Austrelmis catamarcensis, Manzo, Veronica & Archangelsky, Miguel, 2015

Manzo, Veronica & Archangelsky, Miguel, 2015, Austrelmis Brown (Coleoptera: Byrrhoidea: Elmidae) from Argentina: five new species, Zootaxa 4058 (3), pp. 403-416 : 406-408

Austrelmis catamarcensis sp. nov.

( Figs 1 b; 3 a–c)

Diagnosis. This new species may be distinguished from all the other known Austrelmis species by the following combination of characters: 1) pronotum with sublateral carinae present on apical 1/3; 2) prosternum with lateral carinae on basal 2/3; 3) metaventrite and disc of ventrite I without lateral carinae; 4) elytral carinae absent; 5) aedeagus long; penis elongate, constricted on basal third; fibula and corona absent; basolateral apophyses long; parameres shorter than penis; phallobase longer than penis, closed.

Description. Holotype: male. Body elongated, sides subparallel, moderately convex. Length: 3.40 mm; greatest width: 1.30 mm (posterior third of elytra).

Color: pronotum and scutellum dark brown; elytra reddish brown; antennae, mouthparts, ventral body and legs reddish dark.

Plastron: covering sides of prosternum, meso- and metaventrite, inner face of coxae, femora, epipleura and sides of all ventrites.

Head: retractable, surface microreticulated, punctured with sparse golden setae; punctures as large as facets of eyes, separated by 2 times their diameter. Fronto-clypeal suture straight and deep; clypeus broad, surface with punctures like those on head. Labrum subquadrangular, surface smooth without punctures, with sparse golden setae, anterolateral margins with numerous golden setae. Antennae with 11 antennomeres, apical segment longest.

Thorax. Pronotum: almost as long as wide (length: 0.90mm; width: 0.91 mm) ( Fig. 1 b). Anterior margin almost straight; lateral margins subparallel, anterolateral angles acute, posterolateral angles blunt; base trisinuate. Disc convex with weak and oblique impression on basal sides; surface punctured, punctures as wide as facets of eyes separated by 1–2 times their diameter. Surface between punctures shiny and smooth, with sparse golden setae. Sublateral carinae present only on apical 1/3; moderately arcuate outwards. Surface between sublateral carinae and lateral margins densely punctured, punctures smallest than those on disc, separated by 2–3 times their diameter.

Hypomeron: surface microreticulated and rugose. Prosternum more than twice the diameter of procoxa; with lateral carinae extending on basal 2/3; prosternal process almost as wide as long, subquadrate; apex straight. Mesoventrite with groove for reception of prosternal process. Metaventrite with smooth surface and deep punctures, punctures larger than facet of eyes, separated by 1–2 times their diameter and with short golden setae; without sublateral carinae; with complete median longitudinal line; posterior third of disc with a depression in middle.

Legs: elongate. Tibiae with two apical cleaning fringes; pro- and metatibiae with lateral and lateroventral cleaning fringes on apical 2/3 and 1/3 respectively; mesotibia with lateral and anteroventral cleaning fringes on apical 2/3. Length: forelegs 1.98 mm, middle legs 2.25 mm, hind legs 2.40 mm. Tarsi 5-segmented, tarsomeres with golden setae, fifth tarsomere longest; tarsal claws long and slender; not modified.

Elytra: more than twice as long as pronotum (length: 2.40 mm; greatest width: 1.30 mm); ten punctuate striae formed by punctures larger than facet of eyes, separated by one time their diameter; intervals flat, surface microreticulated, with short golden setae; without carinae; elytral apex moderately protruded. Scutellum subtriangular, longer than wide, surface microreticulated.

Abdomen: ventrites convex; surface deeply punctured, punctures larger than facet of eyes, separated by 1–2 times their diameter and with short golden setae; surface smooth; disc of ventrite I without carinae; ventrite V with lateral margin produced as a tooth; apex rounded, margin with densely distributed golden setae.

Male genitalia: aedeagus ( Figs 3 a–b) long and moderately broad. Penis elongate, apex rounded; constricted at basal third; fibula and corona absent; ventral sac well developed; basolateral apophyses slender and long. Parameres subtriangular, shorter than penis. Phallobase asymmetrical, longer than penis, closed.

Female: externally similar to male except for surface of metaventrite and ventrite I with small punctures, separated by 2–3 times their diameter.

Female genitalia: as in Fig. 3 c.

Type series. Holotype (dissected and illustrated): Male. Argentina: Catamarca Province: 4.5 km before Las Peladas, near Paso San Francisco (Pozón), 27°02’00 S 68°04’ 11W, 3925 m, 24-II-2001, M. Archangelsky col. Paratypes: 6 females and 8 males same data as holotype.

Etymology. Named catamarcensis for the province (Catamarca) where the type specimens were collected.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pronota of Austrelmis species: a) A. argentinensis sp. nov.; b) A. catamarcensis sp. nov.; c) A. tafi sp. nov.; d) A. talampayensis sp. nov.; e) A. robustus sp. nov. Scale bars 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 3. Austrelmis catamarcensis sp. nov. (holotype): a) male genitalia, dorsal view; b) male genitalia, lateral view; c) female genitalia, ventral view. Scale bars 0.2 mm.