Phellinocis thayerae, Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano & Lawrence, John F., 2005

Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano & Lawrence, John F., 2005, Phellinocis, a new genus of Neotropical Ciidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea), Zootaxa 1034, pp. 43-60 : 56-58

Phellinocis thayerae , sp. n.

( Figs 17–21 )

Diagnosis

This species differs from both P. erwini and P. romualdoi in having diverging pronotal horns and paired subtriangular frontoclypeal plates in the male, slight pronotal and frontoclypeal modifications in the female, and a much smaller setal patch on first ventrite.

Description

Male. Length 1.1–1.45 mm. Body about 1.95 times as long as wide ( Fig. 17 ). Upper surfaces black to dark reddish­brown; undersurfaces and legs mostly reddish­brown; labrum, ventral mothparts and antennae yellow to yellowish­brown. Head deeply concave and impunctate above; frontoclypeal region produced and elevated to form pair of subtriangular plates ( Fig. 18 ). Antennae 9­segmented; ratio of antennomere lengths: 4.67: 4.0: 3.33: 1.0: 1.5: 1.0: 3.0: 3.33: 6.0; length/width ratios: 1.4, 1.5, 2.5, 0.75, 0.67, 0.50, 0.9, 0.83, 1.5. Pronotum about 0.83 times as long as wide, evenly convex and moderately finely, sparsely punctate with smooth and shiny interspaces, except for anterior fourth, which is concave and somewhat granulate; anterior edge produced, elevated and deeply emarginate forming pair of diverging horns ( Fig. 18 ). Elytra about 1.17 times as long as wide and 1.5 times as long as pronotum; apically and posterolateral, oblique ridges and slightly fluted edge forming weak, slightly concave declivity ( Fig. 19 , arrow); megapunctures distinctly seriate. Setal patch on abdomen about one­sixth median length of first ventrite (without intercoxal process), located behind middle and not elevated ( Fig. 20 , arrow). Aedeagus about 0.75 times as long as last two ventrites combined; tegmen subparallel basally, gradually but distinctly narrowed beyond apical third and narrowly rounded at apex ( Fig. 21 ).

Va r i a t i o n

Total length 0.9–1.6 mm. Measurements in15 ɗɗ & 15 ΨΨ: TLɗ 1.1–1.45 (1.31 ± 0.10), TLΨ 1–1.55 (1.26 ± 0.14); PLɗ 0.44–0.56 (0.51 ± 0.04), PLΨ 0.36–0.56 (0.48 ± 0.05); PWɗ 0.54–0.68 (0.60 ± 0.04), PWΨ 0.46–0.7 (0.61 ± 0.06); ELɗ 0.64–0.8 (0.73 ± 0.05), ELΨ 0.6–0.92 (0.78 ± 0.08); EWɗ 0.56–0.68 (0.63 ± 0.04); EWΨ 0.5–0.74 (0.65 ± 0.06). Ratios: BL/EWɗ 1.90–2.06 (1.96), BL/EWΨ 1.82–2.0 (1.94); PL/PWɗ 0.81–0.9 (0.84), PL/PWΨ 0.74–0.85 (0.82), EL/EWɗ 1.12–1.19 (1.16), EL/EWΨ 1.12–1.27 (1.18); EL/PLɗ 1.36–1.54 (1.45), EL/PLΨ 1.44–1.83 (1.54). Color varies from yellow or yellowish­brown to black. Smaller males with raised, emarginate pronotal plate, the sides of which are subparallel, and with more weakly developed frontoclypeal plates. Female specimens with anterior edge of pronotum slightly elevated, usually forming paired tubercles, frontoclypeal region with pair of small, widely separated tubercles, and first ventrite simple.

Types series

Holotype. ɗ, Panama: “Barro Colorado Is. CANAL ZONE July 2 1969 / J. F. Lawrence Lot 2744 / ex Polyporus licnoides ” ( ANIC). Paratypes (35ɗɗ, 38ΨΨ). Panama: 2ɗɗ, Barro Colorado Island, Canal Zone., 6.ii.1968, 2333 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus nilgheriensis ( ANIC); 7ɗɗ, 6ΨΨ, same locality, 10.ii.1968, 2374 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus gilvus ( ANIC); 1Ψ, same data ( LAPC); 9ɗɗ, 12ΨΨ, same locality, 12.ii.1968, 2385 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus sp. ( ANIC); 2ɗɗ, 2ΨΨ, same data ( LAPC); 2ΨΨ, same locality, 14.ii.1968, 2404 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus nilgheriensis . ( ANIC, FMNH); 2ɗɗ, 3ΨΨ, same locality, 21.ii.1968, 2461 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus nilgheriensis ( ANIC); 2ΨΨ, same locality, 3.vii.1969, 2751 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus sp. ( ANIC); 1Ψ, same data ( LAPC); 2ɗɗ, 1Ψ, same locality, 20.vii.1969, 2929 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus gilvus ( ANIC, CASC, FMNH); 1ɗ, same locality, 20.vii.1969, 2930 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus sp. ( ANIC); 3ɗɗ, 1Ψ, same locality, 23.vii.1969, 2953 J. F. Lawrence, Phylloporia pectinata sp. ( ANIC, NHML); 1ɗ, same data ( LAPC);1ɗ, 1Ψ, same locality, 23.vii.1969, 2954 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus sp. ( ANIC); 1Ψ, same data ( LAPC);1ɗ, same locality, 25.vii.1969, 2962 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus sp. ( ANIC); 1ɗ, same data ( LAPC); 2ΨΨ, same locality, 19.ii­ 9.iii.1975, 3789 J. F. Lawrence, T. L. Erwin, Phellinus sp. ( ANIC, NMNH); 1Ψ, Cerro Campana, Panama Prov., 9.viii.1969, 3011 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus sp. ( ANIC); 2ɗɗ, 2ΨΨ, Fort Sherman (5 mi. SW), 2.iii.1975, 3839 J. F. Lawrence, T. L. Erwin, Phellinus sp. ( ANIC). Costa Rica: 1ɗ, Hamburg Farm, Santa Clara Prov., 22.iv.1926, Nevermann ( NMHN).

Comments

This species is named in honor of a good friend and colleague Dr. Margaret Thayer (who started her career mounting Neotropical Ciidae ).

Figures

FIGURE 21. Phellinocis thayerae sp. nov., male genitalia showing the ninth segment (ix), tegmen (teg) and median lobe (ml). Arrow pointing to apex of tegmen. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 17 – 20. Phellinocis thayerae sp. nov., male. 17. Body, dorsal view. 18. Anterior part of pronotum and head, dorsal view. 19. Part of elytra (arrow) and abdomen, ventral view. 20. Base of abdomen, ventral view, showing setal patch (arrow). Scale bars: 0.5 mm (Fig. 17); 0.1 mm (Figs. 18, 20); 0.3 mm (Fig. 19).