Ochrolitus Sharp, 1889

Gimmel, Matthew L., 2013, <strong> Genus-level revision of the family Phalacridae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) </ strong>, Zootaxa 3605 (1), pp. 1-147 : 71-72

17. Ochrolitus Sharp, 1889

( Figs. 20 ; 40d, e )

Ochrolitus Sharp 1889: 264 . Type species: Ochrolitus optatus Sharp 1889 , fixed by subsequent designation.

Gorginus Guillebeau 1894 a: 283 . Type species: Olibrus rubens LeConte 1856 , fixed by original designation. Syn. nov. Erythrolitus Casey 1916: 85 . Type species: Olibrus rubens LeConte 1856 , fixed by monotypy.

Type material. Ochrolitus optatus Sharp : holotype, “ Ochrolitus \ optatus \ Type D.S. \ Irazu 6-7000 ft. \ Rogers. [handwritten on specimen card] // Type [orange-bordered disc] // Sp. figured. // Irazu, \ 6-7000 ft. \ H. Rogers. // B.C.A.,Col., II,(1). // HOLOTYPE \ Ochrolitus \ optatus Sharp \ det. M.L. Gimmel 2010 [red label]” ( BMNH), card mounted.

Olibrus rubens LeConte : holotype, “[orange disc] // Type \ 6651 [red label, number handwritten] // O. rubens \ Lec. [handwritten] // HOLOTYPE \ Olibrus \ rubens LeConte \ det. M.L. Gimmel 2010 [red label]” ( MCZ), point mounted.

Diagnosis. Recognized by the long protibial ctenidium, small scutellar shield, metaventral process not exceeding mesocoxae anteriorly, metaventral lines separated from mesocoxal cavities, two or three elytral striae, and prosternal process with row of spinelike setae at apex.

Description. Small to medium-sized, total length 1.5–2.5 mm. Dorsal color solid reddish-testaceous to reddish-piceous ( Figs. 40d, e ). Tibial spur formula 2-2-2, tarsal formula 5-5- 5 in both sexes.

Head. Not constricted behind eyes. Eyes small to medium-sized; facets flat; interfacetal setae absent; weakly emarginate medially; without posterior emargination; periocular groove absent or present but weak; with transverse setose groove ventrally behind eye. Frontoclypeus emarginate above antennal insertion; clypeal apex arcuatetruncate. Antennal club 3-segmented, club weakly asymmetrical; antennomere XI turbinate ( Fig. 20b ). Mandible ( Fig. 20a ) with apex bidentate, with row small, rounded teeth on dorsal edge; retinaculum absent; mandible without ventral ridge. Maxillary palpomere IV fusiform, short, nearly symmetrical; galea short, rounded; lacinia with two stout spines. Mentum with sides divergent toward apex; labial palpomere III fusiform. Labrum with apical margin truncate. Gular sutures short, barely evident .

Thorax. Pronotum with obvious microsetae present, distinct; with weakly to moderately developed scutellar lobe. Prosternum anteriorly with continuous row of marginal setae, setae flattened at base; procoxal cavity with anterolateral notchlike extension; prosternal process angulate and shelflike in lateral view, with narrow horizontal translucent apical process and row of spinelike setae at apex. Protrochanter without setae; protibia with ctenidium on kickface, extending about three-quarters length of tibia ( Fig. 20c ). Scutellar shield small. Elytron with spectral iridescence; with two or three sutural striae; disc with rudimentary striae or rows of punctures; with moderate to strong transverse strigae; lateral margin with row of tiny, sawtooth-like setae. Mesoventral plate ( Fig. 20f ) not notched anteriorly, extending posteriorly to metaventrite, dividing mesoventral disc in two, forming procoxal rests; mesanepisternum with incomplete transverse carina; mesocoxal cavities separated by about half width of a coxal cavity. Mesotarsomere III not bilobed. Metaventral process ( Fig. 20f ) extending not quite to anterior level of mesocoxae; metaventral postcoxal lines separated from mesocoxal cavity margin, smoothly arcuate; discrimen short, extending less than halfway to anterior margin of metaventral process; metendosternite ( Fig. 20g ) with anterior tendons moderately separated, ventral process intersecting ventral longitudinal flange at anterior margin. Anterior margin of metacoxa with emargination sublaterally; metacoxal plate with transverse line; metatibial foreface with apical ctenidium roughly perpendicular overall to long axis of tibia; spurs cylindrical, longest spur subequal to or longer than width of tibial apex; metatarsomere I longer than metatarsomere II, joint between I and II rigid ( Fig. 20d ). Hind wing ( Fig. 20e ) with distinct, ovate anal lobe; leading edge without row of long setae at level of RA +ScP; AA 3+4 extremely weak, crossvein to Cu absent; cubitoanal system unbranched apically; MP 3+4 and (possibly) CuA 2 with distal remnants; r4 present, weak, connecting RP to RA 3+4; flecks absent from apical field distal to rp-mp2; long transverse proximal sclerite and faint triangular sclerite present just distal to end of radial bar.

Abdomen. Abdominal ventrite I without paired lines or calli; spiracles present and apparently functional on segment VII. Male with aedeagus upright in repose; tegmen ( Fig. 20h ) with asymmetrical anterior margin and parameres hinged to basal piece, parameres with medial longitudinal division; penis ( Fig. 20i ) with with paired sclerites and fields of endophallic spicules, apex simple; spiculum gastrale V-shaped, arms connected by broad sclerotized lamina, anterior portion oblique. Female ovipositor weakly sclerotized, palpiform.

Immature stages. Unknown.

Bionomics. Apparently scarce throughout most of its range, but most commonly collected at blacklights. Other methods of collection are flight intercept traps and fogging. This is one of the most abundantly collected phalacrids in Lindgren funnel traps in the southeastern United States.

Distribution and diversity. This genus contains two described species and at least one undescribed species, the latter of which is widespread in the Neotropical Region. I have seen specimens from New Jersey to Texas, south to Bolivia and Santa Catarina, Brazil. From the West Indies I have seen specimens only from Dominican Republic, and these may represent a new species.

Included species (2):

Ochrolitus optatus Sharp, 1889 ( Distribution : Costa Rica) (type!)

Ochrolitus rubens (LeConte, 1856) , comb. nov. ( Gorginus ) ( Distribution : USA) (type!)

Discussion. Casey (1889 –1890) described the species Ochrolitus tristriatus in this genus, without seeing Sharp’s type of O. optatus . He believed the species to be congeneric based on the habitus drawing and short description in Sharp (1889). Guillebeau (1894 a) erected a separate genus for O. rubens , Gorginus , in his world treatment of the family. Casey (1916) redundantly devoted a new genus, Erythrolitus , to O. rubens (without knowledge of Guillebeau’s actions over twenty years previous), in recognition of the difference between the two Nearctic forms. However, after examination of all types involved, I am convinced that no significant structural differences exist between the type species of Ochrolitus and Gorginus , and therefore I propose their synonymy. This necessitates the formation of one new combination (see above). Ochrolitus tristriatus Casey actually belongs in the genus Litostilbus Guillebeau (see account of that genus).

Figures

FIGURE 20. Ochrolitus rubens, male. (a) Left mandible, dorsal; (b) left antenna (scale bar = 0.5 mm). (c) Left protibia and tarsus, dorsal; (d) left metatibia and tarsus, ventral (scale bar = 0.5 mm). (e) Hind wing (scale bar = 1.0 mm). (f) Meso- and metaventrite, ventral (scale bar = 0.5 mm). (g) Metendosternite (scale bar = 0.5 mm). (h) Tegmen, dorsal; (i) penis, ventral (scale bar = 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 40. Photographs. Olibroporus punctatus: (a) dorsal. Pycinus sp.: (b) dorsal; (c) ventral. Ochrolitus rubens: (d) dorsal; (e) ventral. Sveculus lewisi, holotype: (f) dorsal; (g) ventral. Tolyphus (Tolyphus) granulatus: (h) dorsal; (i) head and pronotum laterally, showing eye facets.