Baconia leivasi, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Baconia Lewis (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 343, pp. 1-297 : 267-269

Baconia leivasi sp. n. Figs 84 A–B 85Map 23

Type locality.

BRAZIL: Paraná: Campina Grande do Sul [25.2965˚S, 49.0381˚W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "Brasil, Paraná: Campina Grande do Sul, Estrada da Mandaçaia - 1800. 26/XII/2008 F.W.T.Leivas (leg.)" / “Interceptação de vôo (FIT)" / “DZUP272498” (UFPR).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.6mm, width: 1.6mm; body elongate oval, nearly parallel-sided, subdepressed, glabrous; entire body rufobrunneus to rufopiceous, elytral very faintly bronzy; frons wide, with short, weak anterolateral carinae over antennal bases, frontal stria present only along upper two-thirds of ocular margin, frontal disk weakly depressed at middle, ground punctation fine but conspicuous, few coarser punctures at middle and dorsad, supraorbital stria absent, epistoma wide, convex, labrum about 3 ×wider than long, very weakly emarginate apically; both mandibles with small, acute basal tooth; antennal scape short, club elongate oval; pronotal sides rather evenly arcuate to apices, marginal stria complete along lateral and anterior margins, with additional transverse submarginal anterior stria detached at sides, lateral submarginal pronotal stria present along middle three-fourths of sides, on inner edge of marginal ridge, pronotal disk depressed alongside; ground punctation of pronotal disk fine, sparse, with very small secondary punctures sparsely interspersed throughout, larger laterally; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria absent, inner subhumeral stria present in basal two-thirds, dorsal striae 1-4 more or less complete, though inner striae progressively abbreviated apically, 5th stria present in basal half, connected by basal arch to complete sutural stria, elytral disk with coarse punctures in apical fourth; prosternum narrow, convex, keel weakly emarginate at base, carinal striae convergent between coxae, divergent and obsolete anterad; prosternal lobe short, about one-half keel length, apical margin broadly rounded, marginal stria obsolete at sides; mesoventrite produced at middle, marginal stria complete, mesometaventral stria weakly arched forward, crenulate, complete, meeting lateral metaventral stria at sides, curving posterolaterad toward inner third of metacoxa, outer lateral metaventral stria about one-third length of inner stria, metaventral disk impunctate at middle; abdominal ventrite 1 with single lateral stria abbreviated apically, middle portion of disk with small secondary punctures scattered in basal half, smaller but more densely impressed along apical margin; protibia with 4 very weak marginal denticles, outer margin finely serrulate between; mesotibia with one marginal and 2-3 weak submarginal spines; outer metatibial margin smooth; propygidium without basal stria, discal punctures small, separated by slightly less than their diameters in basal half, smaller and much sparser apically; propygidial gland openings very small, present one-fourth from basal and lateral margins; pygidium with ground punctation fine, sparse, with few small secondary punctures along basal margin. Male genitalia (Fig. 85): T8 short, sides rounded, converging apically, basal emargination very shallow, apical emargination narrow, acute, ventrolateral apodemes extending about one-half distad from base, widely separated beneath; S8 halves approximate in basal third, inner margins diverging toward apex, lateral margins subparallel, apical guides widened only near apex, bearing a few conspicuous apical setae; T9 with proximal apodemes thin, about one-third total length, apices narrowly subacute, ventrolateral apodemes weakly dentate beneath; S9 apparently completely divided along midline, stem very narrow to base, head abruptly widened; tegmen with sides slightly sinuate, widest just beyond midpoint, very weakly bent ventrad near apex; median lobe simple, one-fourth tegmen length; basal piece very short, one-fifth tegmen length.

Remarks.

While the weakly dentate protibiae and poorly developed frontal carinae (Fig. 84B) of this species suggest relationships with the Baconia micans group, it could not be confused with any of them, as it is much more elongate, subdepressed, and non-metallic (Fig. 84A). The shallow but broad and distinctly crenulate elytral striae are quite distinctive, as is the basal connection of the 5th elytral and sutural striae

Etymology.

This species is named in honor of our friend and colleague, Dr. Fernando Leivas, whose family’s hospitality during our 2011 visit was very generous. The lone specimen was collected on the family’s small ranch near Curitiba, Paraná.