Phelister bruchi Bickhardt, 1920

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2019, A revision of the Phelisterhaemorrhous species group (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 854, pp. 41-88 : 78-79

Phelister bruchi Bickhardt, 1920 Figs 2, 9; Map 7

Phelister bruchi Bickhardt, 1920: 237.

Type material.

Lectotype of undetermined sex, hereby designated: "Rep. Argentina, Prov. Buenos Aires 17.X.1919" / "ex nido de Ctenomys" / "Phelister Bruchi Bickh. H. Bickhardt det. 1920." / "LECTOTYPE Phelister bruchi Bickhardt, 1920 M.S. Caterino and A.K. Tishechkin des. 2010", ZMHB. 8 paralectotypes designated (on 6 pins) with same data as lectotype, ZMHB. There are two other probable syntypes (unmarked and undesignated) in FMNH.

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.01-2.05 mm (avg. 2.04 mm); width: 1.73-1.77 mm (avg. 1.76 mm). Body elongate oval, moderately depressed, rather pale rufescent; frons with fine ground punctation, weakly depressed at middle, frontal stria interrupted briefly at middle; labrum deeply emarginate, apical margin subcarinate; mandibles both strongly toothed along inner edge; pronotum with sides strongly convergent, only weakly curved, disk impunctate at middle, with sparse larger punctures at sides; prescutellar impression very small, fine; punctures along basal margin weak; marginal pronotal stria complete along sides and front; submarginal striae absent, but three gland openings conspicuous along lateral margins; elytra with single, complete epipleural stria, outer subhumeral stria very short and apical, inner subhumeral stria absent; dorsal elytral striae 1-3 complete (3rd may be weakly abbreviated apically), 4th present in basal third, and maybe as apical fragments, 5th and sutural striae absent; propygidium with sparse small punctures separated by 2 –3× their diameters, also with faint wavy microsculpture near base; pygidium with only very small and ground punctation; prosternal lobe rather elongate, with complete marginal stria; prosternal keel narrow, lacking striae; mesoventrite projecting, with marginal stria fine, merging with margin at middle, thus appearing interrupted; mesometaventral stria absent from mesoventrite; postmesocoxal stria present curving strongly laterad behind coxa; lateral metaventral stria present, extending from inner margin of mesocoxa ca. two-thirds the distance to outer corner of metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with only weak fragments of a lateral stria; all legs rather elongate and slender; protibia with lateral margin rounded, with 6-7 marginal spines, apex obliquely truncate; protarsi elongate, with almost straight protarsal claws; meso- and metatibiae narrow and elongate, with rather fine, elongate marginal spines, those of metatibia restricted to apical half; basal piece short, ca. one-sixth total length of aedeagus narrow, sides subparallel, apices bluntly rounded, with shallow apical emargination; median lobe long, ca. four-fifths tegmen length, proximal apodemes differentiated into thick and longer thin portions.

Biology.

This species has only been collected once to our knowledge, from burrows of Ctenomys Blainville (tuco-tucos). Its habitus, with long thin legs and weakly impressed striae, reflects its probable status as an obligate inquiline in these burrows.

Distribution.

This species is only known from the type locality, in Buenos Aires province, Argentina.