Pocadius centralis Cline, 2008

Cline, Andrew R., 2008, Revision of the sap beetle genus Pocadius Erichson, 1843 (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Nitidulinae, Zootaxa 1799 (1), pp. 1-120 : 44-46

Pocadius centralis Cline new species

(Figs. 9, 50, 92, 135, 178, 218, 252)

Specimens examined. HOLOTYPE ♂ ( CMN): HONDURAS: Cortés; 25km N Cofradia, P.N.; Cosuco , 15.IX.–7.X.1994; S.&J. Peck, cloud forest; flight inter. Trap, 94-62 / HOLOTYPE; Pocadius ; centralis; A. R. Cline des. 2004. 1 ♂ PARATYPE ( ARCC): MEX.: SLP, 1700m; 40km W. Xilitla; 12. VI –6. VIII.83; S&J Peck, FIT; pine-oak forest / PARATYPE; Pocadius ; centralis; A. R. Cline des. 2004. 1 ♀ PARATYPE ( CMN): GUAT.: Zacapa ; 3.5km SE LaUnion; 1500m, 25–27.VI.1993; J. Ashe & R. Brooks; cloud forest, FIT / PARATYPE; Pocadius ; centralis; A. R. Cline des. 2004. 1 ♀ PARATYPE ( ARCC): HONDURAS : Ocotepeque; 24km E Ocotepeque ; El Güisayote, 14–16. VI .1994; 2170m, 14°25’N, 89°04’W; J. Ashe, R . Brooks #117; ex. flight intercept traps / PARATYPE; Pocadius ; centralis; A. R. Cline des. 2004 .

Diagnosis. Similar in color to P. maquipucunensis , however, differs from it and others by: antennal club symmetrical with terminal antennomere not enlarged; terminal antennomere with circular depressed region

medially near base; metaventrite deeply densely punctate with greatly enlarged punctures; pronotum densely deeply punctate; protibia with distinct outer apical tooth and shallow apical notch; pubescence fine and light colored; abdominal process broad; males with pygidial apex concave; tegmen with inner row of setae complete and laterally with elongate setae; median lobe elongate oval; internal sac sclerites with a basal piece having long curved lateral arms; ovipositor with deep intragonocoxal invagination

Description. Length 3.45mm, Width 2.25mm, Depth 1.2mm. Body moderately convex, surface, dark brown/black with legs and antennal club lighter. Pronotal and elytral fimbriae long; elytral fimbriae longer than pronotal fimbriae. Pubescence fine and light gold/grey in color.

Head surface deeply, irregularly punctate, punctures larger on vertex, becoming smaller towards orbits, occiput and fronotclypeal region. Large punctures 4X diameter of eye facet, small punctures 2X diameter; interspaces smooth. Pronotal surface with large punctures equal to large punctures on head, interspersed with few small punctures similar to smaller ones on head; interspaces smooth, large punctures 0.75–1 diameter apart. Scutellar surface with few vague shallowly impressed punctures, 0.5 diameter of small head punctures, interspaces smooth to finely alutaceous. Elytral surface with serial small punctures equal to smaller ones on pronotum, large serial punctures 1.25–1.5X diameter small ones. Both small and large punctures giving rise to elongate decumbent setae; interspaces moderately broad between punctures of a given row and between different rows. Within a row, small punctures separated by 1.5 diameter, large punctures by 1 diameter. Rows separated by 1 large puncture diameter; interspaces variable from smooth to finely alutaceous in sculpture. Pygidium densely punctate, punctures equal to larger ones on pronotum, interspaces 0.33–0.5 diameter apart, smooth to finely alutaceous.

Venter with similar pubescence as dorsum. Mentum with few shallow punctures, equal to smaller ones on head; interspaces smooth to finely microreticulate. Prosternum and epimeron deeply irregularly punctate, punctures subequal to larger ones on pronotum; interspaces alutaceous with microreticulate areas, prosternal punctures separated by 0.5 diameter, those on epimeron by 0.33–0.5 diameter. Mesoventrite with moderately impressed punctures, subequal to those on prosternum, interspaces alutaceous to finely microreticulate, separated by 0.5 diameter. Metaventrite deeply densely irregularly punctate, punctures on disc similar to larger ones on pronotum, interspaces smooth to finely alutaceous on disc becoming alutaceous and microreticulate laterally, disc punctures separated by 0.5–1 diameter. Abdominal sternite 1 with punctures equal to large punctures on elytra, interspaces alutaceous, separated by 1 diameter with few on abdominal process. Hypopygidium with deep punctures, similar to those on sternites 2–4, interspaces alutaceous to granular, punctures separated by 0.5 diameter.

Head slightly wider than long (W:L = 1.3:1). Antennal club compact, oval, symmetrical with terminal antennomere subequal to 9–10 combined. Antennomeres 4–8 compact, 7–8 disc-like, 4–6 trapezoidal. Antennal scape asymmetrical, hemispherical, 2X length of pedicel. Pedicel subcylindrical. Antennal segment 3 equal to pedicel. Antennal club large, 0.7 length of segments 1–8 combined. Mentum with anterior angles faint but present, anterior margin obsoletely angulate, entire structure pentagonal, convex in lateral view.

Pronotum transverse, widest in posterior 0.33 (L:W = 1:2.0), anterior margin broadly deeply trapezoidal, lateral margins less arcuate posteriorly. Scutellum large, obtusely triangular, apex rounded. Prosternal process in lateral view with anterior and posterior ends prominent with modest medial convexity; posterior end somewhat prolonged; posterior face short and slightly oblique. Mesoventrite extending to midway between mesocoxae, evenly concave for reception of metaventrite. Metaventrite wider than long (W:L = 2.8:1). Metepisternum with slight medial constriction, oblique line dividing anterior 0.15. First abdominal sternite with broad process between metacoxae. First sternite 2X longer than sternite 2. Sternites 2–3 subequal, 4 slightly larger than 1 or 2. Hypopygidium subequal to sternite 1.

Protibia with apical tooth moderately prominent, slightly longer than tarsomere 1. Outer apical notch with 100° angle, notch depth shallow, subequal to tarsomere 1. Inner apical spine subequal to tarsomere 1. Mesotibia more heavily armed than protibia with dense stiff setae and slender spines along lateral edge. Outer apical process moderately robust, slightly larger than protibial process. Inner apical spine equal to tarsomere 1 and part of 2 combined. Metatibia similar to mesotibia.

Male genitalia well-sclerotized. Anal sclerite apex with elongate moderately dense fimbria (Fig. 9). Spiculum gastrale with wide lateral flanges apically oriented, medial margins concave, elongate stiff setae originating from apex (Fig. 50). Tegmen narrowly rounded (Fig. 92), much longer than wide (w:l = 1:3), lateral row of setae visible from median fossa to prior to apex, inner row of setae complete, elongate oval concavity in apical 0.33. Median lobe large and oval, 0.75 length of tegmen, apex acuminate, apical opening well-developed (Fig. 135). Ejaculatory rods not fused to basal piece or each other, distinctly curved outward apically. Basal piece of rods with one fused piece with long basally projecting lateral arms and centrally with short medio-basal bilobed projection (Fig. 178).

Female genitalia moderately sclerotized. Paraprocts large with sclerotization along median line to apicolateral angles. Gonocoxite with one broad lateral prominence. Gonocoxal apices with recurved “tooth” present. Two elongate setae originate from small depressions on gonocoxal apices. Intragonocoxal invagination deep, 0.75 length of gonocoxite (Fig. 218).

Variation. None observed.

Seasonality/Habitat. Known from June-October in mid to high elevation forest.

Distribution. Extends from southern Mexico to Honduras.

Notes. No fungal host records exist.

Etymology. Specific epithet is a derivative of the generalized locality, i.e. Central America.