Baconia silvestris, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Baconia Lewis (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 343, pp. 1-297 : 185-186

Baconia silvestris sp. n. Figs 50 F–GMap 15

Type locality.

LAOS: Xieng Khouang: Ban Na Lam-Phou Sane Mt [19.63°N, 103.34°E].

Type material.

Holotype female: "LAOS-NE, Xieng Khouang prov., 19°37.8'N, 103°20.1'E, 30km NE Phonsavan: Ban Na Lam-Phou Sane Mt., 1300-1700 m 10-30.v.2009, M.Geiser leg." / "NHMB Basel, NMPC Prague Laos 2009 Expedition: M. Brancucci, M. Geiser, Z. Kraus, D. Hauck, V. Kuban" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-02564" (NHMB).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.0mm, width: 1.4mm; body elongate oval, weakly convex, glabrous; color dark metallic blue dorsally, with venter only faintly metallic; head with frons wide, weakly convex across middle, ground punctation fine, with sparse secondary punctures slightly denser dorsad, frontal stria present only along inner margin of eye, obsolete across middle, supraorbital stria present, detached from frontal stria at sides; antennal scape short, club nearly circular; epistoma faintly emarginate apically; labrum about 4 ×wider than long, weakly emarginate apically; both mandibles short with strong, acute basal tooth; pronotum with sides weakly rounded to apex, lateral marginal stria descending to ventral edge in posterior half, anterior marginal stria complete, lateral submarginal stria present, more or less complete, may be joined to anterior marginal stria in front, pronotal disk weakly depressed in anterolateral corners, with fine ground punctation, conspicuous secondary punctures interspersed more or less throughout, slightly larger toward antescutellar region; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria absent, inner present in basal one-fourth or less, dorsal striae 1-4 complete to base, progressively shortened apically, 4th stria distinctly arched to sutural in front, stria 5 slightly abbreviated at base and apex, sutural stria present in middle one-fourth, abbreviated at base and apex, elytral disk with scattered secondary punctures in apical one-third, extending further basad toward suture; prosternal keel weakly emarginate at base, with carinal striae parallel, separate; prosternal lobe about two-thirds keel length, apical margin broadly rounded, with marginal stria present only at middle; mesoventrite weakly produced at middle, with marginal stria complete or weakly interrupted at middle; mesometaventral stria arched forward, continuous laterally with inner lateral metaventral stria which extends slightly obliquely posterad to inner third of metacoxa, outer lateral metaventral stria short, oblique; metaventral disk coarsely punctate at sides, impunctate at middle; abdominal ventrite 1 with inner lateral stria complete, outer abbreviated, disk with coarse secondary punctures at sides and fine punctures in posterior corners of middle portion, ventrites 2-5 with sparse secondary punctures at sides, punctures becoming sparser and finer at middle; protibia tridentate, middle tooth closer to apical than basal, outer margin serrulate between teeth; mesotibia with two very weak marginal spines; outer metatibial margin smooth, edentate; propygidium lacking basal stria, with sparse, fine ground punctation and secondary punctures evenly interspersed, propygidial gland slightly elongate, located about one-third behind anterior margin, and about one-third from each lateral margin; pygidium with sparse ground punctation and coarser, secondary punctation. Male: not known.

Remarks.

This is the only one of the Asian Baconia aeneomicans group species to exhibit distinctly blue metallic coloration (Fig. 50F; but see Baconia glauca , under incertae sedis, below), and it can easily be recognized by this alone. In addition it has uniformly coarse pronotal punctation, complete, separate and subparallel prosternal striae (Fig. 50G), and a short, oblique outer lateral metaventral stria.

Etymology.

This species’ name refers to the ‘forests’ from which it came.