Operclipygus punctulatus, 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 : 318-321

Operclipygus punctulatus sp. n. Figs 85 C–EMap 31

Type locality.

BRAZIL: Santa Catarina: Nova Teutonia [27°11'S, 52°23'W].

Type material.

Holotype female: "Nova Teutonia, Sta. Catharina, BRAZ. II:--:79, Fritz Plaumann leg." / "runs to dubitabilis" [R.L. Wenzel's handwriting] / " Operclipygus n. sp.!!" / “♀” / "FMNH-INS 0000069128" (FMNH). Paratypes (2): 1: same locality as type, xi.1971 (MHNG); BRAZIL: Goias, Jatai, x.1972, M. Alvarenga (UFPR).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.18-2.34 mm, width: 2.00-2.12 mm; body rufo-piceous, strongly rounded, widest behind humeri, sides evenly rounded to front and rear, most surfaces coarsely and conspicuously punctate; frons with sides rounded, shallowly depressed at middle, frontal striae diverging anterad, central portion of frontal stria more or less straight, faintly sinuate at middle, crenulate; supraorbital stria absent; labrum about twice as wide as long, weakly emarginate anteriorly; left mandible untoothed, right with small basal tooth; pronotum with weak, indistinct prescutellar depression, ground punctation very conspicuous, interspersed coarser punctures becoming more numerous to sides; marginal pronotal stria continuous from sides to front, narrowly interrupted at middle; lateral submarginal stria continuous at side, curving inward, ending freely behind eye; anterior submarginal stria present, straight across front (not recurving posterad at ends), ending freely behind eye; median pronotal gland openings present between free ends of submarginal striae, about 4 puncture widths from anterior margin; elytron with two complete epipleural striae; all dorsal striae broadly but shallowly impressed, crenulate, inner and outer subhumeral striae complete in basal two-thirds, obscured by coarse punctures toward apex, striae 1-5 reaching base, progressively more abbreviated apically, 5th stria fragmented over much of its length, sutural stria complete; elytra with very conspicuous ground punctation, as on pronotum, coarser punctures uniformly interspersed in interstriae; prosternal keel truncate at base, carinal striae complete, united in a narrow anterior arch; secondary carinal striae present for short distance behind prosternal gland openings; prosternal lobe short, but evenly rounded, reaching hypomeron at sides, marginal stria complete on anterior portion, obsolete at sides; mesoventrite straight to very weakly projecting at middle, marginal stria complete; mesometaventral stria detached at sides from lateral metaventral stria, displaced anterad and parallel to marginal mesoventral stria; lateral metaventral stria beginning behind mesometaventral suture, extending posterolaterad toward outer third of metacoxa; postmesocoxal stria recurved to mesepimeron; metaventral disk without coarse punctures in middle, but with large punctures at sides; 1st abdominal ventrite with single lateral stria, with increasingly coarse punctures toward posterior margin, especially near ends of lateral striae; abdominal ventrites 2-4 with nearly uniform series of large, shallow punctures along posterior margins; propygidium with uniform coarse punctures separated by one-half their widths; pygidium with coarse punctures smaller, denser; marginal stria complete, constituted by a series of deep confluent punctures; protibia 4-dentate, with small marginal spines. Male not known.

Remarks.

This is a readily recognizeable species, distinguished by the coarse punctation on most of the body (Figs 85 C–E) in combination with elytral striae which are complete basally but abbreviated toward apex.

Etymology.

This is among the most strongly punctate species of Operclipygus , and is named for this unusual appearance.