Venezolanoconnus sreeae, Jałoszyński, 2017

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2017, Discovery of Venezolanoconnus in Costa Rica (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4303 (2), pp. 293-296 : 294-295

Venezolanoconnus sreeae sp. n. ( Figs 1–6 )

Material studied. Holotype: male ( COSTA RICA, SAN JOSE PROVINCE): two labels: "AS-CR12-8e / COSTA RICA: prov. San Jose: / Cerro de la Muerte / N9°34.096' W83°45.287' h 3350m / subalp. rain paramo, sifting leaf litter / 5.VI.2012 leg. Solodovnikov, Brunke, / Puliafico & Selvantharan, ZMUC " [white, printed], " VENEZOLANOCONNUS / sreeae m. / P. JAŁOSZYŃSKI, 2017 / HOLOTYPUS " [red, printed] ( ZMUC) . Paratype: 1 ♂, two labels: " COSTA RICA Divisoria de aguas, / Camino a Valle del Silencio , / PILA, 2545m, 9.091788, -82.977760, / 28 junio al 5 de julio 2012, / Col: Cviquez. Mantillo. Lote#104821" [white, printed], and a standard yellow paratype label (cPJ).

Diagnosis. Male: Antennomeres II–VI elongate; humeral line very short, only about 0.2 ×EL; head broad in relation to pronotum and elytra (i.e., PW/HW 1.30–1.33 and EW/HW 2.20–2.38); aedeagus with broadly rounded apical region, subapical C-shaped flagellum, subapical plate with three subtriangular projections, and each paramere with a group of long subapical setae in addition to several very short ones.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 1 ) elongate but not slender, strongly convex, with short and robust appendages, BL 1.65–1.80 mm; cuticle glossy, pigmentation uniformly light brown, vestiture of setae yellowish.

Head short, broadest at eyes, HL 0.28–0.30 mm, HW 0.33–0.38 mm; tempora in dorsal view distinctly longer than eyes and strongly convergent posteriorly, weakly rounded; vertex and frons confluent and weakly convex; supraantennal tubercles small and feebly elevated. Eyes large, bean-shaped, strongly emarginate posteriorly, distinctly projecting laterally from the head silhouette and coarsely faceted. Punctures on vertex and frons fine and superficial, barely discernible; setae short and dense, suberect to erect. Antennae slender, weakly thickened distally, AnL 0.80–0.88 mm; scape strongly elongate, nearly 2.5 × as long as broad, pedicel 1.8 × as long as broad, antennomeres III–V each distinctly elongate, 1.5–1.6 × as long as broad, VI 1.2 × as long as broad, VII and VIII about as long as broad, IX and X indistinctly transverse, XI much shorter than IX and X combined, about twice as long as broad, with blunt apex.

Pronotum rounded, broadest behind middle, PL 0.38–0.45 mm, PW 0.43–0.50 mm; with one submedian pair of small and shallow antebasal pits, covered with barely discernible, fine and shallow punctures and dense, suberect setae.

Elytra oval, as convex as pronotum, broadest slightly in front of middle, EL 1.00– 1.05 mm, EW 0.78–0.83 mm, EI 1.27–1.29; humeral calli absent, humeral region demarcated by elongate elevation with distinct subhumeral line extending along its mesal margin and only 0.17–0.19 times as long as elytra; punctures denser than those on pronotal disc but similarly fine and shallow; setae dense, suberect.

Legs moderately long and slender, unmodified.

Aedeagus ( Figs 3–6 ) small, AeL 0.23–0.25 mm; stout, in ventral view suboval with demarcated and broadly rounded apical region; endophallic structures strongly asymmetrical, with distinct C-shaped flagellum looped in its proximal region, additionally endophallus with broad elongate plate bearing three subtriangular projections in its distal region; parameres very broad, with truncated apices, each paramere with a group of four long subapical setae and additionally with several very short, sparse setae distributed more proximally; basal orifice with distinct collar.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution ( Fig. 2 ). Central part of Costa Rica.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to Sree Gayathree Selvantharan, a one woman army, who not only curates the ZMUC beetle collection, handles loans, provides administrative support to visitors (as myself), but also actively participates in expeditions to remote areas and has contributed to the discovery of this interesting Venezolanoconnus in Costa Rica.

Remarks. Venezolanoconnus sreeae differs from V. andinus Franz, 1988 in a distinctly larger body (1.65–1.80 mm vs. 1.58 mm) and a higher elytral index (1.27–1.29 vs. 1.19), shorter antennae in relation to the body length (BL/AnL 2.06 vs. 2.51), and the aedeagus with a group of long setae near each parameral apex, whereas in V. andinus in the subapical region of each paramere there are only sparse and uniformly very short setae. Venezolanoconnus sreeae differs from V. caracasensis Franz, 1988 (represented only by a holotype female) in a distinctly less transverse pronotum (PW/ PL 1.11–1.13 vs. 1.32), antennomeres II–VI elongate (vs. strongly transverse), the humeral line only as long as 0.18–0.19 EL (0.3 in V. caracasensis ), and the head broader in relation to the pronotum and elytra (PW/HW 1.31–1.33 and EW/HW 2.20–2.40, vs. 1.51 and 2.60, respectively, in V. caracasensis ). Venezolanoconnus sreeae differs from V. ranchoi Franz, 1988 in a much larger body (BL 1.65–1.80 mm vs. 1.48 mm), the head broader in relation to the pronotum and elytra (PW/HW 1.31–1.33 and EW/HW 2.20–2.40, vs. 1.6 and 2.68, respectively, in V. ranchoi ), and different structures of the aedeagus, which in V. ranchoi has a slender subtriangular apex (vs. broadly rounded in V. sreeae ).

Venezolanoconnus was previously known from Venezuela only; the discovery of V. sreeae extends the known genus range nearly 1400 km westward, to Costa Rica ( Fig. 2 ). A female representing an undescribed species was also seen from Panama ( Fig. 2 ), and it can be presumed that Venezolanoconnus is more broadly distributed, especially within the extreme north part of the Andes.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Fenezolanoconnus sreeae sp. n., male holotype in dorsal view (1), and distribution of known Fenezolanoconnus species (2; open circles represent nominal species; black circle represents an undescribed species).

FIGURES 3 – 6. Fenezolanoconnus sreeae sp. n., aedeagus of holotype in ventral (3, 5) and lateral (4, 6) views.