Operclipygus friburgius (Marseul, 1864)

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Operclipygus Marseul (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 271, pp. 1-401 : 58-59

Operclipygus friburgius (Marseul, 1864) Figs 13 D–EMap 4

Phelister friburgius Marseul, 1864: 318.

Phelister friburgicus (misspelling): Gemminger and Harold 1868: 761.

Type locality.

BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro:Nova Friburgo [22°16'S, 42°32'W].

Type material.

Lectotype, here designated, probably female: " Phelister friburgius , N. Friburg" / "LECTOTYPE Phelister friburgius Marseul 1864, M.S.Caterino & A.K.Tishechkin des. 2010"(MNHN). Paralectotype: “Bresil”/“ friburgicus [sic] Mars. ”/“ Marseul 12.14.86" (BMNH). This species was described from an unspecified number of specimens, and the lectotype designation fixes primary type status on one of two known syntypes.

Other material.

BRAZIL: Paraná: 1: Piraquara, Mananciais da Serra, 2008, P. Grossi (UFPR). Rio de Janeiro: 1: Nova Friburgo, 22°16'S, 42°32'W, 26-31.x.2009, FIT (CHND).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.56-2.60 mm, width: 2.22-2.25 mm; body piceous, elongate oval, widest at humeri, convex; frons generally convex, but slightly depressed at middle, finely but densely punctate, increasingly so towards epistoma; lateral portions of frontal striae divergent anterad, slightly rounded, meeting complete supraorbital dorsally, frontal portion weak, both detached from lateral portions and interrupted at middle; labrum about 2.5 × as wide as long, weakly emarginate at middle; pronotum faintly depressed in prescutellar region, with a few small punctures near depression, ground punctation overall fine, sparse, though becoming more conspicuous at sides, with ~15 coarser lateral punctures; anterior marginal pronotal stria complete; lateral submarginal pronotal stria complete at sides, incurved anteriorly but ending free; anterior submarginal stria present, with ends briefly recurved posterad; median pronotal gland openings laterad apices of recurved anterior stria, about 8 puncture widths from anterior margin; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria present in apical half, inner subhumeral stria absent, striae 1-4 complete, 5th present in apical third, sutural stria present in apical two-thirds; elytron with apical transverse row of small punctures; prosternal keel truncate at base, with carinal striae complete, convergent anteriorly, united by narrow anterior arch, enclosed area of keel with dense fine punctation, similar punctation on prosternal lobe and mesoventral disk; prosternal lobe with marginal stria strongly abbreviated at sides; mesoventrite broadly and shallowly emarginate, marginal stria complete; mesometaventral stria weakly arched forward onto basal third of mesoventral disk, continued by lateral metaventral stria to inner one-third of metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with one complete lateral stria, disk with few small punctures near this stria; propygidium with fine ground punctation sparse at base, denser apically, with small round punctures separated by about 1.5 × their widths; pygidium with fine, dense ground punctation not quite reaching basal margin, coarser punctures fairly dense at base, sparser toward apex; apical marginal stria fine, ranging from a dense series of punctures to a complete stria. Male: not known.

Remarks.

The patterns of fine punctation on this species is unique, with the frontal punctation grading to denser toward the epistoma, the increasingly dense pygid ial ground punctation toward the apex, and the fine punctures within the prosternal striae and on the prosternal lobe (Fig. 13E). This ground punctation is the main basis for grouping the species with Operclipygus conquisitus , and examination of a male Operclipygus friburgius would help substantiate this relationship.