Falsocis egregius Lopes-Andrade & Lawrence

Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano & Lawrence, John F., 2011, Synopsis of Falsocis Pic (Coleoptera, Ciidae), new species, new records and an identification key, ZooKeys 145, pp. 59-78 : 65-67

Falsocis egregius Lopes-Andrade & Lawrence sp. n. Figs 10-1641

Type locality.

Santarém, in the state of Pará, northern Brazil (2°26'S, 54°42'W).

Etymology.

The specific epithet is from the Latin “egregius” (adjective), which means “singular”, “extraordinary”, in a reference to the outstanding head morphology of males.

Diagnosis.

Head of male with sides of vertex produced laterally to form a pair of triangular plates, each with acute apex (Fig. 13, arrows); frontoclypeal horns wide at base and tapering to apex, slightly arcuate. Pronotum with anterior angles broadly rounded, barely produced forward; males with a row of long setae along the apex of the anterior projection but not forming distinct tufts (Figs 10, 12, arrows).

Description.

Male holotype (Figs 10-13), measurements in mm: TL 2.85; PL 1.25; PW 1.50; EL 1.55; EW 1.55; GD 1.35. Ratios: PL/PW 0.83; EL/EW 1.00; EL/PL 1.24; GD/EW 0.87; TL/EW 1.84. Body oblong, strongly convex, mostly light yellowish brown; mouthparts and apices of femora reddish brown; ventral vestiture consisting of very fine decumbent setae. Head strongly developed, the anterior and lateral margins easily visible from above; dorsum concave, slightly tumid on disc; punctation relatively fine, shallow, sparse; in between punctures finely granulate; frontoclypeal ridge explanate, each side produced upward forming a conspicuous horn that is slightly arcuate, bearing two small tubercles between them; each side of vertex explanate and produced laterally forming a conspicuous triangular plate with an acute apex (Fig. 13, arrows). Eyes coarsely facetted; greatest width 0.18mm. Each antenna (left antenna measured; FL 0.22mm; CL 0.23mm; CL/FL 1.05) with length of antennomeres (in mm) as follows: 0.12; 0.07; 0.08; 0.04; 0.04; 0.03; 0.03; 0.06; 0.06; 0.11. Pronotum with shallow, coarse, single punctation; punctures separated by a distance about a puncture-width; in between punctures smooth at disc and finely granulate at the anterior projection; vestiture indistinctly dual, consisting of conspicuous yellowish stout erect bristles (~0.05mm) and very fine decumbent setae (<0.02mm); anterior angles broadly rounded, just slightly produced forward; anterior margin (beyond anterior angles) explanate, produced forward forming a plate that slightly curves downward and narrows toward a slightly arcuate apex with a row of very long slender setae (>0.35mm; Figs 10, 12, arrows). Scutellum subtriangular; punctation finer than those of pronotum and elytra; vestiture consisting of stout decumbent bristles (better seen in lateral view); basal width 0.21mm. Hindwings fully developed. Elytra subparallel at basal two-thirds, with posterolateral angles broadly rounded (as seen from above) and then converging to a blunt apex; punctation single and confused, a bit sparser than that of pronotum; in between punctures smooth; vestiture indistinctly dual, consisting of conspicuous stout erect bristles (~0.07mm) and very minute decumbent setae (<0.02mm); lateral and apical margins not visible from above; epipleura tapering from base to apex. Surface of the ventral thoracic and abdominal sclerites granulate, somewhat rugose. Prosternum flat; prosternal process laminate, almost half the length of procoxae. First abdominal ventrite more than twice as long as the second at midline; setose sex patch circular and margined, located at the middle of the ventrite and with a diameter of one-third the length of the ventrite at midline.

Male terminalia in paratypes (Figs 15-16). Eighth sternite (Fig. 15) with posterior margin curved inward; angles not produced. Basal piece (Fig. 16) almost half the length of tegmen. Tegmen (Fig. 16) with anterior portion broadly rounded; lateral margins almost straight; posterior portion bearing a deep V-shaped emargination reaching the middle of the structure and forming two lateral lobes. Penis (Fig. 16) subcylindrical, lateral margins straight for most of their lengths and a bit expanded to a rounded apex; the penis is turned and lays laterally in the slide preparation.

Female (Fig. 14).Similar to males, but frontoclypeal ridge straight, barely sinuous, with rounded angles. Anterior pronotal margin broadly rounded. Abdomen devoid of sex patch.

Variation.

Males, measurements in mm (n = 5, including the holotype): TL 2.75-2.95 (2.87 ± 0.08); PL 1.20-1.35 (1.26 ± 0.05); PW 1.50-1.55 (1.52 ± 0.03); EL 1.50-1.65 (1.56 ± 0.05); EW 1.55-1.65 (1.57 ± 0.04); GD 1.30-1.40 (1.35 ± 0.04). Ratios: PL/PW 0.80-0.87 (0.83 ± 0.03); EL/EW 0.97-1.00 (0.99 ± 0.01); EL/PL 1.15-1.32 (1.24 ± 0.06); GD/EW 0.84-0.87 (0.86 ± 0.02); TL/EW 1.77-1.87 (1.83 ± 0.05).

Female, measurements in mm (n = 1): TL 2.50; PL 0.95; PW 1.45; EL 1.55; EW 1.50; GD 1.05. Ratios: PL/PW 0.66; EL/EW 1.03; EL/PL 1.63; GD/EW 0.70; TL/EW 1.67.

Type series.

Holotype. (CMNH) Brazil: \Santarem Brazil Acc. No.2966 \ CM \ Falsocis egregius Lopes-Andrade & Lawrence HOLOTYPUS [printed on red paper]\. Paratypes.Brazil: 4 males (1 ANIC; 2 CMNH; 1 LAPC, dissected) and 1 female (CMNH) \Santarem Brazil Acc. No.2966 \ CM\, same data as holotype. All paratypes distinguished labeled \ Falsocis egregius Lopes-Andrade & Lawrence PARATYPUS [printed on yellow paper]\.

Comments and comparative notes.

The species is currently known from a single collection in Santarém, northern Brazil (Fig. 41). Only one female was available for examination. The series is very small, but species sufficiently distinct to allow description. Differs from Falsocis aquilonius sp. n. and Falsocis opacus in having the epipleura narrow posteriorly. Falsocis occultus sp. n. has deeper and closer pronotal punctation. Very similar to Falsocis brasiliensis , but differing mainly in features mentioned in the diagnosis and in the conspicuous basal piece of male terminalia. In Falsocis brasiliensis , the eighth sternite has the anterior margin only slightly curved inward; the basal piece was not observed in the available slide preparations and is possibly membranous ( Lopes-Andrade 2007); the tegmen has a subtriangular posterior portion, subparallel lateral margins and anterior V-shape emargination is only one-fourth to one-third deep.