Paramyrmetes Bruch, 1929

Lackner, Tomas, 2017, Redescription of the enigmatic neotropical inquiline Paramyrmetesfoveipennis Bruch, 1929 with notes on myrmecophily (Coleoptera, Histeridae) in the Saprininae subfamily, ZooKeys 675, pp. 57-73 : 57

Paramyrmetes Bruch, 1929

Paramyrmetes Bruch, 1929: 421. Type species Paramyrmetes foveipennis Bruch, 1929: 422, by monotypy.

Paramyrmetes : Mazur (1984): 107; Mazur (1997): 217; Mazur (2011): 178.

Diagnosis.

Medium-sized reddish-brown shining asetose Saprininae beetle with completely punctate and shagreened dorsal cuticle, broadly rectangular head; frontal and supraorbital striae absent, labrum tongue-shaped. Dorsal elytral striae strongly reduced; apical third of elytra deeply depressed; metaventrite and first visible abdominal ventrite with (striolate) depression. Pygidium with prominent round ornamentation; tibiae dilated.

Differential diagnosis.

Based on the autapomorphies outlined above, Paramyrmetes cannot be confused with any currently known South American Saprininae genus. The overall body coloration, in combination with the depressed apical third of the elytra, metaventral and abdominal depressions and, especially the peculiarly-shaped labrum, will readily set this taxon apart from the other members of the subfamily. Moreover, Paramyrmetes possesses pygidial ornamentation in the male sex. Pygidial ornamentation occurs in the Saprininae subfamily rather seldom, and was observed so far only with female specimens of several taxa (e.g. Euspilotus (Neosaprinus) perrisi Marseul, 1872)). According to my knowledge, male pygidial ornamentation has not been reported in the Saprininae subfamily hitherto.

Biology.

The type series was found inside the refuse chambers of the ant Pogonomyrmex serpens Santchi, 1922. This species is apparently a specialised ant inquiline.

Distribution.

Known only from the type series collected in the province of Santa Fé, Argentina (Fig. 17).

Remarks.

Although Bruch (1929) mused about the metaventral- and abdominal depressions as a possible sexual character of Paramyrmetes , he did not specify the sex of the specimens he examined. As I was only able to examine a single male, I am not sure whether Paramyrmetes foveipennis is a sexually dimorphic species or not.