginal stria complete along side, close to margin, with marginal bead narrowly elevated, pronotal disk depressed along inner edge, especially toward front, curved posteromediad at anterior pronotal angle, not meeting anterior submarginal stria, which is fine, faintly recurved posterad at sides; median pronotal gland openings located behind ends of anterior submarginal stria, about one-third pronotal length behind anterior margin; elytron with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria complete, forming weak but distinct lateral elytral margin, inner subhumeral stria absent, dorsal striae 1-5 complete, carinate along their outer edges, 2-5 with basal ends curving inward along basal margin, sutural stria obsolete in basal fourth; elytral disk with series of apical marginal punctures; prosternal keel weakly produced at base, carinal striae complete, divergent, separate at base, close and parallel in anterior two-thirds, connected apically; prosternal lobe bluntly rounded apically, marginal stria very fine, obsolete at sides; mesoventrite wide, apical margin shallowly emarginate, marginal stria fine, narrowly interrupted at middle; mesometaventral stria present as a broad, more or less transverse arch between mesocoxae, mesometaventral suture depressed near coxa; metaventral stria present from mesocoxal depression posterolaterad toward metepisternum, continuous with short recurrent stria along metaventral-metepisternal suture; 1st abdominal ventrite with two complete lateral striae; all tibiae weakly expanded, submarginal ridge of the meso- and metatibiae forming a nearly continuous carina parallel to margin; ground punctation of propygidium and pygidium very fine, inconspicuous, propygidium with very faint, shallow, though moderately wide, secondary punctures, pygidium lacking secondary punctures; marginal pygidial sulcus absent. Male genitalia (Fig. 81H, J–L) very similar to that of Operclipygus marginellus , differing mainly as follows: T8 broader and longer, with sides weakly convergent in basal two-thirds; S8 with sides weakly convergent to apex, apical guides narrower, abruptly widened near apex; S9 broader in basal two-thirds; tegmen widest near midpoint, not as strongly narrowed to apex, rather strongly and abruptly curved ventrad in apical third.

Remarks.

This species is quite isolated, and lacking a pygidial sulcus, was not immediately recognized as an Operclipygus . However, several other external and genitalic characters support its position here. Among Mexican Exosternini it is unmistakeable in its combination of subcarinate outer subhumeral and dorsal elytral striae (Fig. 80G), its fine lateral epistomal striae, and the unusual form of the mesometaventral stria (Fig. 80H) and associated lateral mesoventral depressions.

Etymology.

This species’ name honors Howard E. Hinton (1912-1977), recognizing his collection of the type specimen, as well as his many contributions to our knowledge of Neotropical Exosternini .