Dipropus tequesta Johnson, 2017

Mathison, Blaine A. & Johnson, Paul J., 2017, A new species of Dipropus Germar (Coleoptera: Elateridae) from Florida, with taxonomic and morphological notes and a new key to the species of the eastern United States, Insecta Mundi 2017 (566), pp. 1-7 : 2-3

Dipropus tequesta Johnson , new species

( Fig. 1–2 )

Description. Male ( Fig. 1 ): Length 8.4–10.1 mm, width 2.3–2.9 mm. Integument castaneous to rufotestaceous, venter slightly paler, antennae infuscate, legs colored as venter. Pubescence moderately sparse, pale blond.

Head with vertex and frons coarsely, umbilicately punctate; frons depressed, shallowly concave discally; frontal margin subcarinate, evenly arcuate, moderately projecting. Ocular index 55–64. Antenna of male long, midlength of antennomere 8 at apex of hind angle, apex of antennomere 10 reaching epipleural notch at body midlength; antennomere 2 short, length 0.8x width, antennomeres 3–10 moderately serrate, antennomere 2–3 and 11 length ratio 1.0:3.6, 6.0.

Pronotum width 1.1x length; trapezoidal; moderately, evenly convex; lateral margin carinate, obsolete shortly before reaching anterior pronotal margin; integument shining, punctures shallow, umbilicate, close anterolaterally, becoming simple, sparse, separated by 1.5–2.5x own diameters, small, shallow medially and distant posteriorly. Hind angles subparallel at base, incurved apically; with dorsal carina at median, extending to pronotal basal third; posterior margin with short incisions

Elytra with integument shining, finely microreticulate; stria with serial punctures rounded to slightly elongate-oval, setose; intervals shallowly convex basally, flattening apically, each with single irregular series of setose punctures; apices separately rounded, obliquely subemarginate near suture.

Mesoventral fossa broadly V-shaped; sides shallowly inclined. Mesocoxal lamina with obtuse to narrowly rounded, triangular posterior angle at basal third. Ventrites with moderately sparse, shallow, setate punctures.

Metaleg with tibia 1.1x length of femur, tarsus same length as tibia; tarsomeres 2 and 3 with broad ventroapical membranous lobes, tarsomeres 1 and 2 with moderately dense ventral brush of aureous setae; tarsomere length ratio 1.00:0.47:0.29:0.23:0.76.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 2 ) length 1.05 mm; basal piece 0.46x total length, paramere 0.48 total length, paramere apex sagittate, 0.26 paramere length; median lobe narrow, constricted, downturned and narrowly obtuse at apex.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype male, labeled: FLA, Monroe Co., Fleming Key , 6.vi.1979, John A. Acree & H.V. Weems, Jr., insect light trap ( FSCA).

Paratypes (15), same as holotype (3, FSCA) ; same, 1.vi.1979 (1, FSCA) ; same, 4.vi.1979 (3, FSCA) ; same, 8-10.vi1979 (2, FSCA) ; same, 29-30.vi-1.vii.1979 (1, FSCA); same, 23.vii.1979 (1, FSCA) ; same, 30.vii.1979 (1, FSCA) ; Florida , Dry Tortugas, Loggerhead Key, 7.vi.1962, Woodruff, Weems, black light trap (2, FSCA) .

Additional material. FLA: Monroe Co., USA, upper Key Largo , 10.v.1974, Bl, light, C. L. Smith, CLS 148// Ischiodontus sp. , det. E. C. Becker (1, UGCA) ; same, Sugar Loaf Key , 4.vi.1983, W. H. Cross // blacklight trap (2, MEM) ; FLA: Monroe Co , upper Key Largo, 6-9 June 1994, R. Androw, M. Brattain (3, BAMC) .

Etymology. The species epithet “tequesta” is treated as a noun in apposition and is in honor of the Tequesta indigenous people who once lived in southeastern Florida and the Keys, and are now apparently extinct.

Notes. Dipropus tequesta is apparently endemic to southern-most Florida, and is morphologically similar to certain undescribed Dipropus species from Cuba. It differs from other described species of Dipropus in the eastern United States by the characters used in the key below, in addition to the combination of the antennal length, antennomere length ratio, pronotal punctation, and aedeagal ( Fig. 2 ) characters as described and illustrated.

Figures

Figures 1-2. Dipropus tequesta Johnson, new species. 1) Male habitus. 2) Aedeagus, dorsal aspect.