Passalus (Pertinax) bolivianus, Jimenez-Ferbans, Larry, Reyes-Castillo, Pedro & Schuster, Jack C., 2019

Jimenez-Ferbans, Larry, Reyes-Castillo, Pedro & Schuster, Jack C., 2019, The Passalidae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea) from Bolivia, with the descriptions of three new species, ZooKeys 882, pp. 51-85 : 51

Passalus (Pertinax) bolivianus sp. nov. Figs 1-4

Material examined.

Holotype: female, pinned, BOLIVIA: COCHABAMBA, Prov. Carrasco, Yungas. ii.1971. alt. 3200 m. A. Martínez col. // Bosque húmedo de montaña de Podocarpus (CEBUMAG-ENT). Paratypes: 2 males, 8 females, 18 unsexed, same data as holotype (IEXA, FMNH). 1 female, BOLIVIA: COCHABAMBA, Prov. Carrasco, Serranía de Siberia, Chua Khocha // 30.viii.1990, No. 093, cloud forest, 2300 m inside log, M. Ledezma Field Museum // #93 // Passalus (Pertinax) n. sp. det.: Jiménez-Ferbans 2015 // Ilustrado por Rivera-Gasperin (FMNH). 1 specimen, BOLIVIA: SANTA CRUZ, Florida, 4km S. De Samaipata 1800 m alt., 7.xii. 1991, B.N. Smith (IEXA).

Diagnosis.

Passalus (Pertinax) bolivianus sp. nov. differs from other brachypterous species of Passalus (Pertinax) by having lateroposterior tubercles larger that central tubercle, anterior border of frons almost straight with small middle indentation, rounded punctures on both lateral and dorsal elytral striae, and elytral humeri heavily pubescent.

Description.

Habitus: midsize, total length 32.8-36.8 mm, brachypterous, body convex, shiny, black.

Head: labrum with anterior border straight or slightly concave, covered with setae that are less dense anteriorly. Clypeus hidden under the frons, with anterior angles reduced under the mediofrontal tubercles and smaller than mediofrontal tubercles. Frons narrow, anterior frontal edge with small middle indentation, without secondary mediofrontal tubercles. Mediofrontal tubercles projected forward, larger than internal tubercles. Internal tubercles small, conical, with apex not free, joined to mediofrontal tubercles by a weak ridge, located midway between mediofrontal tubercles and central tubercle apex. Posterofrontal ridges V-shaped. Area between the frontal ridges with scarce punctures on the anterior half, divided by a longitudinal sulcus running from border of frons to the base of central tubercle. Cephalic tumescence (= mamelon sensu Jiménez-Ferbans and Reyes-Castillo 2014) divided. Mesofrontal structure of the " marginatus " type ( Reyes-Castillo 1970), central tubercle wide at the base with a sulcus posteriorly, apex not free. Lateroposterior tubercles marked, conical and large, larger than central tubercle. Lateropostfrontal areas glabrous, shiny, and impunctate. Eyes reduced, canthus glabrous, covering ½ of the eye in lateral view. Postorbital pits weak. Postfrontal groove semicircular and complete, with small inverted v-shape in central part. Hypostomal process slightly separated from mentum, glabrous, extending anteriorly to the superior part of the middle zone of the mentum. Medial basal mentum protruding ventrally, laterally pubescent. Mentum with large lateral fossae that are shallow and pubescent. Antennal club trilamellate, lamellae elongate. Internal tooth of the left mandible bidentate, simple on right mandible. Dorsal tooth longitudinally straight in dorsal view but slightly sinuous in lateral view. Dorsal mandibular pubescence covering the base of mobile tooth. Mandibular fossae reaching base of mobile tooth. Maxilla with lacinia apically bidentate. Ligula tridentate, middle tooth longer than lateral teeth. Middle palpomere of the labial palp 1.3 times wider, and 1.1 times longer, than distal palpomere.

Thorax: Pronotum rounded in dorsal view, wider than elytra, with punctures restricted to areas around lateral fossae and marginal groove. Marginal groove narrow, clearly visible along anterior angles, extending along approximately 1/3 of the anterior margin of the pronotum; median longitudinal sulcus and lateral fossae well marked. Inferolateral area of pronotum with abundant pubescence. Prosternellum rhomboidal, opaque. Pre-epimeron (sensu Reyes-Castillo 1970) shiny and fully pubescent. Mesosternum with small, rounded, mesosternal scar, glabrous, lateral area opaque. Posterior corner of the mesepisternum and mesepimeron glabrous. Metasternum pubescent anteriorly and in lateral fossa; metasternal disc delimited by numerous punctures medially and posteriorly. Metasternal lateral fossa and epipleuron of similar width.

Elytron: Shiny, anterior border rounded and pubescent. Humerus and epipleuron pubescent. Rounded punctures on lateral and dorsal striae (but more strongly on lateral striae).

Leg: Femur I with ventral anterior marginal sulcus narrow and complete (reaching the apical pubescence). Tibia I with dorsal sulcus complete. Tibia II with one weak spine and tibia III unarmed.

Abdomen: Marginal groove of posterior-most sternite complete.

Aedeagus: Basal piece fused with parameres in ventral view ( Fig. 4 ). Ventral surface of median lobe almost entirely sclerotized, measured along media ventral line, length of medial lobe 0.9 times that of basal piece and parameres. Lateral projections of parameres small and apices rounded in lateral view ( Fig. 3 ).

Etymology.

Named after the country, Bolivia.

Variations.

The anterior border of the labrum can be straight or slightly concave. The longitudinal sulcus on the area between frontal ridges can be weak or marked. Medial basal mentum can be fully pubescent or only laterally so.

Taxonomic discussion.

Passalus (Pertinax) bolivianus sp. nov. is similar in size and habitus to Passalus nudifrons Dibb, from which it differs by having anterior border of head straight with central excision, humeri pubescent and anterior area of metasternum punctate and pubescent. Likewise, the total length of P. bolivianus sp. nov. is similar to that of P. gonzalezae sp. nov., but the former has elytral striae with rounded punctures, marked on both lateral and dorsal striae (weak punctures on striae 7-10 in P. gonzalezae ) and humeri heavily pubescent.

Figures

Figures 1 - 4. Passalus (Pertinax) bolivianus sp. nov. 1 dorsal view of the head and anterior part of pronotum 2 - 4 Aedeagus 2 dorsal view 3 lateral view 4 ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.