Leptinopterus asketus Grossi

Grossi, Paschoal Coelho, 2009, Description of two new species of Leptinopterus Hope (Coleoptera: Lucanidae: Lucaninae) with notes on the taxonomy and natural history of the genus, Zootaxa 2172, pp. 32-44 : 37-40

Leptinopterus asketus Grossi , new species

( Figs. 1, 3 , 15, 16, 17 )

Type material. Holotype male labeled: BRASIL, Paraná, Guaratuba, / Pontal do Itararé, 20-X- / 2007, 1400 m, Manual, / C. M. Maia col. ( DZUP). Allotype female labeled: S.José Pinhais – PR / Ser. Mar BR 277 km 54 / Brasil 19-I-1987 / Lev. Ent. PROFAUPAR / Malaise ( DZUP). Paratypes, three males: two as holotype except: 03-III-2005 / P. Grossi col. ( EPGC) and 06-III-2008 / P. Grossi & M. Hermes cols. ( EPGC); one labeled: BRASIL, Paraná, Campina Grande do Sul, Parque Estadual Pico Paraná, Pico Caratuva, 15-X-2008, 1800 m, C. M. Maia col. ( EPGC).

Holotype and allotype deposited at Coleção de Entomologia Pe. J. S. Moure, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil ( DZUP). Three paratypes in Everardo and Paschoal Grossi Collection ( EPGC), Nova Friburgo, Brazil.

Holotype description ( Fig. 1 ). Body elongate, slightly convex dorsally, flat with sides subparallel; pronotum and elytra covered with dark, yellowish red setae. Length: 38.0 mm. Width (pronotum): 10.5 mm Color: Dorsally reddish brown with blue iridescence; head, mandibles, legs, and venter somewhat darkish brown; gula blood red. Suprantennal gibbosity darkened. Ves ti tu r e: Pronotum and elytra setose; setae simple, golden ferruginous, denser at pronotal and elytral sides, more than 3 times longer than puncture diameter. Head: Shape transverse, 1.4 times wider than long, as wide as both elytra together; disc convex; anterior margin depressed; frons with a concave excavation at middle. Anterior angles round, somewhat projected. Ocular canthi almost straight, anterior angle of canthus straight and with a weak sinuous anterior margin. Canthi protruding into first third of the eye. Head and gena integument granulate; gena slightly convex, posteriorly punctate and less granulate. Mandibles a little more than two times longer than head. Form somewhat symmetric except near apex; basal tooth truncate, weak emarginate, above it three conical teeth, subequal in size and equidistant from each other. Apex of left mandible with a trapezoidal stronger tooth, distally with three round, smaller teeth; right mandible with apical larger tooth bifid and above it with two smaller teeth, the basal tooth truncate. Margins of mandible darkened. Labrum transverse, in dorsal view trilobed; lateral lobes pointed forward, angled; median lobe quadrate, somewhat round with deep, fovea-like setose punctures at disc; setae also present on lateral edges. In frontal view acutely projected down, elongated with parallel sides and densely setose. Mentum transverse, anterior middle emarginate and densely setose; setae long, exceeding anterior margin. Lateral margins with some scattered setae. Surface granulate, sparsely punctate; punctures fine at disc, becoming larger anteriorly. Antennae with scape somewhat curved distally, enlarge. Second to sixth antennomeres subequal in size. Club with distal antennomere almost totally tomentose, discal fovea present. Two proximal club antennomeres with tomentose area reduced. All antennomeres with scattered setae. Pronotum: Shape transverse, more than two times wider than long, slightly convex, punctate; punctures setose, fine to moderate; discal integument smooth, becoming granulate laterally. Anterior angles truncate; median and posterior angles externally projected, sharp. Anterior margin produced medially and with dense band of yellowish red setae. Posterior margin sinuous. Scutellum : Disc densely setose, totally covered by long yellowish red setae; posteriorly weakly rounded and finely punctate. Elytra: Shape elongated, longer than both head and pronotum together. Surface totally setose and finely punctate; punctures fine, increasing in size near anterior margins; setae longer than puncture diameter, denser laterally and on elytral declivity. Suture glabrous. Humeri pointed outwards, round. Legs: Protibiae with two strong distal external teeth; apical tooth stronger, somewhat forward directed and downcurved; proximal teeth weakly serrate until just below base. Mesotibiae with one minute, external tooth on right tibia; left tibia disarmed, as are metatibiae. Apex of mesotibiae and metatibiae acutely pointed. Tarsi densely setose ventrally. Arolia with 2 simple setae. Genitalia: Form simple. Genital capsule simple, similar to those of other species of Lucaninae . Aedeagus symmetric ( Fig. 15–16 ); internal sac longer than aedeagus; paired papillae erect, totally covered by minute spiculae; lateroventrally with a setose ball-like membranous process; ventrally with a smaller ball-like process. Median lobe ( Fig. 17 ) anteriorly simply concave, with no projections; laterally with three folds, 2 near middle and 1 at base.

Allotype female description ( Fig. 3 ). Differing from holotype in the following aspects. Length: 16.0 mm Width (pronotum): 5.4 mm. Color: Dorsal surface darker with iridescence more evident. Vestiture: Apparently glabrous with only posterior sides of elytra scarcely setose. Head: Shape less transverse, almost quadrate, longer than mandibles, densely punctate; punctures large becoming coarse near posterior margin of eyes. Anterior margin just straight, without excavation, dorsally flat. Integument surface not granulate, smooth and with blue iridescence. Canthi round and less developed. Supra antennal brow present, almost impunctate; punctures fine. Antennomeres shorter. Mandibles shorter than head, dorsally excavated, with 2 longitudinal carinae; internally with 1 flattened tooth, the right one bifid; bellow the left with a minute acute tooth. Labrum not transverse, conical with two lateral setose foveae, punctate; punctures setose. Mentum less transverse and totally punctate; punctures coarse to coalescent. Pronotum: Surface glabrous, anterior margin less projected; anterior angle distinctly acute; lateral margins less projected, somewhat round. Surface punctate; punctures on disc fine, progressively enlarging to lateral and posterior margins. Border incomplete at anterior middle. Elytra: Shape smaller. Surface almost totally glabrous; punctures fine, striae distinct. Legs: Protibiae with four external teeth, increasing in size distally. Mesotibiae with a distinct, well-developed median tooth. All tibiae clearly more setose than male.

Variation of male paratypes. Length: 34.0–40.0 mm. Width: 9.9–11.2 mm. One paratype with right mandible broken.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Greek asketos, meaning ornamented, in respect of the ornamented, setose body with a blue iridescence and also the dentate mandibles of the major males.

Remarks. Leptinopterus asketus is similar to L. gracilis ( Figs. 9–14 ) with which it shares the same orographic region. The pattern of dorsal setae is also similar, consisting of simple hair-like setae, while in other species such as L. fryi (Parry) the pattern is formed from brush-like setae. This species can be mainly distinguished from L. gracilis by its stronger and wider body, distinct ocular canthi, and male mandibular shape with apex with multiple teeth. In males of L. gracilis , the mandibular apex is disarmed or only with a single strong tooth. The mandibles are also flattened dorsally in the new species and somewhat concave in L. gracilis . The teeth above the basal teeth are equal in size and in position in both mandibles in L. asketus while in L. gracilis the basal teeth are asymmetrical. The labrum is dorsally flat in L. gracilis and somewhat projected forwards in L. asketus . The female body is wider in the new species and not elongated as in L. gracilis , and has a more distinct luster. The female dorsal mandibular excavation is deeper and the inner tooth has a different aspect. Male genitalia in Leptinopterus species are all very similar in shape with the lateral margin of median lobe and paired spicular structures of the everted sac being the most variable characters among them. In the new species the lateral margins of median lobe are almost simple, without folded integument and the spicular structures are somewhat vertical, as opposed to the flattened spicular structures of L. gracilis .

All males of this new species were collected in flight near a Brazilian vegetation type called Campos de Altitude. The specimens, as other insects, were collected while exhibiting hilltopping behavior at the hilltops in Paraná State. The only female specimen was collected with Malaise trap, an unusual trap for stag beetles. Leptinopterus species are all diurnal and frequently collected at hilltops, feeding at sap flows, or inside nondecayed, dead logs.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Dorsal habitus of Leptinopterus species: 1 and 3) L. asketus, male and female; 2 and 4) L. assimilis, male and female.

FIGURES 15 – 20. Ventral and lateral views of the aedeagus of the new species and ventral view of median lobe: 15 and 16) Aedeagus of L. asketus; 18 and 19) Aedeagus of L. assimilis. (Figs. 15 and 18, setae and apex of internal sac omitted). Scale bar = 1 mm. 17) Ventral view of median lobe of L. asketus; 20) Ventral view of median lobe of L. assimilis. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 9 – 14. Dorsal habitus of Leptinopterus gracilis: 9 – 13) Variation in mandibular shape; 14) Female.