Baconia katieae, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Baconia Lewis (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 343, pp. 1-297 : 231-232

Baconia katieae sp. n. Fig 68Map 20

Type locality.

FRENCH GUIANA: Belvèdére de Saül [3.01°N, 53.21°W].

Type material.

Holotype female: "GUYANE FRANÇAISE: Bélvédère de Saül, point de vue. 3°1'22"N, 53°12'34"W, Polytrap 2, 30.xi.2010. SEAG leg." / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-01291" (MNHN).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.9mm, width: 2.3mm; body elongate oval, almost parallel-sided, subdepressed; head, pronotum, and pygidia metallic greenish-blue, elytra metallic violet-blue along sutural and apical margins, but with large, rufescent maculae on most of basal two-thirds of each elytron, venter bronzy-piceous, faintly metallic; head and pronotum finely but rather conspicuously pubescent; frons with prominent anterolateral carinae over antennal bases, weakened toward middle, frontal stria present only at sides, frontal disk broadly, shallowly depressed, appearing matte, with ubiquitous dense reticulate microsculpture, ground punctation conspicuous and dense, but lacking coarser secondary punctures; supraorbital stria absent; epistoma strongly transversely produced along apical margin, labrum about 3 ×wider than long, weakly emarginate apically; both mandibles with strong, acute basal tooth; distal palpomeres, particularly those of maxilla, short and wide; antennal scape short, obliquely truncate apically, club rather small, elongate oval, pubescence more or less restricted to apical half; pronotal sides weakly convergent in basal three-fourths, abruptly narrowed to apices, marginal stria present along basal two-thirds of lateral margin, displaced anteriorly by complete submarginal stria which is finely carinate, close to marginal, continuing around anterior margin; pronotal disk rather broadly depressed in anterior corners; ground punctation of pronotal disk conspicuous, evenly distributed, lacking coarse secondary punctures; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria absent, inner subhumeral stria present in basal fifth and as few apical fragments, 1st dorsal stria more or less complete, 2nd stria present in basal two-thirds, 3rd stria obsolete in apical half and basal fourth, 4th stria represented by very short basal fragment, 5th stria absent, sutural stria present in most of apical two-thirds, but slightly abbreviated apically, elytral disk with coarse punctures in apical third; prosternum moderately broad, weakly convex, keel emarginate at base, carinal striae subparallel, slightly abbreviated anteriorly; prosternal lobe about two-thirds keel length, apical margin subtruncate, deflexed, marginal stria fine, complete; mesoventrite produced at middle, marginal stria narrowly interrupted, mesometaventral stria weakly arched forward, crenulate, fragmented at middle, meeting lateral metaventral stria at sides, extending posterolaterad toward middle of metacoxa, outer lateral metaventral stria absent, metaventral disk impunctate at middle; abdominal ventrite 1 with single lateral stria curving mediad apically, middle portion of disk impunctate; protibia 4-5 dentate, with basal denticles weak, outer margin very finely serrulate between; mesotibia with two marginal spines; outer metatibial margin smooth; propygidium without basal stria, ground punctation conspicuous and dense, especially along basal and lateral margins, discal punctures slightly larger, removed from margins, separated by their diameters or slightly more; propygidial gland openings conspicuous, present one-fourth from basal margin and almost one-third mediad lateral corners; pygidium weakly depressed along apicolateral margins, with ground punctation conspicuous, rather dense, without coarser secondary punctures. Male: not known.

Remarks.

This species is immediately identifiable by the unique color pattern (Fig. 68A), with large red maculae on the elytra and the rest of the dorsum brilliant metallic violet-blue. It has a number of other distinctive characters as well, including fine pubescence on the frons, the oblique frontal carinae over the antennal bases (Fig. 68B), the apically, transversely produced epistoma, and the apically obsolete elytral striae.

Etymology.

This lovely species is named for the senior author’s wife, in grateful recognition of her companionship and support.