Baconia clemens, 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 : 266-267

Baconia clemens sp. n. Figs 82 E–F83D–F, K–LMap 23

Type locality.

BRAZIL: Mato Grosso do Sul: Três Lagoas [20.8°S, 51.7°W]

Type material.

Holotype male: “BR-MS-Três Lagoas Champion Papel e Celulose Horto Rio Verde, black light trap - Eucalyptus grandis stand, Flechtmann, C.A.H. col., 16/XI/1994" / “C-1579” / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00433" (UNESP). Paratypes (3): FRENCH GUIANA:1: Belvèdére de Saül, 3°1'22"N, 53°12'34"W, 30.xi.2010, FIT, SEAG (CHND); 1: Montagne des Chevaux, 4°43'N, 52°24'W, FIT, 10.iii.2012, SEAG (MNHN). PERU:1: Madre de Dios: Res. Tambopata, 30 km (air) SW Pto. Maldonado, 12°50'S, 069°20'W, 290 m, 1.ii.2018, canopy fogging, T. Erwin (USNM).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.8-2.0mm, width: 1.6-1.7mm; body elongate oval, weakly depressed, glabrous; head, pronotum and pygidia metallic greenish-blue to blue, elytra contrasting slightly, more blue than greenish blue, venter rufo-piceous; frons appearing slightly elongate, interocular margins approximately parallel, frontal disk flat, ground punctation conspicuous, secondary punctures numerous and dense, frontal stria extending along inner edge of eye, curving mediad in front but broadly interrupted in middle; supraorbital stria absent; epistoma weakly convex along apical margin; labrum about 3 ×wider than long, apical margin deeply, subacutely emarginate; mandibles lacking inner marginal teeth; antennal scape short, club elongate oval; pronotum somewhat elongate, sides evenly convergent in basal three-fourths, abruptly arcuate to apex, distinctly depressed in anterior corners, marginal stria complete along lateral and anterior margins, slightly crenulate in front, lateral submarginal stria absent, ground punctation of pronotal disk fine, interspersed with coarse secondary punctures throughout, those anterolaterad scutellum markedly larger; elytra with 2 complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria absent, inner subhumeral stria present in about basal three-fourths, medially interrupted or complete, dorsal striae 1-5 more or less complete, though the inner striae may be variably abbreviated apically, sutural stria present in apical half to two-thirds, elytral disk with coarse punctures in apical third; prosternum moderately broad, weakly convex, keel shallowly emarginate at base, carinal striae complete, divergent anterad, separate throughout; prosternal lobe about two-thirds keel length, rather broad and flat, apical margin bluntly rounded, marginal stria fine across middle, obsolete at sides; mesoventrite weakly produced at middle, marginal stria complete, mesometaventral stria arched forward, crenulate, continuous at sides with lateral metaventral stria, which extends posterolaterad toward middle of metacoxa; outer lateral metaventral stria may be indicated by few connected punctures; metaventral and abdominal disks with ground punctation sparse but rather conspicuous; abdominal ventrite 1 with single lateral stria slightly abbreviated; protibia 4-5 dentate, basal denticles weak, outer margin very finely serrulate; mesotibia with two weak marginal spines; outer metatibial margin smooth; propygidium with out basal stria, ground punctation distinct, secondary punctures small but numerous, uniformly scattered, separated by about their diameters; propygidial gland openings evident one-fourth from anterior and lateral margins; pygidium with ground punctation fine, rather dense, secondary punctures small, mostly restricted to basal third. Male genitalia (Figs 83 D–F, K–L): T8 with deep basal emargination, sides weakly rounded at base, subparallel to apex, apical emargination very shallow, ventrolateral apodemes extending about one-half distad from base, separated by about two-thirds T8 width; S8 halves approximate in basal fourth, diverging strongly, narrowing slightly toward apex, apices narrowly rounded; T9 with proximal apodemes very thick, not differentiated from dorsal lobes, dorsal lobes narrow, converging, narrowly subacute at apices, ventrolateral apodemes strongly dentate beneath; S9 stem narrow at middle but strongly widened basally and apically, apical arms divergent, with weakly recurved basolateral teeth; tegmen narrow, sides subparallel in basal two-thirds, lateral profile uneven, depressed in basal half, rather thick at middle, then distinctly excavate beneath at subapical foramen; median lobe one-fourth tegmen length; basal piece one-third tegmen length.

Remarks.

Despite the widespread localities for the type specimens, this species is quite distinctive and uniform (except in coloration, with the Peruvian specimen’s pronotum distinctly greener), and we choose to unite them all unambiguously as types. The head characters distinguish it most easily, with the frontal disk flat (Fig. 82F), somewhat reclined, subquadrate and punctate, the labrum deeply emarginate, and the mandibles lacking basal teeth. The presence of mostly complete striae 1-5 and the sutural stria is also rather unusual for Baconia , as is the almost uniformly punctate pronotum (Fig. 82E).

Etymology.

The Latin name clemens means tranquil, merciful, or reclined, and alludes both to the lack of mandibular teeth and the ‘reclined’ position of the frons in repose.