Operclipygus foveiventris, 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 : 280-283

Operclipygus foveiventris sp. n. Figs 73 E–F75A–C, GMap 26

Type locality.

BELIZE: Cayo: Las Cuevas Research Station [16°44'N, 88°60'W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "BELIZE: Cayo, Las Cuevas Res. Sta. 550m, v.1997, D. Inward"/ "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00323" (BMNH). Paratypes (31): 29: same data as type, except as noted: 13: same data as type (BMNH, FMNH, MSCC, AKTC, CHND),2: 16°44'N, 88°59'W, 500-700m, i-ii.1998 (BMNH), 1: iv.1996 (BMNH), 2: v.1996 (BMNH), 2: vi.2006, J. Kitson (BMNH), 1: 5.viii.1994, FIT (BMNH), 1: 22-23.v.2000, FIT, M.S. Caterino (MSCC), 1: 23.v.2000 (MSCC), 1: 11.viii.1994, FIT (BMNH), 2: 5.viii.1994, FIT (BMNH), 1: 16.ix.1994, FIT (BMNH); 2: 16°43.971'N, 88°59.196'W, 580m, 1 -4.vi.2008, B. Ratcliffe, R. Cave, M. Jameson, J. Orozco (UNL); 1: New Maria, 20.i.1995, FIT (BMNH); Stann Creek: 1: Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, 16°46.830'N, 88°27.543'W, 80m, 30-31.v.2008, B. Ratcliffe, R. Cave, M. Jameson, J. Orozco (UNL).

Other material.

HONDURAS: Atlantida: 3: 13km E La Ceiba, 150m, vii.1996, FIT, cocoa plantation, R. Lehman (TAMU); 3: 15km W La Ceiba, 15-19.vi.1996, FIT, tropical rainforest, R. Lehman (TAMU), 1: 20.vi--20.vii.1996, Malaise trap, tropical rainforest, R. Lehman (TAMU), 1: 15-19.vi.1996, R. Lehman (TAMU); Cortés, 1: Parque Nac. Cusuco, 5km N Buenos Aires, 15°29'N, 88°13'W, 15.viii.1995, Malaise trap, oak/pine cloud forest, R. Cave (AKTC), 1: 30.viii.1995, Malaise trap, oak/pine cloud forest, R. Cave (AKTC); 7: Lago Yojoa, 650m, 23-28.viii.1994, FIT, tropical, evergreen forest, S. & J. Peck (CMNC); 1: Yojoa Lake, Deer Island, 14 °55'N, 87°58'W, 670m, 22-26.vi.1994, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks (SEMC). MEXICO: Chiapas: 1: Playon de la Gloria, 16.16036°N, 90.90148°W, 160m, 24.vi.2008, sifted leaf litter, mature wet forest (SEMC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.31-2.71 mm, width: 2.06-2.25 mm; body rufopiceous, oval, with sides distinctly rounded, strongly convex; frons and upper part of epistoma strongly impressed; frontal stria divergent between eyes, interrupted over antennal bases, arcuate across middle; labrum about twice as wide as long, weakly emarginate apically; pronotal disk weakly impressed in prescutellar region, but lacking discrete impression, with very fine, inconspicuous ground punctation and ~20 coarse lateral punctures; marginal pronotal stria complete along anterior and lateral margins; submarginal pronotal stria continuous across front, extending along anterior half of lateral margin; median pronotal gland openings about two-thirds pronotal length from anterior margin; elytron with two complete epipleural striae, inner and outer subhumeral striae generally absent, rarely with small fragments of outer present, striae 1-2 complete, 3rd stria present in basal third and as short apical fragment, 4th stria present in basal sixth and as short apical fragment, 5th stria absent, sutural stria present in apical three-fourths, curving laterad apically but usually not connected to apical marginal stria, which is present between striae 2 and 5; prosternum with microsculpture on keel and on prosternal lobe; microsculpture lacking on posterior ventrites; prosternal keel truncate at base, carinal striae complete, converging from base to middle, subparallel anteriorly, connected in narrow anterior arch; weak secondary carinal striae present mediad procoxa; mesoventrite very wide and short, mesoventral margin weakly sinuate, not projecting, marginal stria broadly interrupted; mesometaventral stria strongly and broadly arched forward to near mesoventral margin; lateral metaventral stria extending posterad toward inner third of metacoxa, abbreviated behind middle; 1st abdominal ventrite with single lateral stria present in basal half, passing through deep fovea behind inner corner of metacoxa, continuing laterad behind coxa; propygidium and pygidium with dense, shallow ground punctation; propygidium with slightly elongate punctures separated by about half their diameters basomedially, smaller and sparser laterally and apically; pygidium with small coarse punctures rather uniformly scattered by about 4 × their diameters; marginal pygidial stria absent. Male genitalia (Figs 75 A–C, G): accessory sclerites absent; T8 short, with sides weakly rounded, subparallel in basal half, convergent to apex, apical emargination narrow, shallow, basal emargination broadly rounded, deep, reaching to basal membrane attachment line, ventrolateral apodemes small, distant ventrally; S8 with sides converging to apex, apical guides very narrow, truncate apically, ventral halves approximate at base, diverging slightly to apex; T9 with sides subparallel in basal half, convergent to apex, apices narrow, acute on inner corner; T10 with halves separate; S9 narrow, elongate, narrowest proximad apex, sides in basal half subparallel, asymmetrical, apex shallowly inwardly arcuate, without median emargination, apical flange narrowed at middle but not interrupted; basolateral corners not prolonged proximad; tegmen widest near base, weakly sinuately narrowed to apex, medioventral process present as a narrow ‘V’ -shaped scler ite about one-fifth from tegmen base, entirely contained in ventral membrane, not projecting beneath; median lobe narrow, about four-fifths tegmen length, proximal apodemes not strongly differentiated; basal piece about one-third tegmen length.

Remarks.

This species can be easily recognized by the pattern of elytral striation (Fig. 73E), with the 3rd and 4th striae broadly interrupted and the fifth represented by only a very short apical fragment, the presence of an apical elytral stria, the presence of a large postmetacoxal fovea behind the inner corner of the coxa (Fig. 73F; not displaced laterad, like in a few species above), the dense ground punctation of the pygidia, and the complete absence of a marginal pygidial stria. We restrict the type series to those specimens from Belize.

Etymology.

This species is named for the distinct, large fovea behind the metacoxa.