Asklepia biolat Erwin & Zamorano, 2014

Erwin, Terry L. & Zamorano, Laura S., 2014, A synopsis of the tribe Lachnophorini, with a new genus of Neotropical distribution and a revision of the Neotropical genus Asklepia Liebke, 1938 (Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae), ZooKeys 430, pp. 1-108 : 49-51

Asklepia biolat Erwin & Zamorano sp. n. Biolat pattern-wing beetle Figs 40 , 65 , 78

Holotype.

Perú, Madre de Dios, BIOLAT Biological Station, Pakitza, Zone 9, 11.8931°S, 71.2564°W, 382m, 1 October 1989 (T.L. Erwin)(MUSM: ADP132509, male).

Derivation of specific epithet.

The specific epithet, biolat, is used as a noun in apposition based on the acronym of the Smithsonian Institution’s past program "Biodiversity in Latin America" (BIOLAT) which sought to field-train young Latin American biology students in biodiversity techniques and did so for more than 200 of them between 1987 and 1991 in Perú and Bolivia. These beetles were collected under the auspices of the BIOLAT Program.

Proposed english vernacular name.

Biolat pattern-wing beetles.

Diagnosis.

With the attributes of the genus Asklepia as described by Liebke (1938) and as noted above under the generic diagnosis, and medium to large-sized for the genus (SBL = 2.787-3.247 mm). Adults with head, prothorax, and elytral maculae (slightly fulvous in some individuals); elytron fuscous with scutellar area, basal third of disc, and apical sutural area aurantiacus; metasternum, abdominal sterna III-VI, and epipleuron flavotestaceous, abdominal sternum VII infuscated; legs testaceous; antennal scape and pedicel testaceous, antennomeres 3-6 and base of 7 deeply infuscated, apical half of 7 and 8-11 white. Dorsal surface devoid of microsculpture, surface luster very shiny. Pronotum markedly convex with lateral margin effaced except just anterior to hind angle and there a simple bead; hind angle acute, not very prominent. Elytral interneurs evident as rows of subsurface dots in the substantially transparent elytron.

Description.

( Fig. 40 , 65 ). Habitus: ( Fig. 40 ). Size: [See also Table 12 ] Large-size for the genus; ABL = 3.127-3.421 mm, SBL = 2.787-3.247 mm, TW (total width) 0.694-0.908 mm, LP = 0.637-0.746 mm, WP = 0.747-0.935 mm, LE = 1.750-2.035 mm. Color: See diagnosis above. Luster: See diagnosis above. Head ( Fig. 40 ): as in description for genus above. Prothorax. Pronotum ( Fig. 40 ) moderately broad, not quite as wide as head across eyes (WH/WP, mean both sexes: 1.007), longer than head (LP/LH, mean both sexes: 1.603), slightly wider than long (WP/LP, mean both sexes: 1.244); markedly cordiform, lateral margin effaced with seta at anterior third on slightly raised area; base markedly constricted; hind angle slightly acutely produced and setose; surface markedly smooth throughout. Pterothorax. Normal for genus, see description for genus above. Elytron twice as wide as head across eyes (WH/TW: mean, both sexes, 0.522), and pronotum (WP/TW, mean both sexes: 0.518), longer than wide, moderately convex, intervals and interneurs effaced (see diagnosis above), interneur 2 with 7 setae, interneur 5 with two setae. Hind wings dimorphic; most specimens studied are brachypterous. Legs. Overall, normal for genus, see description for genus above. Abdominal sterna. Overall, normal for genus, see description for genus above. Male genitalia ( Fig. 65 , see Fig. 61 for attribute labels). Median lobe with phallobase moderate in length, about a fifth the length of shaft, basal opening large, oblique to shaft. Shaft broad, slightly curved ventrally at distal sixth, dorsally sclerotized except for short ostium; in ventral aspect tapered toward rather moderately rounded apex, in lateral aspect, a rounded blunt apex. Left paramere very large and broad, right small and triangular; apex of left paramere lobate much longer than right paramere about half the length of shaft (measured in left lateral aspect). Endophallus with one very large preapical spine. Female genitalia. Not investigated, presumably similar to that of Asklepia demiti sp. n.

Dispersal potential.

These beetles are macropterous and probably capable of flight. They are moderately swift and agile runners.

Distribution.

( Fig. 78 ). This species has been found at locations on the white-water system of the upper Amazon River drainage system. But that does not at all indicate its real distribution: as has been pointed out above, very small beetles are inadequately sampled, especially in the Neotropics.

Way of life.

See Erwin (1991) for a general description of the genus. Adults of this species are active in all seasons in lowland rainforest along small stony stream margins in wet leaf litter on sand and are active at night. They also inhabit wet leaf litter lying on half submerged tree trunks and branches. In addition, they climb culms of Paspalum grasses at river edges.

Other specimens examined.

Perú, Madre de Dios, BIOLAT Biological Station, Pakitza, Zone 9, 11.8931°S, 71.2564°W, 382m, 1 October 1989 (T.L. Erwin)(NMNH: ADP132525, ADP132524, ADP132490, ADP132505, ADP132492, ADP132508, female paratypes, ADP132509, ADP132467, ADP132474, ADP132481, ADP132487, ADP132489, ADP132484, ADP132469, ADP132475, ADP132463, ADP132478, male paratypes), Río Manu, 11.9350°S, 71.3032°W, 329m, 18 & 21 February 1990 (T.L. Erwin, E. Pfuno S., F. Pfuno S.)(NMNH: ADP132575, ADP132480, male paratypes); Río Manu, Pakitza, 11.5647°S, 71.1700°W, 356m, 11 July 1992 (T.L. Erwin, E. Pfuno S., F. Pfuno S.)(NMNH: ADP109198, ADP132996, female paratypes); 11.9350°S, 71.3032°W, 329m, 13 July 1992 (T.L. Erwin, E. Pfuno S., F. Pfuno S.)(NMNH: ADP132988, female paratype, ADP133195, male paratype); 11.9099°S, 71.2717°W, 395m, 24 June 1993 (T.L. Erwin, F. Pfuno S.)(NMNH: ADP133189, female paratype, ADP133193, ADP133149, ADP132707, ADP133171, male paratypes).

Notes.

See Erwin (1990) and Venable & Erwin (1996) for detailed trail maps of the BIOLAT Biodiversity Station.

Figures

Figure 78. Distribution map for known localities of Asklepia species of the pulchripennis group.

Figure 37 - 40. Digital Photo-illustrations, habitus, dorsal aspect of holotypes. 37 Asklepia matomena Zamorano & Erwin, sp. n. ADP 132519, 20 km SW Manaus, Brazil 38 Asklepia adisi Erwin & Zamorano, sp. n. Adis 000691, Ilha de Marchantaria, Lago Camaleao, Brazil 39 Asklepia asuncionensis Erwin & Zamorano, sp. n. ADP 130036, Asuncion, Rio Paraguay, Paraguay 40 Asklepia biolat Erwin & Zamorano, sp. n. ADP 132509, Pakitza, Peru. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figure 63 - 68. Illustrations, male aedeagus, dorsal, ventral, left lateral aspects. 63 Asklepia matomena Zamorano & Erwin, sp. n. ADP 132527, 20 km SW Manaus, Brazil 64 Asklepia adisi Erwin & Zamorano, sp. n. Adis 001335, Ilha de Marchantaria, Lago Camaleao, Brazil 65 Asklepia biolat Erwin & Zamorano, sp. n. ADP 132480, Pakitza, Peru 66 Asklepia bracheia Zamorano & Erwin, sp. n. ADP 067304, Boca del Rio Samiria Peru 67 Asklepia ecuadoriana Erwin & Zamorano, sp. n. ADP 132468, Limoncocha, Ecuador. Endophallus not everted 68 Asklepia ecuadoriana Erwin & Zamorano, sp. n. ADP 132468, Limoncocha, Ecuador. Endophallus everted. Scale line = 0.25 mm.

Figure 57 - 62. Illustrations, male aedeagus, dorsal, ventral, left lateral aspects. 57 Asklepia geminata (Bates, 1871) ADP 109186, Rio Samiria, Boca Cano Ingles Camp, Peru 58 Asklepia campbellorum Zamorano & Erwin, sp. n. ADP 109196, 20 km SW Manaus, Brazil 59 Asklepia demiti Erwin & Zamorano, sp. n. ADP 132585, Rio Demiti, Brazil 60 Asklepia grammechrysea Zamorano & Erwin, sp. n. ADP 052565, Rio Sucusari, Peru 61 Asklepia laetitia Zamorano & Erwin, sp. n. ADP 109190, Leticia, Colombia. Legend: a apical area; bl basal lobe; bo basal orifice; lp left paramere; ml median lobe; om ostial membrane; oo ostial opening; rp right paramere; sh shaft; pb phallobase; ps phallobase shaft; ms medial spine; ds distal spine 62 Asklepia lebioides (Bates, 1871), comb. n., ADP 109208, Rio Demiti, Brazil. Scale line = 0.25 mm.