Pocadius fumatus Jelínek, 1977

Cline, Andrew R., 2008, Revision of the sap beetle genus Pocadius Erichson, 1843 (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Nitidulinae, Zootaxa 1799 (1), pp. 1-120 : 68-70

Pocadius fumatus Jelínek, 1977

(Figs. 21, 62, 105, 148, 190, 228)

Specimens examined. 1 PARATYPE ( NMPC): Brazil, Sao Paulo; J. Mráz lgt. Additionally, 6 specimens ( CMN): ARG: Salta Prov. ; 45km W Salta, 1950m; 1-29-XII-87, El Alisal; S&J Peck, moist ravine; thicket, malaise-FIT .

Diagnosis. Jelínek (1977) suggested P. fumatus was related to P. dimidiatus , but this is not supported in a current phylogenetic reconstruction (Cline in prep.) wherein P. fumatus is closely related to P. ashei and P. wappesi from Bolivia. The species is delimited from other Pocadius by: surface of head smooth and shining with no rugose or microreticulate regions; overall large body size; terminal antennomere less broadly hemispherical and with distinct depressed area; protibial outer apical tooth only somewhat anteapical with short small outer apical notch; serial row of large punctures on elytra widely separated; tegmen robust with complete inner row of setae and elongate apical furrow; spiculum gastrale broadly flanged with elongate apical setae; ejaculatory rods fused basally; basal piece separated into two large sickle-shaped pieces; ovipositor with short baculi on gonocoxae and two long and two short apical setae.

Redescription. Length 4.7 mm, Width 2.8mm, Depth 1.2mm. Body somewhat convex, surface shining, tan-brown to dark brown with posterior 0.66–0.75 of elytral dark brown, and sometimes with pronotal disc darker. Pronotum and elytra margins with long fimbriae. Dorsal and ventral pubescence moderately long golden.

Head surface deeply, densely, irregularly punctate, punctures larger on vertex, becoming smaller towards orbits and fronotclypeal region, some small punctures interspersed with large ones on vertex. Large punctures 5–6X diameter of eye facet, smaller punctures 2–3X diameter; interspaces smooth and shining, 0.5 diameter apart. Pronotal surface with large punctures 1.5X large puncture on head, interspersed with few small punctures, subequal to large ones on head; interspaces smooth to finely alutaceous, 0.25–0.5 diameter apart. Scutellar surface evenly punctate with moderately impressed punctures equal to large punctures on pronotum, interspaces smooth to alutaceous. Elytral surface with serial rows of small punctures equal to small ones on pronotum, serial large punctures larger than large punctures on pronotum. Smaller punctures giving rise to semi-erect to erect moderately long setae, larger punctures giving rise to shorter decumbent setae; interspaces narrow between punctures of a row and wide between different rows. Within a row, small punctures separated by 1 diameter, and large punctures by 0.33 diameter. Large puncture rows separated by 2 diameters; interspaces shining but variable from smooth to finely alutaceous. Pygidium densely punctate, punctures equal to small ones on elytra, interspaces narrow, 0.33–0.5 diameter, smooth to finely microreticulate.

Venter with similar moderately long golden pubescence as dorsum. Mentum with few shallow punctures, equal to small ones on head; interspaces smooth to finely microreticulate. Prosternum and epimeron shallowly irregularly punctate, punctures larger than those on mentum, interspaces smooth to alutaceous with some microreticulate areas, prosternal punctures separated by 0.25–0.5 diameter, those on epimeron by 0.5–0.75 diameter. Mesoventrite with shallow punctures aggregated along meso- metasternal border, equal to those on prosternum, interspaces mostly alutaceous, separated by 0.5 diameter. Metaventrite irregularly punctate with moderately deep punctures on disc similar to those on mesoventrite, interspaces smooth on metasternal disc becoming microreticulate to granular laterally, separated by 1 diameter. Abdominal sternite 1 with large faint, almost obsolete punctures, subequal to those on metaventrite, interspaces mostly alutaceous with abdominal process rugose, separated by 0.5–1 diameter. Hypopygidium with moderately deep punctures, similar to those on sternites 2–4, interspaces smooth to alutaceous with microreticulate areas, separated by 0.5–1 diameter.

Head wider than long (W:L = 1.43:1). Antennal club compact, oval, broadly asymmetrical with last antennomere longer than previous two combined. Antennomeres 6–8 compact, 7–8 disc-like. Antennal scape somewhat asymmetrical, broadly hemispherical, 1.33X as long as pedicel. Pedicel subcylindrical and elongate. Antennal segment 3 equal to pedicel. Antennal club large, 0.66 length of segments 1–8 combined. Antennal grooves very deep and widely excavate, slightly converging posteriorly. Mentum with anterior angles distinct and obtuse, anterior margin angled to a central point, broadly pentagonal, flattened in lateral view.

Pronotum widest in posterior third (L:W = 1:2), anterior margin broadly shallowly concave, lateral margins less arcuate posteriorly. Scutellum large, triangular, apex narrowly rounded. Prosternal process in lateral view with anterior and posterior ends prominent with distinct medial convexity; posterior apical wall prominent and oblique (some Argentinean specimens not as dramatically oblique as illustrated in Jelínek 1977). Mesoventrite extending to midway between mesocoxae, evenly broadly concave for reception of the metaventrite. Metaventrite width to length ratio is ~2.6:1.0. Metepisternum with slight medial constriction, oblique line dividing anterior 0.15. First abdominal sternite with acuminate process between metacoxae. First sternite 2X longer than sternite 2. Sternites 2–4 subequal. Hypopygidium subequal to abdominal sternite 1.

Protibia with apical tooth prominent, subequal to tarsomeres 1–2 combined. Outer apical notch absent. Inner apical spine subequal to tarsomeres 1 and most of 2 combined. Mesotibia more heavily armed than protibia with dense stiff setae and row of slender spines along lateral edge. Outer apical process elongate and robust, larger than protibial process. Inner apical spine equal to tarsomeres 1–2 combined. Metatibia with armature similar to mesotibia with setae and spines longer.

Male genitalia well-sclerotized. Anal sclerite transverse (Fig. 21); apex somewhat fimbriate. Spiculum gastrale with wide lateral flanges, medial margins straight, moderately long stiff setae at apex (Fig. 62). Tegmen evenly rounded apically (Fig. 105), much longer than wide (w:l = 1.0:2.56), lateral row of setae visible from median fossa to prior to apex, elongate shallow concavity in apical 0.33, inner row of tegminal setae dis- tinct and reaching apex. Median lobe large and robust, 0.66 length of tegmen, apex narrowly rounded, apical opening well-developed (Fig. 148). Ejaculatory rods not fused to basal piece but fused to each other in distal 0.33, enlarged and expanded outward distally. Basal piece of rods with two separate sclerites, each sickle shaped with distal swollen region (Fig. 190).

Female genitalia moderately sclerotized. Paraprocts large with sclerotization along median line to basolateral angles. Gonocoxite with two basal lateral prominences. Gonocoxal apices without recurved “tooth”. Two long and three short setae originate from small depressions on gonocoxal apices (Fig. 228).

Variation. Dark area on elytra more clearly delimited than others.

Seasonality/Habitat. Known from December in moist-wet forested areas.

Distribution. Known from Brazil and Argentina.

Notes. No host fungal information available.