Drapetes chiricahua, Johnson, 2015

Johnson, Paul J., 2015, A new species of Drapetes Megerle (Coleoptera: Elateridae), with taxonomic summaries and a key to the species of northern North America, Insecta Mundi 2015 (445), pp. 1-13 : 2-3

Drapetes chiricahua new species

( Fig. 1–2 )

Description. Male. Body length 3.3–5.3 mm, width 1.4–1.8 mm; length-width ratio 2.8–2.9 (n = 2). Body elongate ovoid; shining black; mouthparts, antennomeres 1–3, anterior angle of pronotum, and legs light brown, with infuscate highlights; elytra black basally, becoming dark infuscate apically, each with an elongate-ovoid translucent green-yellow discal macula. Pubescence dark throughout, except becoming grey laterally on head and pronotum.

Head evenly rounded on vertex; frons depressed, with two shallow longitudinal impressions reaching frontal margin; punctation fine to moderate, setigerous, sparse on vertex, becoming denser toward frontal margin. Antennae short, reaching to base of pronotal hind angles; antennomeres 2–3 as long as wide, 4–10 subpectinate, 11 elongate-oval.

Thorax with pronotum subparallel at mid-length, length 0.8–0.9 times width, hind angles slightly reflexed; integument with punctures deep, setose, separated by own diameter on disc, becoming finer and sparser anteriorly, coarser and denser posteriorly. Hind angles each with a fine dorsal carina near to lateral margin, obsolete basally, extending anteriorly ca. 0.6 times pronotum length. Pronotal base with shallowly arcuate transverse carina at base of each elytron, and a short transverse carina each side of antescutellar lobe, these carinae fitting against elytral bases. Scutellar shield subpentagonal with broadly rounded angles, disc smooth, sparsely punctate, with shallow median impression.

Elytra narrowing from base, length 1.8–1.9 times width across base; humeri forming elevated, elongate-oval boss dorsally; striae of irregularly aligned fine, setose punctures; intervals flattened, except interval 8 shallowly convex in basal half, interval 9 finely carinate in basal 6/10 of elytral length; apex broadly, subtruncately rounded, sutural angle with short spine. Hypomera with punctation similar to pronotum; with deep crural impression laterally at base; medial margin with deep antennal groove extending 0.5 times distance to prothoracic coxa. Thoracic ventrites with fine, sparse, setose punctures, except punctures becoming larger and denser laterally.

Abdomen with ventrites finely, sparsely, setosely punctured, becoming coarser and denser laterally and apically. Ventrite 5 broadly rounded apically, coarsely, closely, deeply punctured throughout. Aedeagus as in Fig. 2 ; basal piece subquadrate; median lobe attenuate, apex acute; lateral lobes sinuate, narrow, mid-length, shallowly arcuate apically.

Female (n = 1) externally similar to male; slightly broader in silhouette.

Type material. Holotype, male, labeled: ARIZONA, Portal, 22.vii.[19]46, W. W. Jones , 148, 45-14999 ( USNM).

Paratypes: ARIZONA, Cochise Co., Cave Ck Cyn, Chiricahua Mtns, Herb Marty Dam, 5800’, 31º51’N 109º14’W / 25.vii.1981, H. A. Hespenheide / Oak (1 male, TAMU). NEW MEXICO, Sandoval Co., Jemez Mnts, Hwy 485, past tunnel, Rio Guadeloupe, 7.vii.2009, under bark, M. S. Romero (1 female, UNMC).

Etymology. The species epithet “ chiricahua ” is a noun in apposition to honor the Chiricahua Apache indigenous peoples of the region of origin of this species.

Distribution. United States: Arizona, New Mexico.

Notes. Two of the known specimens were collected in association with oak ( Quercus spp. ). The Cave Creek Canyon specimen was collected by beating branches (H. Hespenheide, in litt.) and the Jemez Mountains specimen was collected under bark of a dead oak, probably Quercus gambelii Nuttall (M. S. Romero, in litt.),

This species is related to D. plagiatus and D. taeniolatus Horn (1890) , and resembles both species in general facies. The distributions of these species are highly disjunct, with D. plagiatus and D. taeniolatus reported widely from Belize and Guatemala to Brazil. Both latter species are narrowly fusiform, with the integument shiny black and the elytral discs as translucent dull-yellow maculae usually subtruncate apically, and with a lateral subhemispherical broadening of the lateral dark vitta. Drapetes chiricahua has a proportionately shorter and broader pronotum, and the head, pronotal, and ventral punctation is coarse, and the elytral lateral vitta gradually narrows anteriorly.

Figures

Figures 1–2. Drapetes chiricahua, new species. 1) Adult male, dorsal habitus. 2) Aedeagus, dorsal aspect.