Operclipygus pacificus, 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 : 286-288

Operclipygus pacificus sp. n. Figs 76 C–E 77A, C, E, HMap 27

Type locality.

COSTA RICA: Puntarenas: Quebrada Bonita Station [9°50'N, 85°0'W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "Est. Q. Bonita, Prov. Punta, COSTA RICA. 50m. Set 1993. R. Guzmán, L N 194500_469850 #2349"/ "INBIO CRI001659037" (INBIO). Paratypes (21): 17: same data as type, except as noted: 1: ix.1994, R.M. Guzman, (INBIO), 2: ix.1994, R.M. Guzman, (INBIO, FMNH), 2: ix.1994, J.C. Saborio, (INBIO), 1: v.1994, J. Saborio, (INBIO), 2: v.1994, R.M. Guzman, (INBIO), 1: vii.1992, J.C. Saborio, (INBIO), 1: x.1994, J.C. Saborio (INBIO), 3: xi.1994, R. Guzman (INBIO, FMNH), 1: 10-28.viii.1992, R. Guzman (INBIO), 1: 6-27.xi.1992, R. Guzman (INBIO), 1: 2-23.ix.1992, R. Guzman (INBIO), 1: 80m, xi.1994, J.C. Saborio (INBIO); 4: Res. Biol. Carara, Sector Laguna Meandrica, LN1979000,472800, 100m, R. Zuninga, vi.1990 (INBIO, MSCC, AKTC).

Other material.

COSTA RICA: Puntarenas: 1: Rancho Quemado, Peninsula de Osa, 200m, v.1991, J.C. Saborio, (INBIO), 1: ix.1992, M. Segura (INBIO), 1: 12-24.v.1993, A. Gutierrez (INBIO); 1: Parque Nac. Corcovado, Est. Sirena, 0-100m, xi.1990, C. Saborio (INBIO).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.75-2.37 mm, width: 1.68-2.12 mm; body rufopiceous, strongly rounded, convex; frons broad, slightly depressed in middle; frontal stria just turning inward between eyes, absent from middle; labrum less than twice as wide as long, weakly emarginate apically; left mandible untoothed, right with small, subacute basal tooth; pronotal disk with prescutellar impression weak, with very fine prescutellar fovea in some individuals, ground punctation fine and inconspicuous, with ~10 coarser lateral punctures; marginal pronotal stria broadly interrupted behind head; submarginal pronotal stria continuous across front and sides, rarely abbreviated or fragmented at sides; median pronotal gland openings about two-thirds pronotal length behind anterior margin; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer and inner subhumeral striae absent, striae 1-2 complete, 3rd stria present in basal third and apical one-sixth, rarely complete, 4th and 5th striae present as apical rudiments, sutural stria present in apical four-fifths; apical elytral stria absent; prosternal keel broad, flat, weakly emarginate at base, carinal striae well-separated at base, sinuate, joined anteriorly in broad arch; prosternal lobe short; mesoventrite short, wide, weakly projecting anteriorly, marginal stria narrowly interrupted at middle; mesometaventral stria arched forward to middle of mesoventrite, sinuate at sides; lateral metaventral stria extending toward outer third of metacoxa, slightly abbreviated at apex; 1st abdominal ventrite with complete inner lateral stria, abbreviated outer lateral stria, with fine postmetacoxal fovea between them; propygidium and pygidium with dense, fine, shallow ground punctation; propygidium with coarse basomedial punctures, sparser laterally and posteriorly; pygidium lacking any interspersed coarse punctures; apical marginal stria absent. Male genitalia (Figs 77A, C, E, H): accessory sclerites absent; T8 short, sides subparallel in basal two-thirds, arcuately convergent to apex, apical emargination shallow, basal emargination deep, rather narrow, intersecting basal membrane attachment line, ventrolateral apodemes subacute medially, not meeting at midline; S8 with halves well separated, sides weakly divergent to blunt apices, apical guides widened from base to apex; T9 with sides parallel in basal two-thirds, convergent to narrow apices; T10 with halves separate; S9 narrow, sides subparallel, base narrowly emarginate, apex with very fine median emargination, apical flange interrupted; tegmen very narrow, somewhat sinuate in lateral view, medioventral process narrowly ‘V’ -shaped, weakly projecting beneath about one-fourth from base; median lobe thin, about two-thirds tegmen length, with proximal apodemes differentiated, proximal one-fourth filamentous; basal piece about one-third tegmen length.

Remarks.

This larger, convex species can be distinguished by the absence of the central part of the frontal stria, generally complete lateral submarginal pronotal stria (Fig. 76C), presence of apical fragments of 3rd, 4th and 5th elytral striae, absence of apical marginal elytral stria, fine postmetacoxal fovea (Fig. 76D), and pygidium lacking any interspersed coarse punctures (Fig. 76E). We restrict the type series to specimens from a relatively small part of northwestern Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Etymology.

This species occurs along the Pacific coastal areas of Costa Rica, and is named accordingly.