Operclipygus mutuca, 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 : 43-44

Operclipygus mutuca sp. n. Fig. 8BMap 2

Type locality.

BRASIL: Mato Grosso:Fazenda Mutuca [15°18.9'S, 55°58.2'W]

Type material.

Holotype female: "BRASIL: Mato Grosso, Mpio. Cuiabá, Fazenda Mutuca, 15.3145°S, 55.9703°W. Flight intercept traps. 24 Jan 2009 F.H. Gava & J.R. Rocha", CEMT. Paratypes (2): Pernambuco: 1: Tapéra, Reichensperger (BMNH); 1: same as paratype but also with host label Acromyrmex octospinosa pallida Crawley [now synonymous with Acromyrmex octospinosus (Reich) s. str.] (BMNH).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.72-1.87 mm, width: 1.44-1.62 mm; frons flat, with complete frontal stria; supraorbital stria absent; pronotum with strong plicae in basal third; lateral submarginal pronotal striae complete, curving inward anteriorly nearly to meet recurved anterior submarginal stria; anterior marginal stria interrupted for width of head; median pronotal gland openings situated alongside of recurved submarginal stria; elytra with all dorsal striae elevated, subcarinate, with three complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria barely interrupted at middle, inner subhumeral stria more or less complete, just abbreviated at base and apex, striae 1-5 and sutural complete, 5th and sutural connected by a basal arch; apices of elytra with numerous coarse punctures tending to obscure apices of striae; prosternal keel truncate at base, with complete carinal striae united in a narrow arch just short of presternal suture, secondary carinal striae absent; mesoventral margin very weakly projecting at middle, marginal stria complete, mesometaventral stria weakly arched onto mesoventrite, turned posterad well mediad mesocoxa, with secondary lateral metaventral stria present from inner edge of mesocoxa nearly to metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with two lateral striae, outer stria abbreviated at inner corner of metacoxa; 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 barely traceable along sides as an incomplete marginal crease. Male not known.

Remarks.

Even lacking male specimens, Operclipygus mutuca is easily distinguished by the presence of a strong pronotal plica, complete sutural and inner subhumeral striae, and generally elevated, subcarinate elytral striae (Fig. 8B). It is very similar in these characters to Operclipygus carinistrius , but lacks the deeply impressed marginal pygidial sulcus of that species.

Etymology.

This species’ name refers to its type locality, Fazenda (farm) Mutuca, near Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil, which the authors had the good fortune to visit during a 2011 field trip. It is a noun in apposition.