Altovectura arizonensis Mayor and Gimmel, 2024

Mayor, Adriean J. & Gimmel, Matthew L., 2024, Two New Genera and Three New Species of Dasytinae (Coleoptera: Melyridae) from the Southwestern United States and Mesoamerica, The Coleopterists Bulletin 78 (1), pp. 33-52 : 40-42

Altovectura arizonensis Mayor and Gimmel , new species zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D93BB490-BB7C-4883-ACC8-DB586887464D ( Figs. 1–17 , 26–28 , 68 , 69 )

Diagnosis. Length (anterior margin of pronotum to tip of elytra) 2.2–2.7 mm; dorsally relatively less densely setose ( Figs. 1, 5 ); male protrochanter with a distinct spine ( Fig. 11 ), meso- and metatrochanters without spines; male protibia ( Fig. 11 ) slightly excavated apically, appearing very slightly bowed, meso- and metatibiae unmodified in both sexes; male tarsomeres 1 and 2 of all legs with a row of short pegs ventroapically ( Figs. 11, 12 ); elytral apices with rounded sutural angles in both sexes; male ventrite 5 broadly truncate, with broad, shallow median depression, and V-shaped glabrous area; male sternite VIII ( Fig. 14 ) strongly depigmented medially, apex without emargination but with a pair of widely separated, triangular, toothlike lobes; aedeagus ( Figs. 16, 17 ) with apical lobes long, gradually tapering, inner lobes with slight dorsal hook apically, basal piece of tegmen abruptly narrowed in proximal half; female ventrite 5 not emarginate, but with small, shallow, circular depression medially; female pygidium somewhat truncate, with blunt median tooth ( Fig. 26 ).

Types. Holotype ♂, deposited in BYU, labeled “ ARIZONA, Graham Co., \ Pinaleño Mountains, \ Rt. 366 at Rt. 819, near \ Twilight Campground , \ 16-VII-2012, S. M. Clark [white printed label] // 32°37.8′N, \ 109°49.3′W, \ elev. 7600 ft. [white printed label] // HOLOTYPE ♂ \ Altovectura \ arizonensis \ Mayor & Gimmel [red printed label]” . Paratypes, 31 specimens listed in the Type Specimens Examined section, with the additional label “ PARATYPE \ Altovectura \ arizonensis \ Mayor & Gimmel [yellow printed label]” .

The holotype has the terminalia dissected and mounted on a transparent card in DMHF (dimeth- ylhydantoin formaldehyde) below the specimen; the abdominal ventrites are glued to the point to the right of the specimen.

Description. Length: male 2.3 mm (2.2–2.4 mm, n = 5); female 2.6 mm (2.4–2.7 mm, n = 5); width: male 0.95 mm (0.87–1.05 mm, n = 5), female 1.15 mm (1.08–1.25 mm, n = 5). Color of cuticle predominantly dark, gray-black, except paler on antenna, palps, labrum (often), trochanters, base of femur (rarely), pro- and sometimes meso- and metatibiae, and tarsi ( Figs. 1–8 ). Setation uniformly whitish to somewhat golden, conspicuous, not obscuring cuticle color. Head: Head short, broad, nearly as wide as maximum width of pronotum in male ( Fig. 9 ), distinctly less than maximum width of pronotum in female ( Fig. 10 ); head 1.47 (1.44– 1.50, n = 5) times wider than interocular distance in male ( Fig. 4 ), 1.37 (1.34–1.39, n = 5) in female ( Fig. 8 ). Thorax: Pronotum ( Figs. 9, 10 ) wider than long, 0.79 (0.76–0.81, n = 10) times as long as wide; lateral edges with slight sinuation just posterior to front angle, and just anterior to hind angle; groove medially delimiting lateral rugose area more distinct in basal half, continuing but fading anteriorly before anterior margin of pronotum. Elytron 3.51 (3.21– 3.78, n = 10) times as long as wide ( Figs. 1, 5 ); sutural angle broadly rounded, obtuse. Legs: Male protrochanter ( Fig. 11 ) with distinct spine, meso- and metatrochanters without spine; male hind femur distinctly enlarged, female hind femur not distinctly so. Male protibia ( Fig. 11 ) with inner surface slightly excavated in apical fourth, causing protibia to appear very slightly inwardly curved; meso- and metatibiae unmodified; male protarsomere 1 ( Figs. 11, 12 ) about as long as 2 and 3 combined, female protarsomere 1 shorter than 2 and 3 combined; protarsomeres 3 and 4 very short in both sexes, compressed, protarsomere 5 about as long as 2–4 combined; meso- and metatarsomeres more elongate but with similar relative proportions; male tarsomere 1 of all legs ( Figs. 11, 12 ) with longitudinal row of short, stout pegs on inner ventral surface, row continuing partially around apex of ventroapical lobe, male tarsomere 2 of all legs with short row of pegs on ventroapical lobe, female tarsomeres without pegs. Abdomen: Male ventrite 5 with flat, denuded central area, female ventrite 5 truncate, unmodified; male pygidium ( Fig. 13 ) truncate apically; female pygidium ( Fig. 26 ) truncate or with slight median angle apically. Male sternite VIII ( Fig. 14 ) strongly depigmented medially, apex without emargination but with a pair of widely separated, triangular, toothlike lobes, with row of fine setae at apex extending between and just laterally of triangular lobes; female sternite VIII ( Fig. 27 ) with narrow depigmented zone medially, anterior strut slightly longer than width of sternite. Spiculum gastrale nearly V-shaped ( Fig. 15 ), with anterior strut very short and connecting membrane between arms visible nearly to base.Aedeagus ( Figs. 16, 17 ) with apical portion relatively long beyond articulation, outer apical lobes narrow, gradually tapering, inner apical lobes about two-thirds length of outer lobes, laterally compressed, with slight dorsal hook apically; base of median lobe broadly triangular basally, basal margin arcuate; portion of tegmen basal to articulation curved, not parallel-sided, constricted anteriorly; internal sac with asperities posteriorly, with sclerites in the form of a string of beads anteriorly. Ovipositor as in Fig. 28 .

Type Specimens Examined. Records reported here are based on the examination of 32 specimens. USA: ARIZONA: Cochise County: Chiricahua Mountains , Barfoot Park , 31.91714, −109.27866, 2,515 m, beating Pinus sp. , 11August 2019, ML347, M. Gimmel (paratypes, 2♀♀, SBMNH) ; same except ex Pseudotsuga menziesii , 17 August 2021, ML416, M. and L. Gimmel (paratypes, 1♂, 2♀♀, SBMNH) ; same except ex Pteridium aquilinum, ML 416g (paratypes, 1♂, 2♀♀, SBMNH) ; Bootlegger Saddle , 1–14 August 1968, R. S. Miller (paratypes, 2♀♀, UCRC) ; Chiricahua Mt. , 14 July 1938, D. W. Craik (paratype, 1♂, SEMC) ; Chiricahua Mts., Chiricahua Peak , 9,400 –9,650 ft, 13 August 1968, V. Roth collector (paratypes, 1♂, 1♀, UCRC) ; Chiricahua Mts., Rustlers’ Park , 5 July 1940, L. C. Kuitert (paratype, 1♂, SEMC) ; Chiricahua Mts. , 21 July 1950, J. Arnold (paratype, 1♂, SEMC) ; Chiricahua Mts., Rustler Park , 8,800′, 2 August 1985, J. and D. Pakaluk (paratype, 1♀, SEMC) ; Chiricahua Mountains, Rustler Park , 31.90273, −109.27861, 2,580 m, ex Pseudotsuga menziesii , 17 August 2021, ML417b, M. and L. Gimmel (paratypes, 1♂, 5♀♀, SBMNH; 3♀♀, UCRC) ; Graham County: Pinaleño Mountains, Route 366 at Route 819, near Twilight Campground , 32°37.8′N, 109°49.3′W, 7,600 ft, 16 July 2012, S. M. Clark (holotype, ♂, BYU) ; Pima County: Mt. Lemmon , 9,000′, beating, 5 August 1985, J. and D. Pakaluk (paratype, 1♀, SEMC) ; Spencer Canyon , 8,000′, beating, 5 August 1985, J. and D. Pakaluk (paratype, 1♀, SEMC) ; Santa Cruz County: Santa Rita Mts. , 19 July 1938, L. W. Hepner (paratypes, 4♀♀, SEMC) .

Other Specimens. USA: NEW MEXICO: “Hot Springs” (1♀, SEMC). This female specimen does not significantly differ in external morphology from the Arizona forms. However, no other New Mexico specimens were observed, and we were unable to unambiguously identify the locality of “Hot Springs”; consequently, we have excluded this specimen from the paratype series. Targeted collecting in the highlands of southwestern New Mexico is needed to verify its presence in the state .

Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective derived from the US state of Arizona, where the holotype and all paratypes were collected.

Host Plant Associations. Based on label data, adults have been collected from plants in the families Dennstaedtiaceae and Pinaceae ( Table 1).

Geographic Distribution. Reliable records are known only from high elevations of four “Sky Island” mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona: the Chiricahua, Pinaleño, Santa Catalina, and Santa Rita mountains ( Fig. 68 ). All specimens with ac- companying elevation data were collected between 2,300 and 3,000 m; this species almost certainly occurs in the Huachuca Mountains, and possibly occurs in other, nearby mountain ranges as well, including those in Sonora, Mexico.

Seasonal Distribution. 5 July to 17 August ( Fig. 69 ).

Remarks. Altovectura arizonensis appears most closely related to A. subcuprea . Both are small, and in both ventrite 5 is unmodified ( A. cupreonitens and A. subcyanea are both larger, and in both ventrite 5 is deeply excavated apically). Altovectura arizonensis is most easily distinguished from A. subcuprea by the spine on the male protrochanter only (spine present on male protrochanter and mesotrochanter of A. subcuprea ) and male tarsomeres 1 and 2 of all legs with a ventroapical row of short, stout pegs (male tarsomeres 1 and 2 of all legs without pegs in A. subcuprea ).

Figures

Figs. 1–8. Altovectura arizonensis, new genus and species, habitus. Male (Rustler Park, Chiricahua Mts., Cochise Co., AZ; SBMNHENT0133691): 1) Dorsal; 2) Ventral; 3) Lateral; 4) Frontal. Female (Rustler Park, Chiricahua Mts., Cochise Co., AZ; SBMNHENT0133696): 5) Dorsal; 6) Ventral; 7) Lateral; 8) Frontal. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

Figs. 9–10. Altovectura arizonensis, new genus and species, pronotum, dorsal. 9) Male (SBMN- HENT0133691); 10) Female (SBMNHENT0133696).

Figs. 11–12. Altovectura arizonensis, new genus and species, left front leg of male (Barfoot Park, Chirica- hua Mts., Cochise Co., AZ; SBMNHENT0133606). 11) Anterior view; 12) Posterior view, tibial apex and tarsus. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figs. 13–22. Male terminalia for species of Altovectura, new genus. A. arizonensis, new species, holotype: 13) Pygidium; 14) Sternite VIII; 15) Spiculum gastrale; 16) Aedeagus, dorsal; 17) Aedeagus, lateral. A. subcuprea (4 km E of Mataquescuintla, Jalapa, Guatemala; SEMC0898290): 18) Pygidium; 19) Sternite VIII; 20) Spiculum gastrale; 21) Aedeagus, dorsal; 22) Aedeagus, lateral. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

Figs. 26–28. Altovectura arizonensis, new genus and species (Barfoot Park, Chiricahua Mts., Cochise Co., AZ; SBMNHENT0133762), female terminalia. 26) Pygidium; 27) Sternite VIII; 28) Ovipositor. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 68. Map of distribution of Altovectura arizonensis, new genus and species (triangles), Gracilivectura pygidialis, new genus and species (circles), and G. mojavensis, new species (star).

Fig. 69. Seasonal distribution of Altovectura arizonensis, new genus and species, Gracilivectura pygidialis, new genus and species, and G. mojavensis, new species, based on specimens examined.