Cleidella, Roza & Mermudes, 2020

Roza, André Silva & Mermudes, José Ricardo Miras, 2020, A new genus of railroad-worm beetles from the Atlantic Rainforest from Brazil (Coleoptera: Phengodidae, Mastinocerinae), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (Pap. Avulsos Zool., S. Paulo) 60 (10), pp. 1-12 : 2-8

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11606/1807-0205/2020.60.special-issue.10

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:04F6D8C6-82AE-4987-A217-02DE972CE3DB

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E37046-0B1C-FF98-FC19-F8FA221BFE6C

treatment provided by

Carolina

scientific name

Cleidella
status

gen. nov.

Cleidella gen. nov.

Type species: Cleidella picea sp. nov.

Diagnosis: Body overall small, around 4 mm long ( Figs. 1 View Figure 1 A-B); interantennal distance subequal to scape length ( Figs. 1E View Figure 1 , 2A View Figure 2 ); antenna with 11 antennomeres, IV-X with two long symmetrical branches, 2 to 8× the size of the respective antennomere ( Fig. 1D View Figure 1 ); mandibles long, projected and not crossed, pointed forward obliquely from head ( Fig. 1C View Figure 1 ); maxillary palpi 4-segmented, last segment digitiform; labial palpi 2-segmented ( Fig. 1F View Figure 1 ); posterior tentorial pit consisting of a single small fossa ( Figs. 1F View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 B-C); pronotum narrower than humeral distance ( Fig. 1A View Figure 1 ); elytron surpassing from the fourth to fifth abdominal segment, 3.3-3.9× longer than wide, slightly convergent posteriorly and slightly thickened apically ( Figs. 1A View Figure 1 , 4A View Figure 4 ); first tarsomere of protarsus with ventral comb as long as the tarsomere length ( Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ); claws simple, without any teeth ( Fig. 3A View Figure 3 ); wing with radial cell closed and transverse, vein r4 interrupted ( Fig. 4B View Figure 4 ); aedeagus with parameres symmetrical, apex unciform, toothed inward, with short and scarce bristles ( Figs. 5 View Figure 5 C-H).

Description, male: Length: 3.2-4.7 mm.

Head ( Figs. 1 View Figure 1 C-F, 2): Head wider than long, with posterior margin posteriorly convergent, usually partially covered by pronotum, slightly wider than pronotum; an-

tenna longer than elytron; 11 antennomeres, IV-X each with two long, symmetrical branches, 2 to 8× longer than antennomere ( Fig. 1D View Figure 1 ); eyes medium to large size, covering from ½ to almost totally of head length in lateral view,finely faceted, laterally projected in dorsal view ( Fig. 1E View Figure 1 ), posterior margin variable in lateral view; frons slightly convex between eyes, with a declivity between antennae until reaches labrum, interantennal space subequal to antennomere I length, clypeus fused to frons; labrum large, clearly separated from frontoclypeus, membranous, bilobate and swollen, with a pair of irregular latero-proximal slightly sclerotized pieces ( Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ), as wide as long; mandibles long and thin, projected and not crossed, pointed forward obliquely from head; maxillary palpi 4-segmented, palpomere II 2× longer than III, III as long as I, IV digitiform, 3× longer than III, coarsely punctate on anterior half, finely punctate on posterior half, cardo semitriangular, 1.5× wider than long; labial palpi 2-segmented, short, segment II 2× longer than I, not covered by mandibles, last palpomere digitiform; one gular suture, tentorial pit with single fossa ( Figs. 2 View Figure 2 B-C, 2F), apodeme indistinct.

Thorax ( Figs. 1 View Figure 1 E-F, 3-4): Pronotum trapezoidal, wider than long, anterior angles dorsally concave, lateral margins dorsally convergent from posterior to anterior angles, laterally curved down in anterior angles ( Fig. 1E View Figure 1 ); elytron surpassing the fourth abdominal segment, 3.3-4× longer than wide, wider in anterior half, slightly convergent posteriorly, subparallel, apex slightly swollen ( Figs. 1A View Figure 1 , 4A View Figure 4 ); hind wings with radial cell closed, elongat- ed and transversal, r4 interrupted both in the radial cell and RP, r3 vestigial, RP reaching half of MP1+2 length, medial field containing five main veins: MP3, MP4, CuA2 and AA3+4; AA1+2, CuA1 and CuA3+4 absent, AA well marked to vestigial and cubitoanal cell open or closed, anal lobe well developed, AP3+4 long, J absent ( Fig. 4B View Figure 4 ); legs increasing in length, first tarsomere of protarsus with ventral comb as long as the tarsomere ( Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ), first and second tarsomeres of protarsus subequal in length, third tarsomere longer, first, second and third tarsomeres of meso- and metatarsus increasing in length, fourth tarsomere of all legs with ½ of the fifth length, claws without any teeth ( Fig. 3A View Figure 3 ).

Abdomen ( Fig. 5 View Figure 5 ): Tergite IX transversal, divided in the middle, anterior margin curved inward, posterior margin nearly straight; tergite X short, conical, lateral margins

subparallel ( Fig. 5A View Figure 5 ); sternite IX short and quadrangular, curved inward in posterior margin ( Fig. 5B View Figure 5 ); aedeagus with basal piece entirely sclerotized, ribbon-like; median lobe cylindrical, strongly curved at base, rounded and constricted apically, with many tiny glandular openings; flagellum encircled around median lobe at rest; about 1.5× longer than median lobe length; parameres parallel, symmetrical, narrowing slightly after middle towards apex, which is unciform, toothed inward, with short and scarce bristles separated by a distance at least twice the setae length ( Figs. 5 View Figure 5 C-H).

Female and immature stages: Unknown.

Etymology: Singular genitive, feminine. The name is in honor of the entomologist Cleide Costa,in the commemoration of her 80th birthday. Professor Costa is a great researcher who greatly contributed to the knowledge of bioluminescent beetles, including phengodids, with a large focus on morphology and natural history.

Biology and distribution: Cleidella gen. nov. is only known from the Serra dos Órgãos, from 700 to 1,800 m of altitude, and in Ilha Grande, around 700 m of altitude, both in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. It is known to occur from spring to summer. No live specimens were observed to date, so there is no data regarding their habits.

Remarks: There are four described genera in Mastinocerinae with11 antennomeres: Euryognathus , distributed in Venezuela, Paraguay and Argentina, Euryopa , distributed from Guatemala to Argentina, Steneuryopa , known from Costa Rica, and Microphrixothrix , known from Brazil. Cleidella gen. nov. can be easily separated from Microphrixothrix by the interantennal distance subequal to scape length (bigger in Microphrixothrix ) and the first tarsomere of protarsus with a ventral comb (first and second tarsomeres of protarsus and first tarsomere of mesotarsus with a ventral comb in Microphrixothrix ). It can be separated from the other three genera by the radial cell closed (open in all others). It also differs from Euryognathus by the cylindrical flabellae from antenno-

meres IV-X (lanceolated from IV-VIII,IX-X inflate and without flabellae in Euryognathus ), mandibles without teeth (toothed in Euryognathus ), first tarsomere of protarsus with a ventral comb (first tarsomere of pro- and mesotarsus with a ventral comb in Euryognathus ) and MP3 and MP4 present (absent in Euryognathus ); from Euryopa by the cylindrical flabellae (lanceolated in Euryopa ) and first tarsomere of protarsus with a ventral comb (the first tarsomere of pro- and mesotarsus with a ventral comb in Euryopa ); and from Steneuryopa by the interantennal distance bigger than scape length (smaller in Steneuryopa ), first tarsomere of protarsus with a ventral comb (without comb in Steneuryopa ) and MP4 simple (bifurcated in Steneuryopa ).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Phengodidae

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