Operclipygus intersectus, 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 : 227-228

Operclipygus intersectus sp. n. Fig. 59AMap 21

Type locality.

PANAMA: Panamá: Chepo-Carti Road [9.28°N, 79.1°W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "PANAMA: Panama, Chepo-Carti Rd. 400m. June 1982 FIT. B.D.Gill."/ "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00331" (CNCI). Paratypes (3): PANAMA: Panamá: 1: Chepo-Carti Rd., 400m, vi.1982, FIT, B.D. Gill (BDGC); 2: Nusagandi, Ina Igar, 18-21.v.1993, FIT/pitfall, primary forest, E.G. Riley (TAMU).

Other material.

PANAMA: Colón: 2: Parque Nac. San Lorenzo, Achiote, Cafetal C Dist., 09°11'N, 79°58'W, 250m, 27. vi– 11.vii.2007, FIT, A. Mercado (GBFM, AKTC); 1: San Lorenzo Forest, 9°17'N, 79°58'W, 6-8.x.2003, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (GBFM). Darién: 2: Cana Biological Station, Serrania de Pirre, 7°45'18"N, 77°41'6"W, 1200m, 7-9.vi.1996, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks (SEMC, FMNH), 1: 1380m, 4-7.vi.1996, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks (SEMC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.90-2.22 mm, width: 1.53-1.87 mm; body rufescent, ovoid, sides more or less evenly rounded; frons depressed at middle, with conspicuous ground punctation; frontal stria rounded at sides, variably interrupted at middle; labrum about twice as wide as long, shallowly emarginate apically; pronotum with sides weakly sinuate near base, disk with fine, sparse ground punctation, with ~15 coarser punctures at sides; marginal pronotal stria broadly interrupted behind head, complete, not descending onto hypomeron at sides; lateral submarginal pronotal stria forming an anterolateral arch, obsolete in basal half, diverging strongly from margin to front, nearly reaching anterior submarginal stria, which forms a long, continuous arch across front, variable in length; venter with pro-, meso- and anterior half of metaventrite depressed, with microsculpture throughout except on posterior metaventral swelling; prosternal keel very weakly emarginate at base, carinal striae convergent to middle, parallel anteriorly, united in narrow arch; mesoventrite faintly projecting at middle, marginal stria fine, complete to narrowly interrupted; mesometaventral stria arched forward nearly to mesoventral margin; lateral metaventral stria extending toward middle of metacoxa, barely abbreviated at apex; 1st abdominal ventrite with two abbreviated lateral striae; propygidium with only faint vestigial microsculpture, pygidium lacking microsculpture; propygidial punctures moderately large and dense in basal half, smaller and sparser to apex; pygidium with small punctures numerous, uniformly scattered to near apex; marginal pygidial stria fine, present along apical half of margin, may be fragmented apically. Male genitalia indistinguishable from those of Operclipygus arquus (see Figs 57 A–D, K).

Remarks.

The distinctive pattern of pronotal submarginal striae (Fig. 59G) distinguishes this species from close relatives in the Operclipygus hamistrius group. One of the specimens from Panama: Colón is assigned here which has the anterior portion of the submarginal stria continuous with the lateral, but the distinctive ends of the lateral striae, meeting the margin at an acute angle, associate it with this species with some confidence.

Etymology.

This species’ name refers to the distinctive intersection of the lateral submarginal pronotal stria with the lateral pronotal margin.