Michyrus thomasi Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez, 2020

Skelley, Paul E. & Gasca-Álvarez, Héctor Jaime, 2020, Michyrus, a new genus of pleasing fungus beetles with coarsely faceted eyes (Coleoptera: Erotylidae), Insecta Mundi 2020 (836), pp. 1-8 : 3-5

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5353876

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F62CAAC1-87EB-4FC9-99D9-37C017C8D316

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/AB6DB744-2D00-B301-71E9-FB50FAE2EB6B

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Michyrus thomasi Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez
status

sp. nov.

Michyrus thomasi Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez , new species

Figures 1–9 View Figures 1–5 View Figures 6–10 .

Diagnosis. A member of the genus Michyrus , notably differs the other species of the genus ( M. yvineci ) in many characters including the pronotal disc finely, sparsely punctate; elytral striae punctures coarse and strongly impressed; prosternal hypomeron lacking coarse punctures; procoxal lines widely separated anteriorly, connecting across middle; mesoventrite with transverse groove connecting coxal lines anteriorly, and abdominal ventrite I lacking coxal line.

Description. Length: 6.9–8.3 mm; Width: 3.5–4.4 mm. Body elongate-elliptical, widest at elytral third ( Fig. 1 View Figures 1–5 ), convex in lateral view ( Fig. 3 View Figures 1–5 ) lacking microreticulations, strongly glossy, dorsally finely, sparsely punctate; body dark brown, with disc of pronotum laterally tan, elytra with vague tan marking at humerus and broad tan areas on apex, and all appendages tan.

Head width between eyes = 3 eye widths ( Fig. 4 View Figures 1–5 ); ocular striae reach base of antennae; vertex puncture size = facet, separated by 3–4× diameters; epistome puncture size = facets, separated by 1× diameter. Antennae reach middle of pronotum; antennomere III as long as next 2 antennomeres combined; antennomeres IX–XI symmetrical; antennomere XI transversely oval ( Fig. 7 View Figures 6–10 ).

Maxilla with terminal palpomere securiform, length = 0.5× width. Labium with terminal palpomere elongate, sides arcuate to narrow rounded apex. Terminal palpomere of labium width = 0.25 maxilla terminal palpomere width. Mentum with plate pentagonal ( Fig. 6 View Figures 6–10 ), depressed below strong carina forming plate, length = width, all sides nearly equal in length, sides straight and parallel at base; ridge medial extension depressed in middle, carinate laterally to apex.

Pronotum with disc finely, sparsely punctate, punctures becoming coarser laterally, but are absent near lateral margins ( Fig. 5 View Figures 1–5 ); sublateral coarse puncture size = an ocular facet, separated by 1–2 diameters. Scutellar shield pentagonal, length = 0.5× width. Elytra with strial punctures coarse and strongly impressed, puncture size on disc = 2× ocular facet diameter; intervals with fine to minute punctures.

Prosternum weakly keeled and strongly pinched anteriorly, rugose medially, smooth and impunctate laterally in front of coxa ( Fig. 2 View Figures 1–5 , 6 View Figures 6–10 ); prosternal plate with pores on each side near mid-length of procoxae; procoxal lines weakly sinuate, slightly concave at middle, length = 0.6× sternal length, lines converging anteriorly, anterior separation = 0.5× basal width of sternal process, curved inward anteriorly and weakly connecting across middle, barely surpassing coxae, length = basal width; prosternal plate apical width = half basal width; base shallowly concave; prosternal hypomeron with few poorly defined coarse punctures.

Mesoventrite with rugose transverse groove across disc connecting coxal lines anteriorly. Metaventrite with coxal lines meeting at middle, recurved; lines extend 0.33× distance to posterior lateral angle; entire surface of metaventrite with scattered minute punctures.

Abdominal ventrite I lacking coxal line ( Fig. 8 View Figures 6–10 ); all ventrites coarsely punctate along anterior margin, becoming finely punctate near posterior margin. Female genitalia with spermathecal head kidney-shaped, tail narrow, tightly curved ( Fig. 9 View Figures 6–10 ). Male unknown.

Material examined. Holotype female of Michyrus thomasi label data: “/ Barro Colorado I. / CZ Panama IX / 22,24,26 1986 / Henk Wolda // Trap 3b/” ( UCDC) . Paratypes (2 females): “/ Barro Colorado I. / CZ Panama VII- 21 / 23,25 1986 / Henk Wolda // Trap 2b/” (1 UCDC) ; “/ Barro Colorado I. / CZ Panama VII-21 / 23,25 1986 / Henk Wolda // Trap 4b/” (1 FSCA) .

Etymology. This species is named after Mike Thomas, who encouraged PES to study the Erotylidae .

UCDC

R. M. Bohart Museum of Entomology

FSCA

Florida State Collection of Arthropods, The Museum of Entomology

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Erotylidae

Genus

Michyrus

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