Passalus (Pertinax) beneshi Hincks, 1950

Bevilaqua, Marcus & Fonseca, Claudio Ruy Vasconcelos da, 2020, Redescription of the species of Passalus Fabricius, 1792 (Coleoptera: Passalidae) described by Walter Douglas Hincks (1906 - 1961) deposited in the Museum of the University of Manchester, Journal of Natural History 54 (5 - 6), pp. 321-350 : 323-327

Passalus (Pertinax) beneshi Hincks, 1950 ( Figures 1 – 2 )

Hincks 1950: 1041, fig. 4; Hincks and Dibb 1958: 15; Reyes-Castillo 1970: 204; Boucher 2015: 118; Amat-Garcia and Reyes-Castillo, 2002:141; Reyes-Castillo and Amat-García 2003: 37; Amat-García et al. 2004:176; Miles 2017: 117, fig 11.

Diagnosis. Small size species; convex body; anterior edge of the front slightly convex; coarsely punctuated mediofrontal area; laterofrontal + mediofrontal tubercles connected to the inner tubercles by the anterofrontal ridges; small and flattened central tubercle; acute and protruded pronotum anterior angles; coarse and abundant pronotum punctuation, extending beyond three-fourths of pronotal width; glabrous prepisternum; large, wide, wellmarked and deep mesosternal scars; not defined metasternal disk, without pubescence and with reduced punctuation to a small group in the posterior region; median lobe almost entirely sclerotised and basal piece fused with parameres on ventral surface.

Redescription. Body ( Figure 1 ): habitus: convex; size: small (> 20 mm in length). Head ( Figure 2 (a,c)): Labrum: anterior border straight. Clypeus: hidden under the frons; with anterior angles under the lateral + mediofrontal tubercles. Anterior frontal edge: slightly convex, with a notch in the median region. Secondary mediofrontal tubercles: absent. Laterofrontal + mediofrontal tubercles: conspicuous, acute, and projected forward. Mediofrontal area: caliciform 2.1x wider than long, flat, and deep; with coarse punctuations scattered throughout the anterior region. Cephalic nodule: large but not well marked and rounded shape. Inner tubercles: large, conspicuous with obtuse apexes, smaller than the laterofrontal + mediofrontal tubercles, of which they are distinctly separated but located closer to these than the apex of the central tubercle. Anterofrontal ridges: straight, smaller, and weaker than the posterofrontal ridges. Posterofrontal ridges: high, strong, and slightly sinuous, beginning at the apex of the central tubercle. Laterofrontal areas: flat and smooth surface. Central tubercle: conical, low, with non-free apex. Lateroposterior tubercles: conspicuous, close to the central tubercle, with a rounded shape. Postfrontal area: flat, with a surface containing many fine punctuations. Postfrontal groove: well marked and with a slight notch located medially. Lateropostfrontal areas: shallow, with smooth and glabrous surface; containing some punctuations. Epicranial sutures: poorly marked. Epicranial pits: deep in the region closest to the anterior angles of the head and shallow when close to the laterofrontal areas, but very visible. Anterior angles of the head: well developed, with acute apices, slightly smaller than the laterofrontal + mediofrontal tubercles. Canthus ocular: apexes rounded not reaching half eye. Antennas: trilamellate, with robust lamellae, the distal being wider than the other two. Mouthparts ( Figures 1 (b), 2(b)): Ligula : tridentate with a larger middle tooth and narrower than the lateral teeth. Hypostomal process: wide, glabrous and separated from mentum. Mentum mediobasal area: not dilated, smooth and glabrous, with protruding anterior region without notching in the middle. Mentum lateral lobes: rounded apexes. Mentum lateral scars: shallow, glabrous, inpunctate and rounded shape. Mandibles: incisor lobe with three well-formed teeth at apex; robust suprainternal teeth; inconspicuous infrabasal pits. Maxilla: lacinia bidentate at the apex. Prothorax. Pronotum ( Figures 1 (a,c), 2(a – c)): Anterior edge: straight. Anterior angles: acute and fairly protracted. Marginal groove: well marked, deep and with coarse punctures throughout its length, without dilation at the apex; reaching four-fifth of pronotal width. Lateral fossae: small, well marked and softly deep; slightly rounded shape. Pronotal punctuations: coarse and fairly dense, diffused throughout pronotum, concentrated mainly above the lateral fossae. Prosternum ( Figures 1 (b), 2(d)): Prepisternum: not dilated in the anterior region; glabrous. Prepimerum: glabrous. Prosternelum: rhomboidal shape with narrow apex, slightly obtuse. Mesosternum ( Figures 1 (b), 2(d)): smooth, shiny, and glabrous. Mesosternal scars: long, broad, well marked and deep; without punctuations or pubescence. Metasternum ( Figures 1 (b), 2(e)): Metasternal disc: poorly delimited, but more dilated than the lateral region of the metasternum; punctuations in the posteromedian region. Metasternal punctuations: group of punctures only in the lateroposterior region. Metasternal pubescence: absent. Metasternal lateral groove: narrow, thinner than mesotibiae, deep, without punctures or bristles. Elytra ( Figure 1 (a)): Approximately 2.5x longer and 1.1x wider than pronotum. Striae: narrower than the interstriae, marked with round and fine punctures, well defined in both the dorsal and lateral striae. Epipleura : glabrous. Humeri: glabrous. Legs ( Figures 1 (a,b), 2(e)): Profemur: ventral anterior border with well-marked groove, not reaching the apex of the profemur; ventral posterior border with few setae only near the apex. Protibiae: not dilated. Mesotibiae: three small spines on the outer face. Metatibiae: one small spine on the outer face. Abdomen ( Figure 1 (b)): sternite VII with full groove and well marked; rough sides. Aedeagus ( Figure 2 (f)): Median lobe wider than the parameres and the basal piece together and almost as long as these. In ventral view completely sclerotised with a recess in the basal region; basal piece and parameres fused forming a tegmen; parameres projections reaching less than one-third of the length of the median lobe; arched parameres anterior edge. In lateral view, the apex of the parameres is acute and slightly rounded. In dorsal view with widely separated parameres.

Dimensions. Total length: 17 mm; cephalic length: 1.5 mm; cephalic width: 3.6 mm; mediofrontal area length: 0.7 mm; mediofrontal area width: 1.5 mm; canthus ocular length: 0.5 mm; canthus ocular width: 0.3 mm; area of the mediofrontal area: 0.7 mm 2; mandibles external angle: 141º; antennal club length: 0.9 mm; antennal club width: 0.9 mm; distal lamella length: 0.4 mm; medial lamella length: 0.2 mm; width of the mentum at the lateral scars: 1.9 mm; mentum mediobasal area width: 0.8 mm; diameter of the mentum lateral scars: 0.4 mm; pronotal length: 3.9 mm; pronotal width: 5.2 mm; length of the pronotal anterior groove: 1.8 mm; elytral length: 9.9 mm; elytral width: 6.1 mm; humeral width: 5.5 mm; profemur length: 2.2 mm; length of the anterior ventral groove of the profemur: 1.4 mm; protibiae width: 0.6 mm; protarsal length: 1.7 mm; length of the last protarsomer: 0.6 mm; mesotibiae width: 0.3 mm; metasternal lateral groove width: 0.2 mm; metasternal disc length: 3.9 mm; abdomen length: 4.5 mm; aedeagus length: 1.7 mm; aedeagus width: 0.9 mm; median lobe length: 1.1 mm; paremeres projection lenght: 0.1 mm.

Material examined: type material. Holotype (♂) F2439.48. PANAMA: XX Plantation/Rep of Panama /2/17/30//Blackwelder/Collection//via B. Benesh/North Chicago// Passalus / ( Pertinax ) Type/ beneshi Hincks /det. W.D. Hincks.//Manchester Museum/ HOLOTYPE // ♂ dissec/S. Boucher det. 2012//F2439.48 ( MMUE).

Remarks. Passalus beneshi as well as P. irregularis (Kuwert) and P. umbriensis Hincks are part of a group of species that present small body size and large eyes with abundant pronotal punctuations and reduced mesotibial spines. P. benehsi differs from P. umbriensis by presenting conspicuous inner tubercles and anterofrontal ridges, notch in the middle of the frons with not raised edges, more abundant pronotal punctuations reaching more than three-fourths of pronotal length; of P. irregularis is distinguished mainly by the epipleura and humeri glabrous.

Distribution. Panama (locality type) and Colombia (Boyacá and Cundinamarca) (Reyes- Castillo and Amat-García 2003).

Figures

Figure 1. Passalus (Pertinax) beneshi Hincks, 1950 male holotype: (a) habitus dorsal; (b) habitus ventral; (c) habitus lateral.

Figure 2. Passalus (Pertinax) beneshi Hincks, 1950 male holotype: (a) head; (b) mentum; (c) head and pronotum in dorsolateral view; (d) mesosternum; (e) metasternum; (f) aedeagus.