Eleodes arcuatus Casey, 1884

Triplehorn, Charles A. & Thomas, Donald B., 2015, A Revision of Eleodes Subgenus Litheleodes Blaisdell (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 14) 69, pp. 11-21 : 13-14

Eleodes arcuatus Casey, 1884

( Figs. 6–7 , Map 1 )

Eleodes arcuata Casey 1884: 47 .

Eleodes (Litheleodes) arcuata: Blaisdell 1909: 116 , fig. 25, fig. 19.

Eleodes sonorae Champion 1884: 85 , tab. IV, fig. 13, 1892: 516.

Diagnosis. Body robust, ovate; surface smooth, very finely sculptured, without muricate punctures. Elytral punctures arranged in widely spaced rows, with rows of smaller punctures between them; sometimes serial arrangement lost and punctation irregular throughout. Pronotum quadrate; widest at the middle, converging toward base and cervix. Posterior prosternal process acute and subhorizontal, mesosternum concave for its reception. Anterior femora mutic in both sexes, but notably arcuate subapically in male. Both genders with pencil of dark setae at apex of probasitarsomere but at times inconspicuous in males. Female genitalia illustrated in Blaisdell (1909).

Measurements. Males: length 12–14 mm; width 5.0– 5.5 mm. Females: 13.7–16.2 mm; width 6.5–7.4 mm.

Types. Eleodes arcuata Casey (USNM type No. 46742). There are two females labeled “Ariz.” with Casey’ s type label. Triplehorn (2010) designated one as lectotype. Casey had two males and another female with identical labels as the type. The holotype of Eleodes sonorae Champion is a unique male in type box (BMNH) labeled: N. Sonora, Mexico. The specimen is figured in Champion (1884).

Material Examined. 155 specimens from the following localities: USA: Arizona: Chiricahua Mts. ; 33 mi. E Douglas; Huachuca Mts. ; Portal ; Kitt Peak ; 11 mi. SE Globe; Palmerlee ; Patagonia Mtns.; Peloncillo Mtns.; Pena Blanca (Santa Cruz Co.); Prescott; Pinaleno Mtns.; Santa Catalina Mtns ; Santa Rita Mtns; Sierra Ancha Mtns.; Dragoon Mtns.; Wet Canyon ( Graham Co. ); Pinal Mtn ( Gila Co. ). New Mexico: Animas Mtns.; Silver City; Skeleton Canyon (Hidalgo Co.). Texas: Davis Mtns. MEXICO: Chihuahua: 30 mi. W Balleza; Santa Barbara; Buenaventura; Camargo; 6 mi. S Casas Grandes; Catarinas; Huejotitlan; La Campana; 12 mi. W Las Vares; 10 km N Madera; 15 mi. S Matamoros; Nemiquipa; Salaices. Coahuila: Chapinque Mesa; 20 km S of Saltillo. Sonora: Cananea; 19 km SE Huachinera; Sierra Manzanal; Sierra del Tigre; Yecora .

Distribution. This species is common in southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, west Texas, and the adjacent Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Sonora ( Map 1 ).

Remarks. Eleodes sonorae appears as a synonym of E. arcuatus in Gebien’ s catalog (1938). Both the Casey and Champion descriptions were dated 1884. However, whereas the Casey name was published in August, Champion’ s name was in December, thus establishing priority for E. arcuatus ( Triplehorn 2010) . Little is known of the biology; Doyen and Tschinkel (1974) reported that it shelters under dead wood.

Figures

Figs. 5–10. Litheleodes species, dorsal habitus. 5) E. asperus ♀; 6) E. arcuatus ♂; 7) E. arcuatus ♀; 8) E. corvinus

Maps 1–5. Distributional records for Eleodes species. 1) E. arcuatus; 2) E. asperus and E. granulatus; 3) E. corvinus, E. hirtipennis, and E. subtuberculatus; 4) E. extricatus; 5) E. letcheri and E. papillosus.