Notomicrus traili species group

Baca, Stephen M. & Short, Andrew Edward Z., 2021, Review of the New World Notomicrus Sharp (Coleoptera, Noteridae) I: Circumscription of species groups and review of the josiahi group with description of a new species from Brazil, ZooKeys 1025, pp. 177-201 : 177

4. Notomicrus traili species group

Diagnosis.

Non-teneral specimens of this group tend to have the following combination of characters: (1) lacking triangular pigmented area on the medial base of the elytra (Fig. 1d-f ), lacking maculae; elytra with uniform shades of tan or brown; (2) irregular setose punctures in posterior half of elytral surface with density variable, increasingly coarse if extending on to anterior half of elytron; (3) microreticulation variably impressed, consisting of fine mesh-like reticulation; matte to shiny; elytral surface sometimes somewhat iridescent; (4) posterior lobes of noterid platform with angles acute (Fig. 4k, l ); (5) protibia as in Fig. 2e , with robust seta of outer margin at ca. 2/3 length of margin, distance between robust seta and dorsoapical angle distinctly less than distance between robust seta and first seta from protibial insertion.

Composition.

N. gracilipes Sharp, 1882; N. petrareptans Baca & Short, 2018; N. reticulatus Sharp, 1882; N. sabrouxi Manuel, 2015; N. traili Sharp, 1882.

Identification resources.

Young (1978); Manuel (2015); Baca and Short (2018).

Remarks.

Species of the Notomicrus traili group are difficult to discern and constitute a widespread species complex (see Baca and Short 2020). Personal observations coupled with the phylogenetic reconstructions of Baca and Short (2020) show that the diagnostic power of the dorsal punctation (see Young 1978) is unreliable, with multiple clades within the complex sharing similar patterns of punctation; for example, the pattern of punctation attributed to N. gracilipes by Young (1978) arises in multiple places within the complex. The group will require careful taxonomic investigation. The members of the Notomicrus traili group can be difficult to distinguish from those of the Notomicrus meizon group, but mature members lack a pigmented triangular area at the base of the elytra and most males of the Notomicrus traili group have similarly-shaped median lobes of the aedeagus, distinct from the Notomicrus meizon group. See notes in remarks of Notomicrus meizon group above.

5. Insertae sedis species

These species present characters combinations not found in other species groups. Both by presented character combination and even general gestalt, these are difficult to place with certainty. Molecular sequence data were unavailable for these species in the phylogenetic reconstruction of Baca and Short (2020). In particular, the species listed here both exhibit body shape, color, microsculpture and sparse punctation that would place them in the N. nanulus species group. However, in comparison with the N. tenellus species group, the sister to all New World taxa, several of these characters appear plesiomorphic in Notomicrus , making it difficult to discern their likely relatives from morphology alone.

Figures

Figure 1. Notomicrus species groups. Dorsal habitus of representative Notomicrus species a N. nanulus b N. sharpi c N. sp. d N. cf. traili e N. cf. gracilipes f N. petrareptans g N. sp. h N. sp nr. malkini i N. sp. nr. meizon j N. tenellus k N. brevicornis male syntype.

Figure 2. Representative prolegs of Notomicrus species groups (left proleg, anterior aspect) a Notomicrus josiahi group (N. josiahi) b Notomicrus nanulus group (N. nanulus) c Notomicrus meizon group (Notomicrus sp.) d Notomicrus meizon group, alternative setal spacing of dorsal (outer) protibial margin (Notomicrus sp.) e Notomicrus traili group (N. cf. traili) f detail of structures of importance. F 1 Se = setae of anteroventral margin of profemur; F 1 Sp = protuberance of posteroventral margin of profemur; PtCA = anterior protarsal claw; Ptm- 5 = protarsomere V; SeDA = first robust seta of dorsoapical angle; SeMl = robust seta at mid-length of anterodorsal margin of protibia; SeM = First seta of anterodorsal margin of protibia; arrows indicate points for relative lengths (see key): i = anteroapical angle, ii = robust seta at mid-length, iii = first seta of marginal row.

Figure 4. Representative noterid platforms of Notomicrus species groups (left side, ventral aspect). Names in boxes indicate species groups or species a N. josiahi b N. nanulus c N. sharpi d N. sp. (Notomicrus nr. chailliei) e N. sp. nr. meizon f N. meizon (paratype) g N. sp. nr. malkini h N. brevicornis (female syntype) i N. teramnus (female paratype) j N. tenellus (Indonesia) k N. sabrouxi (female paratype, sketched from Manuel (2015: 518) l N. petrareptans.