Diceroderes skelleyi Smith, 2015

Smith, Aaron D. & Cifuentes-Ruiz, Paulina, 2015, Revision of Diceroderes Solier (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Toxicini: Eudysantina), with Descriptions of Four New Species, The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 14) 69, pp. 55-72 : 65-67

Diceroderes skelleyi Smith , new species

( Figs. 9–10 , 23 , 32–35 , 40–41 )

Type Material. HOLOTYPE (male) labeled: (a) “ GUATEMALA: El Progreso; / Sierra de las Minas; nr. Pinalon , / nr. Finca la Tormenta , / nr. 15.07222, -89.94891; / 15-17-V-2010; ∼ 2199m; / P.Skelley, moist oak forest”; (b) on blue paper “Tenebrionid Base / Aaron D. Smith / Catalog #

32) Dorsal habitus; 33) Lateral habitus.

34) Dorsal habitus; 35) Lateral habitus.

13105”; (c) on red paper, “ HOLOTYPE / Diceroderes / skelleyi / Smith 2015” ( FSCA). ALLOTYPE (female) labeled: (a) “ GUATEMALA: El Progreso; / Sierra de las Minas ; nr. Pinalon , / nr. Finca la Tormenta , ∼ 2199m; / nr. 15.07222, -89.94891; / 15-17-V-2010; P.Skelley / moist pine/oak forest”; (b) on blue paper “ Tenebrionid Base / Aaron D. Smith / Catalog # 13107”; (c) on red paper, “ALLO- TYPE / Diceroderes / skelleyi / Smith 2015” ( FSCA). PARATYPES (6 specimens, excluding the allotype) (all bearing the label “ PARATYPE / Diceroderes / skelleyi / Smith 2015” on yellow paper and the database label “Tenebrionid Base / Aaron D. Smith / Catalog # ”, for convenience tenebrioniDBase catalog numbers are listed as TB # without quotations): Two paratypes ( BMNH, ♀♀), on the same pin, labeled (a) “ S. Geronimo, / Guatemala / Champion.”; (b) “ B.C.A. Col. IV.1. / Diceroderes / mexicanus.” (c) handwritten “ Diceroderes / mexicanus / Solier”; (d) TB # 13108. One paratype ( FSCA, ♀) labeled (a) “ GUATEMALA: El Progreso; / Sierra de las Minas; nr.Pinalon, / nr. Finca la Tormenta , / nr. 15.07222, -89.94891; / 15-17-V-2010; ∼ 2199m; / P.Skelley, moist oak forest”; (b) TB # 13106. One paratype ( CMNC, ♀) labeled (a) “GUAT.: BAJA VERAPAZ / 4.5km. S. Purulha, 1630m. / 21.V.1991, R. Anderson / cloud forest litter, 91-6”; (b) TB # 14783. One paratype ( CMNC, ♂) labeled (a) “GUAT.: EL PROGRESO / 20km. N. Estancia de la / Virgen, 1800–1900m. 8.VI. / 1991, R. Anderson, cloud / forest, 91-55”; (b) TB # 14784. One paratype ( CMNC, ♂) labeled (a) “GUAT.: BAJA VERAPAZ / 8km. S. Purulha, 1660m. / 31.V.1991, R. Anderson / pine/cloud forest, 91-38”; (b) TB # 14782 .

Diagnosis. Diceroderes skelleyi can be separated from all other known members of the genus based on the following character combination: Frons with supraorbital costae and medial tubercle; elytra in lateral view nearly straight from base to near apex then sharply declivous; prosternal process declivous behind coxae; males without apical spine on tibia; tubercles clothed in golden micropubescence, including apices. This species is most similar to D. cusucoensis but can be separated based on the declivous prosternal process and the presence of tubercles on the frons in D. skelleyi .

Description. Male. Length 8.2–8.6 mm, width 3.8–4.1mm (n = 3 specimens). Color ferruginous to black, each fovea or puncture with 1 minute decumbent golden seta and all tubercles clothed in golden tomentose pubescence unless otherwise noted. Head: Frons densely foveate throughout, with low supraorbital ridge and medial tubercle, posteriorly without transverse impression or nearly confluent foveae; vertex raised above frons and densely foveate; frontoclypeal suture deeply and broadly impressed; clypeus moderately setose and with golden pubescence, anterior margin slightly rounded, with raised lip; gena between eye and clypeus raised and with golden pubescence; faint impression present around eye from gena to apex. Eye elongate oval to slightly reniform, approximately 7 facets across; large U-shaped lobe present behind eye, lobe moderately foveate and pubescent. Labrum without transverse medial ridge, semi-erect golden setae present on anterior half, margin rounded with setae along edges of vertical surface; mandible bifid at apex, dorsal and lateral surfaces smooth; mentum trapezoidal, rugofoveate with few long straight setae near anterolateral margins and short decumbent setae otherwise, widest at anterior margin, medial longitudinal ridge absent; submentum small, as wide as basal margin of mentum, triangular. Antennomeres 9 and 10 subequal in size, antennomere 11 smaller than preceding segments; antennomere 3 approximately 1.3X length of antennomere 4, antennomeres 4–8 subequal in length. Prothorax: Pronotal disc almost flat, widest near middle then sharply constricted in basal third; moderately foveate, without medial impunctate region, tuberculate, each tubercle clothed in golden pubescence and decumbent minute setae curved towards apex of tubercle, apex pubescent and rounded; discal tubercles forming 2 small submedial patches of nearly confluent tubercles connecting to 2 longitudinal tuberculate ridges running from outer base of horns to near basal margin; anterior half of pronotum bearing 2 sublateral anteriorly directed horns, horns slightly divergent near base then weakly curved towards midline, dorsal and outer surfaces densely tuberculate, ventral surfaces densely foveate, inner surfaces foveate and tuberculate, apices recurved; pronotum laterally from horn to margin densely tuberculate near base of horn, moderately foveate otherwise, lateral costa present near anterior margin, lateral margin with row of regularly spaced tubercles medially, anterior apices slightly produced and acute, posterior apices acute, not projecting; anterior margin straight, with transverse costa nearly absent, vaguely connecting to weak longitudinal costae on underside of horns; posterior margin slightly bisinuate with medial emargination receiving scutellum. Hypomeron moderately foveate, fovea lacking or with a minute setae. Prosternum anterior to coxa approximately as long as coxal cavity, densely foveate; prosternal process declivous between coxa, medially impressed, apex slightly rounded. Pterothorax: Dorsal outline elongate oval, widest behind middle. Elytron dorsally nearly flat to slightly concave, sharply sloping and tapering caudad; stria indicated by rows of deep fovea, interstria with tubercles and somewhat regularly spaced minute decumbent scale-like setae; each elytral disc with 1 short tuberculate longitudinal costa near humeral angle and 1 costa closer to elytral suture in caudal third, additional short tuberculate costa or protrusions somewhat randomly occurring in interstrial regions; lateral portion of elytron between costae and poorly defined pseudepipleural margin densely tuberculate; pseudepiplura regularly moderately foveate, lacking tubercles; ventral margin of epiplura with deep groove for reception of abdominal ventrites 3–4. Scutellum with minute decumbent scale-like setae, subtriangular, posterior portion U- to V-shaped, dorsal margin rounded and extending past elytral base, ∼ 1.6X as wide as long. Mesosternum short, anteriorly weakly emarginate behind prosternal process, mesocoxal cavities open. Metasternum short, separating meso- and metacoxal cavities by less than mesocoxal cavity length. All visible ventrites on the pterothorax moderately foveate. Legs: Femora lacking spines or other protrusions, densely micro-pubescent with minute decumbent seate; tibia densely clothed in micro-pubescence and minute golden decumbent setae, clothed in decumbent setae set in fine punctures, inner surface with longer straight spine-like setae, outer margin with low pubescent tubercles, apical margin with 2 distinct socketed spurs, apical spine between spurs absent; distal tarsomere length subequal to length of combined preceding segments, with sparse golden setae, venter of all other tarsomeres clothed with dense long golden setae. Abdomen: Visible ventrites densely finely punctate medially, each puncture with 1 minute decumbent seta, relatively clean of pruinescence, lateral margins moderately setose, often obscured by pruinescence; abdominal intercoxal process broad, with submarginal impression, anterior margin rounded; intersegmental membranes concealed, connection between ventrites 3–5 deeply medially depressed; ventrite 5 lacking submarginal groove; abdominal defensive reservoirs present; sternite 8 weakly sclerotized and setose, deeply medially emarginate, emargination V-shaped; aedeagus with parameres fused, slightly longer than basal piece, dorsally flattened, widest at base and gradually narrowing to apical fifth of length, apical fifth sharply acuminate, partially dehisced at tip and weakly curved ventrad ( Figs. 9–10 ).

Female. Similar to male, except pronotal horns slightly thicker and shorter ( Figs. 34–35 ).

Distribution. Guatemala: Baja Verapaz, El Progreso ( Fig. 23 ).

Etymology. The species epithet is in honor of Dr. Paul E. Skelley, an enthusiastic coleopterist, indomitable field researcher, and collector of the holotype.

Figures

Figs. 3–12. Diceroderes species, aedeagi, dorsal and lateral views. 3–4) D. mexicanus, TB# 14740; 5–6) D. cusucoensis, holotype, TB# 14688; 7–8) D. ocozocoautlaensis, holotype, TB# 14689; 9–10) D. skelleyi, holotype, TB# 13105; 11–12) D. subtriplehorni, holotype, TB# 13109.

Fig. 23. Diceroderes species, distribution map. Triangles = D. mexicanus, white triangles are for morph one, gray/blue triangles for morph two. Stars = D. cusucoensis. Squares = D. ocozocoautlaensis. Diamonds = D. skelleyi. Circles = D. subtriplehorni.

Figs. 32–33. Diceroderes skelleyi, holotype (male).

Figs. 34–35. Diceroderes skelleyi, allotype (female).

Figs. 40–41. Diceroderes skelleyi, holotype (male), abdominal ventrites 1–3. 40) Inner surface showing glandular pads; 41) Outer surface showing pores through integument, lighter dots represent external openings. GP = glandular pad, V = ventrite.