Operclipygus mirabilis (Wenzel & Dybas, 1941) Wenzel & Dybas, 1941

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Operclipygus Marseul (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 271, pp. 1-401 : 36-40

Operclipygus mirabilis (Wenzel & Dybas, 1941) comb. n. Figs 8A9A10 A–C, FMap 2

Pseudister mirabilis Wenzel & Dybas, 1941: 454.

Type locality.

COLOMBIA: Cundinamarca: Puerto Salgar [5°28'N, 74°39'W].

Type material.

Holotype male: “P’to. Salgar, Cund Colomb, VII:31:38" / "Coll. by C.H.Seevers" / "Collection R. L. Wenzel" / "Type Pseudister mirabilis Wenzel & Dybas" (FMNH).

Other material.

PANAMA, Panamá: 1: Barro Colorado Isl., 09°11'N, 79°51'W, 8.vii.1994, D. Banks, FIT (SEMC), 1: external refuse deposit Atta colombica ( Guérin-Méneville), 11.ii.1976 (FMNH); Colón: 1: Parque Nac. San Lorenzo, Achiote, 9°12'N, 79°59'W, 10m, 8-22.v.2007, FIT, A. Mercado (FMNH); 1: 50m [from forest edge, as for all A. Mercado specimens; pers. comm.], 9-23.v.2007(GBFM); 1: San Lorenzo Forest, STRI crane site, 9°17'N, 79°58'W, 25-26.v.2003, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (GBFM), 1: ex. refuse pile Atta colombica , 25.x.2003 (AKTC), 1: FIT, 11-12.v.2004 (LSAM).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.90-1.97 mm, width: 1.50-1.68 mm; Body rufo-brunneous, sides rounded, moderately convex; lower part of frons and epistoma weakly depressed at middle, frontal stria outwardly arcuate, faintly sinuate at middle, rarely interrupted at sides; supraorbital stria absent; labrum rather narrow, about 1.5 × as wide as long, shallowly emarginate at apex; left mandible untoothed, right mandible with very weak basal incisor tooth; pronotum with strong plicae in basal half, in front of 3rd elytral stria, lateral submarginal pronotal stria complete in female, in male ending one-third behind anterior corner in anterolateral pronotal depression; anterior submarginal stria detached, with ends recurved about one-sixth pronotal length; anterior marginal pronotal stra narrowly interrupted behind head; male with depression in anterolateral corner with central tubercle bearing median pronotal gland opening at its apex; female with median pair of gland openings just laterad ends of recurved anterior submarginal stria, about 8 diameters from anterior margin; pronotal disk with few coarse punctures intermingled with fine ground punctures toward sides; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria briefly interrupted at midpoint, otherwise complete, inner subhumeral stria present, obsolete at anterior and posterior ends, all other dorsal elytral striae complete, 5th and sutural striae connected by an angulate basal arch; few coarse punctures present near elytral apex; prosternum with carinal striae complete, sinuate, close at midpoint, diverging slightly to front, connected by narrow anterior arch, keel with faint secondary carinal striae laterad primary striae; prosternal keel weakly produced posteriorly; anterior mesoventral margin broadly emarginate in continuous arc from corner to corner, marginal mesoventral stria complete, mesometaventral stria arched forward to middle of mesoventral disk, crenulate, extend ing posterad to middle of each metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with two lateral striae, outer stria abbreviated posteriorly; propygidium with sparse fine ground punctation and coarser punctures scattered, separated by about 2 × their diameters; pygidium with similar ground punctation, and very few coarser punctures, particularly near anterolateral corners; pygidial marginal stria absent. Male genitalia (Figs 10 A–C, F): accessory sclerites present; T8 with deep, rather narrow basal emargination with well sclerotized basal edge, basal membrane attachment line not intersecting basal emargination, apical emargination shallow, ventrolateral apodemes not meeting at midline; S8 narrowing weakly to apex, with apical guides developed only at apex, ventral halves meeting along most of midline but with median area markedly desclerotized; T9 with apices simple, pointed inward; T10 with halves fully separate; base of S9 widened gradually in basal two-thirds, lacking apical emargination, apical flanges separate, apicolateral flanges well developed; tegmen widest basad midpoint, more strongly narrowed to apex, apex strongly bent ventrad, medioventral process ‘U’ -shaped, projecting beneath about one-fourth from base; median lobe about one-third tegmen length, proximal apodemes uniform; basal piece about one-third tegmen length.

Remarks.

The nominate species in this group is the most easily recognized, at least based on males. The distinctive depression bearing the median pronotal gland opening on a small tubercle (Fig. 9A) identifies them instantly. Males of the following species, Operclipygus pustulifer , have a smaller tubercle and no surrounding depression (Fig. 9B). Both of these species have the 5th and sutural elytral striae complete and connected by a basal arch, and also have the inner subhumeral stria more or less complete. The females are more difficult to identify, and are extremely similar to those of Operclipygus pustulifer . Those of Operclipygus mirabilis , however,have more conspicuously coarse punctures along the sides of the pronotum and the pygidium.

The holotype was reportedly collected in a 'rubbish heap of Atta sp.' ( Wenzel and Dybas 1941), and several recent records confirm this association, specifically with Atta colombica .