Araucariocladus hiems Silveira & Mermudes

Silveira, Luiz Felipe Lima Da & Mermudes, José Ricardo Miras, 2017, A new tropical montane firefly genus and species, active during winter and endemic to the southeastern Atlantic Rainforest (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), Zootaxa 4221 (2), pp. 205-214 : 209-212

Araucariocladus hiems Silveira & Mermudes sp. nov.

Etymology. hiems is a latin word for winter. The specific epithet refers to the remarkable fact that the species occurs during the subtropical winter of Southeastern Atlantic Rainforest. Name in apposition.

Type material. Holotype: male, BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro, Teresópolis, Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos , VI/2013, S 22° 27’ 34.6”, W 43° 0 1 40.2”, 1824m, R. Monteiro col. ( DZRJ) . Two paratypes: BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro, Teresópolis, Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos , VI/2013, S 22° 27’ 34.6”, W 43° 0 1 40.2”, 1824m, R. Monteiro col., 1 male (dissected), ( DZRJ) ; idem, VI/2014, 1 male (MNRJ).

Male description. Color Pattern ( Fig. 1–2 ): Dark-brown, except by black elytral disc and pale yellow pronotal anterior and lateral margins, and elytral margins up to apical 4/5.

Morphology. Head. Densely bristled all over, turned anteriad. Eye ( Figs. 3–6 ) as wide as 1/4 head width in dorsal view; almost as wide in dorsal as in ventral view; internal margin subparallel-sided up to middle, then divergent posteriad both in dorsal and ventral view. Antennal sockets ( Fig. 6 ) separated by 1/2 labral width; almost 1/3 higher than wide. Labrum with anterior margin rounded, anterior half feebly sclerotized. Maxillary palpomere IV>III>II=I. Labial palpomere III>II>I.

Thorax. Pronotum ( Figs.14–17 ) with punctures separated by less than puncture diameter, more confluent at the disc. Hypomera ( Fig. 18 ) 2.4x longer than high, with sparse, deep bristled punctures. Prosternal process wide ( Figs.19–20 ), posterior margin 1/5 prosternal width, anterior margin slightly indented medially and entirely bristled. Mesoscutellum ( Fig. 21 ) bristled, deeply punctured, punctures bristled.

Abdomen. Sternum VIII ( Fig. 30 ) strongly emarginate. Pygidium (T8) ( Fig. 30 ) almost as long as wide, bisinuose, lateral margins straight, posterior angles well-developed and acute, as long as posterior margin, posterior margin rounded. Aedeagus ( Fig. 31–33 ) with apical half weakly-sclerotized.

Biology. Three individuals of Araucariocladus hiems were sampled in the high montane forests of the Serra dos Órgaos mountain range, at 1825 m. Two individuals were collected in June/2013, and one in June/2014, with daily average temperature record 11°C, minimum average 8°C, maximum average 14°C.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Araucariocladus hiems sp. nov.: 1, male dorsal habitus; 2, ventral. Scale bar: 2.0 mm (1 – 2).

FIGURES 3 – 13 Araucariocladus hiems sp. nov.: 4 – 7, male head overview, 3, dorsal; 4, ventral; 5, lateral; 6, frontal; 7, posterior; 8 – 9, mandible; 10, antenna; 11 – 13, frontal tentoria, detail, 11, frontal; 12, lateral; 13, dorsal. Scale bar: 0.5 mm (3 – 9), 2.0 mm (10), 0.5 mm (11 – 13).

FIGURES 14 – 20 Araucariocladus hiems sp. nov., prothorax: 14, pronotum dorsal; 15, ventral; 16, frontal; 17, posterior; 18, lateral; 19, prosternum dorsal, 20, ventral. Scale bar: 0.5 mm (14 – 20).

FIGURES 21 – 26 Araucariocladus hiems sp. nov., pterothorax and associated structures: 21, dorsal; 22, ventral; 23, lateral; 24, elytron ventral; 25, left wing; 26 pro, meso and metalegs (top-down). Scale bar: 1.0 mm (21 – 23), 2.0 mm (24 – 26).

FIGURES 27 – 33 Araucariocladus hiems sp. nov., male abdomen: 27, terga I – VI dorsal; 28, syntergite, dorsal; 29, sternum IX, ventral; 30, sternum VIII and pygidium, ventral; 31 – 33 aedeagus, 31, dorsal, 32, lateral, 33, ventral. Scale bar: 1.0 mm (27), 0.5 mm (28 – 30), 0.2 mm (31 – 33).