Operclipygus punctifrons, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Operclipygus Marseul (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 271, pp. 1-401 : 195-197

Operclipygus punctifrons sp. n. Figs 51 D–H53A–BMap 18

Type locality.

BRASIL: Distrito Federal: Brasilia, IBGE Ecological Reserve [15°5.5'S, 47°53'W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "BRASIL: Dist. Federal, Brasilia, Res. Ecol. de IBGE, 15°5.5'S, 47°53'W. Lin. 1, Pto. 1. Armad. janela, area não queimada. 6.1.1998"/ "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00550" (UFPR). Paratypes (2): 1: same data as type (CHND); 1: same locality, Malaise trap, 22.xii.1997 (UFPR)

Other material.

ARGENTINA: Jujuy: Parque Nac. Calilegua, Aguas Negras, 550m, 18-28.xii.1987, FIT, S. & J. Peck (CMNC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.25-2.56 mm, width: 1.72-2.00 mm; body rufobrunneus, elongate, sides subparallel for most of length, subdepressed, pronotum and head with very conspicuous ground punctation; frons weakly depressed at middle, frontal stria divergent between eyes, more or less straight at middle; epistoma short; labrum about half as long as wide, shallowly emarginate; both mandibles with prominent subacute tooth at base; pronotal disk lacking prescutellar impression, ground punctation becoming more conspicuous to sides, with ~10 coarser punctures laterally; marginal stria interrupted behind head; submarginal stria continuous from sides across front, markedly crenulate; median pronotal gland opening behind eye, anterolateral opening midway between median and anterior pronotal corner; elytron with one complete epipleural stria, outer subhumeral stria nearly complete, barely abbreviated basally, inner subhumeral stria absent, striae 1-3 complete, 4th stria nearly complete, abbreviated or interrupted near base, 5th stria present in apical half, sutural stria present in apical two-thirds; elytral disk with distinct, irregular series of punctures along apical margin vaguely connecting apices of striae; prosternal keel very weakly produced at base, carinal striae connected at base and just short of presternal suture, enclosed area microsculptured, secondary striae faintly impressed behind prosternal gland openings; prosternal lobe lacking marginal stria, densely punctate at middle; mesoventrite weakly emarginate, marginal stria interrupted; mesometaventral stria weakly angulate at middle, reaching beyond middle of mesoventral disk, sinuate near mesocoxa, lateral metaventral striae extending to outer third of metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with two complete lateral striae, inner pair extended weakly mediad along basal margin, not meeting; propygidium with moderately large, shallow round punctures more or less uniformly separated by half their diameters; pygidium with ground punctation fine and sparse, with small round punctures quite uniformly separated by their diameters; marginal pygidial sulcus fine, complete. Male genitalia (Figs 51 D–H): accessory sclerites present; T8 with sides evenly convergent from base to apex, without apicolateral desclerotized areas, basal emargination broadly arcuate, deep, nearly reaching basal membrane attachment line, apical emargination wide at apex, narrowing, ventrolateral apodemes most strongly developed near base, narrowing to near apex; S8 with sides subparallel, weakly divergent apically, apices of guides slightly produced on inner edges, 3 or 4 prominent setae apically, ventromedial edges approximate throughout length, possibly weakly fused; T9 with sides rather evenly, arcuately convergent to apex, apices narrow, subacute, not opposing; T10 large, completely divided; S9 with stem narrow, with strengthening ridge along midline, base truncate, apex narrowly inwardly arcuate, apical flange uninterrupted; tegmen long, narrow, subparallel in basal two-thirds narrowed to subacute apex, dorsal edge rather evenly curved from base to apex, membraneous beneath, appearing bulged, medioventral process long, acute at apex, very weakly sclerotized, contained within ventral membrane, not projecting beneath; basal piece about one-fourth tegmen length; median lobe narrow, over half tegmen length, with proximal apodemes weak, narrow, not obviously differentiated.

Remarks.

While apparently closely related to Operclipygus distractus , with a produced prosternal keel base, a few punctures along the apical elytral margin, and lacking a marginal stria on the prosternal lobe, this species is readily distinguished by its conspicuous pronotal and head ground punctation(Figs 53 A–B), its complete frontal stria, and its nearly complete outer subhumeral stria. We exclude an Argentinian singleton from the type series due to slight aedeagal differences, though other characters indicate an unambiguously close relationship.

Etymology.

The name of this species refers to the conspicuous ground punctation of the frons, as well as on other parts of the body.