Falsocis occultus Lopes-Andrade & Lawrence

Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano & Lawrence, John F., 2011, Synopsis of Falsocis Pic (Coleoptera, Ciidae), new species, new records and an identification key, ZooKeys 145, pp. 59-78 : 67-69

Falsocis occultus Lopes-Andrade & Lawrence sp. n. Figs 17-2541

Type locality.

Linhares, in the state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil (19°23'S, 40°04'W).

Etymology.

The specific epithet is from the Latin “occultus” (adjective), which means “hidden”, in reference to the fact that the population from the type locality stayed hidden among fungi forgotten in a field-base for near four years.

Diagnosis.

Pronotum with anterolateral angles not produced forward; lateral margins not visible from above; male with anterior projection ending in an acute apex (Figs 19, 23-25, arrows) bordered by medium-size bristles.

Description.

Male holotype (Figs 17-19), measurements in mm: TL 3.55; PL 1.70; PW 1.75; EL 1.80; EW 1.75; GD 1.40. Ratios: PL/PW 0.97; EL/EW 1.03; EL/PL 1.06; GD/EW 0.80; TL/EW 2.03. Body oblong, strongly convex, mostly dark brown; mouthparts, antennae and tarsi dark yellowish brown; femora and tibiae dark reddish brown. Head concealed by the anterior pronotal projection (seen from above) except for its anterolateral angles; dorsum concave with disc slightly tumid; punctation coarse, shallow; in between punctures finely granulate; frontoclypeal ridge explanate and produced forming a broad acute triangular plate at each anterior angle, with two small tubercles between them. Eyes coarsely facetted; greatest eye width 0.21mm. Each antenna (left antenna measured; FL 0.30mm; CL 0.28mm; CL/FL 0.93) with length of antennomeres (in mm) as follows: 0.15; 0.09; 0.08; 0.08; 0.06; 0.05; 0.03; 0.08; 0.08; 0.12. Pronotum with single, coarse, relatively deep punctation; punctures very close to each other, separated by a distance of one puncture-width or less; in between punctures smooth but not shining; vestiture yellowish, indistinctly dual (seen under a magnification of 100 ×), consisting of stout erect bristles (~0.05mm) and small decumbent setae (~0.03mm), both better seen in lateral view; anterior angles not produced forward; anterior margin (beyond anterior angles) explanate, strongly produced forward forming a plate that slightly curves downward and narrows toward an acute apex (Fig. 19, arrow) ornamented by a row of increasingly stout bristles in either side (Figs 17-19); lateral margins slightly crenulate, not visible from above, bearing a row of stout bristles. Scutellum subtriangular, its margins indistinct so that it seems to be contiguous with elytra; punctation conspicuous but slightly finer than those of pronotum and elytra; vestiture consisting of stout decumbent bristles (better seen in lateral view); basal width 0.20mm. Hindwings fully developed. Elytra parallel at basal three-fourths, posteriorly broadly rounded (as seen from above) and converging to a blunt apex; punctation single and confused, slightly finer than that of pronotum, consisting of relatively deep punctures separated by a distance near a puncture-width; in between punctures smooth, dull; vestiture distinctly dual, the erect bristles about 0.1mm long and the decumbent setae about 0.03mm long; lateral and apical margins not visible from above; epipleura tapering from base to the basal one-sixth, then continuing as a narrow line to the apex. Ventral surfaces of thorax and abdomen finely granulate; vestiture consisting of slender decumbent setae. Prosternum flat; prosternal process laminate, two-thirds the length of the procoxae. First abdominal ventrite more than twice as long as the second at midline; setose sex patch suboval and margined, located at the middle of the ventrite and with a diameter of one-third the length of the ventrite at midline.

Male terminalia in paratypes (Figs 21-22). Eighth sternite (Fig. 21) with posterior margin almost straight; angles not produced. Basal piece (Fig. 22) nearly one-third the length of tegmen. Tegmen (Fig. 22) with anterior portion mostly rounded but apex acute; lateral margins slightly sinuous and diverging; posterior portion bearing a deep V-shaped emargination reaching the middle of the structure, forming two lateral lobes. Penis (Fig. 22) subcylindrical; lateral margins subparallel for most of their lengths; apical third subtriangular, membranous.

Females (Fig. 20). Similar to males, but frontoclypeal ridge straight, barely sinuous, with rounded angles. Anterior pronotal margin broadly rounded. Abdomen devoid of sex patch.

Variation.

Males, measurements in mm (n = 15, including the holotype): TL 2.11-3.55 (2.84 ± 0.42); PL 0.84-1.70 (1.28 ± 0.25); PW 1.16-1.75 (1.48 ± 0.17); EL 1.25-1.80 (1.53 ± 0.19); EW 1.21-1.84 (1.52 ± 0.17); GD 0.95-1.47 (1.22 ± 0.16). Ratios: PL/PW 0.73-0.97 (0.86 ± 0.07); EL/EW 0.86-1.07 (1.01 ± 0.05); EL/PL 1.00-1.5 0 (1.22 ± 0.15); GD/EW 0.72-0.93 (0.80 ± 0.05); TL/EW 1.73-2.03 (1.86 ± 0.09). In the unique specimen from Nova Teutonia, a teneral male, pronotal and elytral bristles are larger (0.08mm and 0.15mm, respectively) than in specimens from Linhares. In small males, the anterior pronotal plate is barely projected (Fig. 23). However, all males have an acute pronotal apex (Figs 19, 23-25, arrows). Females, measurements in mm (n = 15): TL 2.30-3.15 (2.63 ± 0.27); PL 0.80-1.16 (0.97 ± 0.11); PW 1.05-1.75 (1.42 ± 0.19); EL 1.40-2.00 (1.64 ± 0.18); EW 1.10-1.85 (1.50 ± 0.19); GD 1.05-1.50 (1.23 ± 0.15). Ratios: PL/PW 0.62-0.81 (0.69 ± 0.05); EL/EW 1.00-1.41 (1.11 ± 0.10); EL/PL 1.50-2.00 (1.71 ± 0.15); GD/EW 0.79-0.95 (0.83 ± 0.04); TL/EW 1.64-2.23 (1.77 ± 0.14).

Type series.

Holotype. (LAPC) Brazil: \BRASIL: ES Linhares 11-21.x.2004 P.C. Grossi leg. \ Falsocis occultus Lopes-Andrade & Lawrence HOLOTYPUS [printed on red paper]\. Paratypes.Brazil: 56 (27 males, 1 dissected, and 19 females, LAPC; 5 males and 5 females, ANIC), same data as holotype; 1 male (FMNH) \Nova Teutonia, Sta. Catharina , BRAZ. 300-500m alt. Fritz Plaumann leg [printed] XI:1940 [handwritten] \ [circular red paper, without information] \ Falsocis sp. 115 \. All paratypes distinguished labeled \ Falsocis occultus Lopes-Andrade & Lawrence PARATYPUS [printed on yellow paper]\.

Other specimens examined.

26 specimens, gender not determined (2 CNCI for molecular analysis, 4 LAPC in absolute alcohol, 20 MTD), same data as holotype.

Comments and comparative notes.

Known from two localities, in southeastern and southern Brazil (Fig. 41). The specimens from Linhares (in the state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil) were collected in Hexagonia papyracea Berk.( Polyporaceae ) and bred in the laboratory until December 2009 in the original basidiomes, without addition of either water or nutrients. In male Falsocis brasiliensis and Falsocis egregius sp. n., the apex of the pronotal projection bears a row of setae that are comparatively longer (Figs 10-12, 26-29, 33-34). Differs from Falsocis aquilonius sp. n. and Falsocis opacus in having the epipleura narrow posteriorly.