Operclipygus brooksi, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Operclipygus Marseul (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 271, pp. 1-401 : 345-347

Operclipygus brooksi sp. n. Figs 95C96 A–B, E, GMap 33

Type locality.

PERU: Madre de Dios: Manú National Park, Cocha Panchita [12°1.05'S, 71°13.08'W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "PERU: Madre de Dios, Cocha Panchita, Reserved Zone, Manu National Park, 300m, 12°1'3"S, 71°13'5"W, 21 OCT 2000; R.Brooks, PERU1B00 067, ex: gilled mushroom"/ "SM0266441 KUNHM-ENT" (SEMC). Paratypes (11): ECUADOR: Orellana: 1:Parque Nac. Yasuní, Via Maxus, Puente Piraña, 0°39.5'S, 76°"26"W, 20-24.vii.2008, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (AKTC). FRENCH GUIANA: 1: Roura (39.4km SSE), 4°32'43"N, 52°8'26"W, 270m, 25-29.v.1997, FIT, J. Ashe & R. Brooks (SEMC); 1: Mont tabulaire Itoupé, 3°1.82'N, 53°6.40'W, 400m, 17.iii.2010, FIT, SEAG (CHND), 2: 600m, 29.iii.2010, FIT, SEAG (MNHN); 1: Montagne des Chevaux, 4°43'N, 52°24'W, 2.v.2009, FIT, SEAG (CHND); 1: Rés. Natur. des Nouragues, Camp Inselberg, 4°05'N, 52°41'W, 27.x.2010, FIT, SEAG (CHND), 1: 25.i.2011, FIT, SEAG (CHND); 2: Belvèdére de Saül, point de vue, 3°1'22"N, 53°12'34"W, 17.i.2011, FIT, SEAG (CHND, MSCC), 1: 13.v.2011, polytrap, SEAG (AKTC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.31-2.59 mm, width: 1.65-1.87 mm; body rufo-piceous, elongate, parallel-sided to slightly ovoid; frons depressed at middle, with few small punctures, frontal stria with sides rounded, slightly divergent, sinuate above antennal bases, outwardly arcuate at middle; labrum short, apical margin truncate; left mandible untoothed, right with acute basal tooth; prothorax with sides weakly convergent to front, base of disk with weak, indistinct prescutellar impression, middle one-third of disk with only fine ground punctation, sides with numerous coarse punctures; marginal pronotal stria continuous around front; central part of anterior pronotal margin narrowly and weakly, but subacutely produced over head; lateral submarginal pronotal stria present in anterior half only, curved inward at front, ending behind eye; anterior submarginal pronotal stria recurved posterad about one-sixth pronotal length; median pronotal gland openings situated between anterior end of lateral submarginal and anterior submarginal, about 6 puncture widths from anterior margin; elytron with one complete epipleural stria, outer subhumeral stria present in posterior half only, inner subhumeral stria absent, rarely represented by few median punctures, striae 1-4 complete, finely impressed, 5th stria present in apical half, sutural stria present in apical three-fourths; elytral disk with few scattered punctures near apex; prosternal keel moderately broad, shallowly emarginate at base, with carinal striae converging to front, united short distance behind presternal suture, basally connected or not; weak secondary carinal striae present in basal half; prosternal lobe narrowed evenly to hypomeron, with marginal stria present at middle, becoming fragmented laterally; anterior margin of mesoventrite sinuate, very weakly projecting at middle, marginal stria complete; mesometaventral stria arched forward just anterad mesoventral midpoint, subangulate at middle, continuous with lateral metaventral stria which extends sinuately toward outer corner of metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with inner lateral stria complete, outer obsolete in posterior half, central portion of disk with conspicuous, shallow punctures in anterior two-thirds, slightly denser toward coxae; propygidium nearly as long as pygidium along midline, with sparse fine ground punctation, with larger, shallow, slightly elongate punctures separated by about their diameters throughout; pygidium with very dense, fine ground punctation only, without larger punctures; marginal pygidial stria fine, completely or nearly so, barely abbreviated in anterior corners in some individuals. Male genitalia (Fig. 96 A–B, E, G): accessory sclerites present, small; T8 with sides straight in basal three-fourths, abruptly narrowed, convergent to apex, with desclerotized areas at lateral angle, basal emargination deep, bluntly triangular, nearly reaching basal membrane attachment line, apical emargination fairly broad, ventrolateral apodemes most strongly developed at middle, evenly narrowed to base and apex, not meeting at midline; S8 abruptly divergent and downturned in apical half, apical guides enclosing a broad apical velum; T9 with sides subparallel in basal third, convergent to apex, with apices subacute, inturned, nearly meeting; T10 with halves separate; S9 with sides subparallel in basal half, base rounded, finely emarginate at middle; apex with small median emargination, apical flanges separate; tegmen widest one-fourth from apex, sides rounded to subacute apex, apical emargination shallow; medioventral process elongate, ‘V’ -shaped, with acute apex weakly projecting beneath about one-third from base; basal piece nearly one-half tegmen length; median lobe about one-half tegmen length, with basal filamentous portion of proximal apodemes about half of overall length.

Remarks.

The strong punctation of the lateral third of the pronotum (Fig. 95C) along with the abbreviated lateral submarginal pronotal stria, coarse punctures on the 1st abdominal ventrite, and the weakly projecting anterior pronotal margin will distinguish this species. The species is surprisingly widespread, but conforms in external and in its distinctive genitalic characters well throughout the range.

Etymology.

This species is named for Rob Brooks who, during his time at the University of Kansas, helped collected numerous interesting Histeridae . In the case of this species he collected specimens from the extremes of the range, in both Peru and French Guiana.