Tropopterus peckorum, Liebherr, James K., 2019

Liebherr, James K., 2019, Revision of Tropopterus Solier: A disjunct South American component of the Australo-Pacific Moriomorphini (Coleoptera, Carabidae), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 66 (2), pp. 147-177 : 147

3. Tropopterus peckorum sp. nov. Figures 1C , 3C, D , 6C , 9C , 10

Diagnosis

(n = 3). Beetles of this species are distinguished by their small size (standardized body length 5.5-6.0 mm) and narrow bodies. The latter is evidenced by: very flat eyes, ocular ratio = 1.30-1.33; a narrow, quadrate pronotum, MPW/PL = 1.21-1.31; and narrow, relatively flat elytra, MEW/EL = 0.66-0.68. The pronotal median base is longitudinally wrinkled near the narrow basal marginal bead, whereas the anterior margin is smooth medially, with an anterior marginal bead present only in the lateral half of each side. The sutural stria is evident as a series of minute, isolated punctures on the elytral disc, whereas it is effaced on the elytral apex. The elytral basal groove is present, continuous from laterad the parascutellar seta to the obtuse angle where it joins the lateral marginal depression. Ventrally the prosternum is broadly flattened to slightly depressed medially anterad the prosternal process, and the mesepisternum bears 7 or 8 linearly arranged punctures in the dorsoventral depression. The vertex is glossy, the pronotum glossy with indistinct transverse lines, and the elytral disc is covered with an elongate transverse mesh, the sculpticells 2 –4× as broad as long.

Description.

Head capsule narrow; eyes flat, ocular lobe little-protruded, compound eye covering 0.82-0.83 length of ocular lobe, 18-20 ommatidia across horizontal diameter of eye; antennomeres broadened apically, moderately elongate, antennomere 9 length 1.83 × greatest diameter; mandibles elongate, distance from anterior condyle to apex of left mandible 1.91 × distance from condyle to lateroapical margin of labrum; mentum basal breadth 2.86 × length from lateral apex to base, paramedial pits deep; ligular apex truncate, broad, two setae separated by three setal diameters; paraglossae extended as far beyond ligular margin as distance from paraglossal base to ligular margin. Pronotum relatively narrow, lateral margins straight to slightly sinuate before right to slightly acute hind angles; anterior transverse impression broad and shallow across width; front angles only slightly protruded; lateral marginal depression narrowest at midlength, slightly broader at front angle, broadened progressively toward hind angle; lateral seta separated from lateral marginal depression by one diameter of articulatory socket; laterobasal depression quadrate, oblique with deep inner groove and upraised tubercle in middle of depression. Elytra smooth, striae 2-4 traceable on disc as longitudinal series of minute lenticular punctures, striae 5-7 obsolete; stria 8 present anteriorly near posterior portion of anterior lateral setal series, very shallow at midlength, and deep, continuous inside posterior setal series; lateral marginal depression broad, lined with transverse sculpticells; subapical sinuation broad, shallow, elytral plica evident in lateral view. Metepisternum equitrapezoidal, the maximal width and lateral length subequal; metasternal process rounded apically, apex broadly and the side narrowly upraised in a lateral bead. Abdominal ventrites 3-6 broadly depressed laterally, suture between ventrites 1 and 2 nearly straight, surface of ventrite 2 depressed within slight sinuation; anterior margins of ventrites 4-6 depressed, intersegmental membranes punctate; female apical abdominal ventrite with two setae each side, four shorter medial setae arranged in an apically broader trapezoid. Body coloration pale (specimens appear teneral), concolorous rufobrunneous, legs not paler; ventral surface concolorous, with elytral epipleura, metepisternum, and apical half of ventrite 6 paler, rufoflavous.

Male genitalia (n = 1). Aedeagal median lobe broadest dorsoventrally at base, narrowed slightly to a narrowly rounded apex ( Fig. 3C ); internal sac with a sclerotized flagellar complex (teneral specimen), with a putative, short flagellum visible. Antecostal apodeme of abdominal IX narrowly rounded, the apex not extended beyond lateral arms ( Fig. 3D , although teneral specimen may not have sclerotized fully to attain mature configuration; e.g. Song 2004). Right paramere elongate, slightly broader at midlength with broadly rounded apex, two longer apical setae complemented by eight setae along ventral margin and several very small setae on the dorsoapical surface ( Fig. 6C ); left paramere broad basally, with short narrow apical extension that bears two longer apical setae plus several very small subapical setae.

Holotype male ( FMNH): CHILE: Quillota Prov. / Olmue, La Campana / N.P., 2.XII.1984 // FMHD#85-889, / hygrophilous forest / leaf litter, S.&J. / Peck, P#85-4, Berlese / FIELD MUSEUM NAT. HIST. // Tropopterus / Measured / Specimen #2 / det. J.K. Liebherr 2019 // HOLOTYPE / Tropopterus / peckorum/ J.K. Liebherr 2019 (black-margined red label).

Paratypes: Chile: Quillota Prov., P. N. La Campana (Sector Granizo), Cajón La Opositora, 685 m el., 32°58.80'S, 71°06.93'W, 29. xi– 29.xii.2002, sclerophyll forest, ?w/ Nothofagus obliqua , FMHD#2002-019, flight intercept trap, Thayer, Newton, Solodovnikov, 1045, FIELD MUSEUM NAT. HIST. ( FMNH, 2)

Etymology.

This species is named to honor Stewart Peck and Jarmila Kukalova-Peck for their immense contributions to systematic entomology, and their numerous discoveries of Austral biodiversity.

Distribution and habitat.

This species is known from localities in the Santiagan entomofaunal province ( O’Brien 1971) at latitudes near 33°S ( Fig. 9C ). Both collecting events are associated with ground-level microhabitats, either in forest litter via Berlese sifting, or in an octopus-baited carrion trap in sclerophyll forest with Nothofagus obliqua (Brisseau de Mirbel).

Figures

Figure 1. Tropopterus spp., dorsal view; range of standardized body lengths in mm. A. T. montagnei female; Petorca Prov., Q. Tigre Zapallar, Catapilco (MNHN). B. T. giraudyi female; Valdivia Prov., Chaihuin (EMEC). C. T. peckorum male; Quillota Prov., P. N. La Campana (FMNH). D. T. robustus female; Malleco Prov., M. N. Contulmo (FMNH). E. T. canaliculus female; Malleco Prov., P. N. Nahuelbuta (FMNH). F. T. duponchelii male; Arauco Prov., Caramavida (MCZ).

Figure 3. Male aedeagal median lobe, left view, and antecostal apodeme and tergite of abdominal IX, dorsal view. A-B. T. giraudyi; Chili, " Tropopterus nitidus Sol. ", Chaudoir Coll. (MNHN). C, D. T. peckorum; Quillota Prov., P. N. La Campana (FMNH) (D darkened to allow viewing of teneral dissection). E-H. T. robustus; Malleco Prov., M. N. Contulmo. E-F. (CMNH). G, H. (FMNH). For abbreviations used to label structures see Table 1.

Figure 6. Paired sets of left parameres (above) and right parmeres (below), ectal view, for male specimens of Tropopterus spp. Parameres are in anatomically correct orientation with ventral surface toward bottom of drawing. A, B. T. giraudyi. A. Malleco Prov., P. N. Nahuelbuta (FMNH). B. Chili, " Tropopterus nitidus Sol. " [sic], Chaudoir Coll. (MNHN). C. T. peckorum; Quillota Prov., P. N. La Campana (FMNH). D, E. T. robustus. D. Malleco Prov., P. N. Contulmo (CMNH). E. Cautin Prov., Bellavista (CAS). F, G. T. canaliculus. F. Malleco Prov., P. N. Nahuelbuta (FMNH). G. Arauco Prov., Caramavida (NMNH). H-I. T. duponchelii. H. Talca Prov., Altos de Vilches (MNHN). I. Arauco Prov., Caramavida (MCZ). J, K. T. minimucro. J. Cautin Prov., Bellavista (EMEC). K. Llanquihue Prov. P. N. Vicente Perez Rosales (FMNH). L. T. fieldianus; Valdivia, La Union (FSCA).

Figure 9. A-I. Geographic distributions of Tropopterus spp. A. T. montagnei. B. T. giraudyi. C. T. peckorum. D. T. robustus. E. T. canaliculus. F. T. duponchelii. G. T. trisinuatus. H. T. minimucro. I. T. fieldianus. J. Geographical distributions of Tropopterus spp., labeled as per figures above, hierarchically arranged by phylogenetic relationships of the taxon cladogram, Fig. 10.

Figure 10. Cladogram returned under all cladistic protocols described in text; tree length = 97, CI = 57, RI = 47, fast character optimization shown. Outgroup choice of Pharetis thayerae based on results in Liebherr (2020). Geographic region abbreviations after taxon name include: eastern Australia (EOZ); Santiagan entomofaunal province (San); Northern Valdivian entomofaunal province (NV); Southern Valdivian Entomofaunal province (SV).