Pocadius nigerrimus Cline, 2008

Cline, Andrew R., 2008, Revision of the sap beetle genus Pocadius Erichson, 1843 (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Nitidulinae, Zootaxa 1799 (1), pp. 1-120 : 91-92

Pocadius nigerrimus Cline new species

(Figs. 32, 73, 116, 159, 200, 259)

Specimens examined. HOLOTYPE ♂ ( SNEC): PARAGUAY: Itapúa; Yataí, prop. Hostettler family,; San Rafael Reserve , 100m; 26°38’17”S, 55°38’50”W; 21–25 NOV 2000, Z.H. Falin; PAR1F00 040; ex. flight intercept trap / SM0257887 ; KUNHM-ENT [“bar-code” label] / HOLOTYPE; Pocadius ; nigerrimus; A. R. Cline des. 2004 .

Diagnosis. Delimited from the other Neotropical fauna by: uniformly dark reddish brown/black coloration; thickened tarsomeres; elongate pronotal and elytral fimbriae; elytral punctures with similar diameter large and small serial row punctures; elytral setae erect and semi-erect; globular antennal club with transversely expanded terminal antennomere; male pygidium deeply indentate along apical border; tegmen with incomplete sinuately organized inner row of setae; median lobe globular with narrowed apex; ejaculatory rods elongate with expanded proximal and distal regions; basal piece of internal sac sclerites with two separate lateral pieces and a central elongate piece that overlaps two lateral arms.

Description. Length 4.5mm, Width 2.7mm, Depth 1.8mm. Body moderately convex, shining, uniformly dark reddish-brown/black. Pronotum and elytra margins with elongate fimbriae. Dorsal and ventral pubescence sparsely distributed but elongate, golden.

Head surface deeply, irregularly punctate, punctures larger on vertex, becoming smaller towards orbits and fronotclypeal region. Large punctures 5–6X diameter of eye facet, small punctures 1–2X diameter; interspaces smooth to finely granular, shining. Pronotal surface with large punctures subequal to large punctures on head, interspersed with few small punctures, 0.5X large ones; interspaces alutaceous to finely microreticulate, 0.5–1 diameter apart. Scutellar surface with shallow punctures, interspaces alutaceous to finely microreticulate. Elytral surface with serial rows of small punctures equal to small ones on pronotum, large serial punctures 2–3X diameter of small ones. Smaller punctures giving rise to erect long setae, large punctures giving rise to semi-erect shorter setae; interspaces broad between punctures of a given row and between different rows. Within a row, small punctures separated by 2–3 diameters, and large punctures by 1 diameter. Large rows separated by 2 large puncture diameters; interspaces shining variable from smooth to finely microreticulate. Pygidium densely punctate, punctures equal to large ones on pronotum; interspaces narrow, 0.25–0.75 diameter, granular to microreticulate.

Venter with shorter and sparser pubescence as dorsum. Mentum with large small shallow punctures, equal to small ones on head, interspaces smooth with fine microreticulation. Prosternum and epimeron shallowly irregularly punctate, epimeron punctures equal to large punctures on head and those on prosternum equal to small punctures on head, interspaces alutaceous with microreticulate areas, prosternal punctures separated by 1–2 diameter, those on epimeron by 0.25–0.5 diameter. Mesoventrite with shallow punctures, equal to those on epimeron, interspaces alutaceous to granular, separated by 0.5–1 diameter, aggregated near metaventrite. Metaventrite irregularly punctate with minute faint punctures on disc similar to small ones on head, interspaces finely alutaceous to granular on disc becoming smoother laterally, disc punctures separated by 1–2 diameters. Abdominal sternite 1 with large faint punctures equal to large punctures on pronotum, interspaces alutaceous with microreticulation, separated by 1–2 diameters. Hypopygidium with moderately deep punctures, similar to those on sternites 2–4, interspaces alutaceous to granular, separated by 0.5–1 diameter.

Head wider than long (W:L = 1.5:1). Antennal club compact, globular, asymmetrical with last antennomere longer than previous two combined. Antennomeres 4–8 compact, 6–8 disc-like, and 4–5 cuboidal. Antennal scape asymmetrical, somewhat hemispherical, 1.6X as long as pedicel. Pedicel subcylindrical. Antennal segment 3 longer than pedicel. Antennal club moderately large, 0.65 length of segments 1–8 combined. Mentum with anterior angles obsolete, anterior margin broadly hemispherical, overall widely hemispherical, in lateral view somewhat convex.

Pronotum widest near middle (L:W = 1:1.7), anterior margin deeply broadly trapezoidal, lateral margins less arcuate posteriorly. Scutellum large, obtusely triangular, apex rounded. Prosternal process in lateral view with anterior and posterior ends prominent and slight convexity medially; posterior apical wall not prominent and with medial concavity. Mesoventrite extending to midway between mesocoxae, evenly concave for reception of metaventrite. Metaventrite wider than long (W:L = 3:1). Metepisternum with slight medial constriction, oblique line dividing anterior 0.15. First abdominal sternite with broad truncate process. First sternite 2X’s longer than second. Sternites 2–3 subequal, 4 slightly larger than 2 or 3. Hypopygidium subequal to sternite 1.

Protibia with apical tooth not prominent, subequal to tarsomere 1. Outer apical notch with 115° angle, notch depth shallow, equal to tarsomere 1. Inner apical spine subequal to tarsomere 1 and part of 2 combined. Mesotibia more heavily armed than protibia with dense stiff setae and numerous 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 heavier armature than mesotibia, inner apical spine equal to tarsomeres 1–2 and part of 3 combined.

Male genitalia well-sclerotized. Anal sclerite with apex somewhat fimbriate (Fig. 32). Spiculum gastrale with wide lateral flanges, medial margins convex proximally, numerous short stiff setae originating from apex (Fig. 73). Tegmen evenly rounded apically (Fig. 116), much longer than wide (w:l = 1:2.55), lateral row of setae visible from median fossa to prior to apex, large elliptical concavity in apical 0.33. Median lobe large and robust, 0.75 length of tegmen, apex narrowing, apical opening well-developed (Fig. 159). Ejaculatory rods not fused to basal piece or each other, straight, and expanded outward basally and apically. Basal piece of internal sac sclerites with two separate lateral pieces and large elongate central piece that overlaps two lateral ones (Fig. 200).

Variation. No variation observed.

Seasonality/Habitat. Collected in late November in a lowland tropical forest.

Distribution. Known from the type locality in southeastern Paraguay.

Notes. No host information available.

Etymology. Specific epithet derived from the Latin “niger” meaning “black” or “dark”, and “imus” meaning “ a likeness”, denoting the dark almost black habitus.