Operclipygus propinquus, 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 : 226-227

Operclipygus propinquus sp. n. Fig. 59FMap 21

Type locality.

COSTA RICA: Puntarenas: Las Alturas Biological Station [8°57'N, 82°52'W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "COSTA RICA: Puntarenas Prov., Coto Brus, Est. Biol. Las Alturas. 1600m. 8°57'N, 82°52'W. F.I.T. #3. 30. III– 4.IV.2002 A.Tishechkin"/ "LSAM 0111357" (FMNH). Paratypes (3): COSTA RICA: Puntarenas: 1: Est. Biol. Las Cruces, Coto Brus, 8°47'N, 82°57'W, 1000m, 22-30.iii.2003, FIT, A. Cline & A. Tishechkin (LSAM); 1: Monteverde, 1240m, 21.v.1989, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, R. Leschen (SEMC); 1: Alajuela, Peñas Blancas, 875m, 19.v.1989, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, R. Leschen (SEMC).

Other material.

BELIZE: Cayo: 1: Gran de Ora, 5.vi.1995, 8.vi.1995, King/Howe/Rosado (BMNH). HONDURAS: Cortés: 2: Parque Nac. Cerro Azul-Meambar, Los Pinos, 14°52.4'N, 87°54.7'W, 800m, 10-16.v.2001, FIT, S. Peck (SEMC, CHSM). PANAMA: Chiriquí: 1: 4km N Sta. Clara Hartmann's Finca, 1500m, 30. vi– 13.vii.1982, FIT, B.D. Gill (BDGC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.28-2.53 mm, width: 1.90-2.22 mm; body rufobrunneus, elongate oval, ventrally planar, moderately convex dorsally, almost completely lacking microsculpture, only faint traces at sides of sterna, occasionally faint vestiges on propygidium; frons depressed at middle, with rather sparse ground punctation; frontal stria rounded at sides, variably incomplete across front; labrum about twice as wide as long, emarginate apically, with small off-center process beneath margin; pronotal disk lacking prescutellar impression, with very fine, inconpicuous ground punctation, ~20 coarse punctures at sides; marginal pronotal stria generally descending to hypomeron for short distance, just behind anterior corners; submarginal pronotal stria continuous across front, interrupted or completely obsolete at sides; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria short, present in only apical fourth, inner subhumeral stria absent, striae 1-4 complete (1st may be weak to obsolete at apex), 4th stria arched to near suture at base, 5th stria present in apical fourth, sutural stria present in apical half or slightly more; elytral disk with few very small subserial punctures along the apical margin; prosternal keel weakly emarginate at base, carinal striae weakly converging anteriorly; mesoventral margin weakly projecting at middle, marginal mesoventral stria fine, continuous across anterior margin; mesometaventral stria broadly arched forward to anterior third of mesoventral disk; lateral metaventral stria extending to middle of metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with two abbreviated lateral striae, outer occasionally bent laterad behind metacoxa; punctures at sides of 1st abdominal ventrite slightly coalesced, longitudinally strigose; propygidium with moderately large punctures separated by about their diameters, denser toward base, impunctate in apical fourth; pygidium with fine, sparse ground punctation, with few coarser punctures intermingled at middle; marginal pygidial stria very fine, impressed only along extreme apex. Male: aside from its larger size, there is little to distinguish the male genitalia from those of Operclipygus hamistrius (see Figs 56 A–D); the sides of the tegmen are very slightly more rounded, and broader toward the base, very much as in Operclipygus arquus (see Fig. 57K).

Remarks.

This species, while known from few specimens, has a surprisingly broad distribution, from Chiriquí, Panama to western Belize. But the species is quite distinctive within the complex, and all essential characters agree among disparate localities. It can be easily recognized by its general lack of microsculpture, its continuous submarginal pronotal stria (Fig. 59F), the 4th dorsal elytra stria arching to near the elytral suture, and its generally larger and darker body.

Etymology.

The name of this species, meaning ‘neighboring’, refers to the distribution across several neighboring countries of Central America.