Operclipygus subdepressus (Schmidt, 1889)

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Operclipygus Marseul (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 271, pp. 1-401 : 253-255

Operclipygus subdepressus (Schmidt, 1889) Figs 67 A–B68A–EMap 24

Phelister subdepressus Schmidt, 1889c: 337; Pseudister subdepressus : Bickhardt (1917: 165); Operclipygus subdepressus : Wenzel (1976: 260).

Type locality.

Not specified beyond Colombia.

Type material.

Lectotype, here designated: “Columb” / “67882” / “Type” / " Phelister subdepressus Schm. typ." / "LECTOTYPE Phelister subdepressus Schmidt, 1889 M.S. Caterino & A.K. Tishechkin des. 2010" (ZMHB). This species was described from an unspecified number of specimens, and the lectotype designation fixes primary type status on the only known original specimen.

Other material.

TRINIDAD: 1: xi.1903, B.W. Indies, G.E. Bryant (BMNH)

Diagnostic description.

Length (nontype only measured): 2.12 mm, width: 1.68 mm; body rufescent, elongate, subdepressed, approximately parallel-sided; frons weakly depressed, frontal stria divergent at sides, almost evenly arcuate across front, weakly sinuate above antennal bases; supraorbital stria absent; epistoma flat; labrum about twice as wide as midline length, apex asymmetrical, shorter on right side than left; left mandible slightly produced at base, right with acute basal tooth; pronotum lacking prescutellar impression, disk with fine, inconspicuous ground punctation, with numerous (>20) coarser punctures along sides; marginal pronotal stria broadly interrupted behind head; submarginal pronotal stria continuous along lateral and anterior margins, but weakly angulate behind eyes; median pronotal gland openings simple, slightly less than one-half pronotal length behind anterior pronotal margin; elytron with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria interrupted at middle, inner subhumeral stria present only in apical half, striae 1-3 complete, 4th stria present in just over apical half, 5th stria present in apical half, sutural stria present in apical two-thirds; elytral disk with irregular series of apical marginal punctures; pronotal keel projecting at base, carinal striae complete, sinuate, meeting in narrow anterior arch; anterior mesoventral margin distinctly emarginate, marginal stria complete or interrupted at middle; mesometaventral stria displaced anterad, transverse across middle of mesoventrite, bend posterolaterad, continued by lateral metaventral stria toward middle of metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with inner lateral stria complete, outer abbreviated, without postmetacoxal fovea; propygidium with ground punctation fine, sparse, densely covered with small coarse punctures, separated by much less than their diameters; pygidium with dense, fine ground punctation, with numerous coarser punctures interspersed, more densely toward apex; marginal pygidial sulcus complete, moderately deep, weakly crenulate. Male genitalia (Figs 68 A–E): accessory sclerites present, very small, not basal; T8 broad and short, sides curving to subtruncate apex; apical emargination narrow, moderately deep, basal emargination broadly arcuate, basal membrane attachment line distad basal emargination by about one-fourth its depth, ventrolateral apodemes most strongly developed basally, narrowed to apex; S8 more or less parallel-sided, apical guides narrow at base, broadening to rounded apices, with distinctly membraneous inner edges, halves narrowly fused at extreme ventral base, divergent to apex; T9 with sides rounded, convergent to subacute, weakly convergent apices; T10 cordate, fused along midline in basal half; S9 [of only available male broken] with stem narrowed near apex, with narrow apical emargination, apical flanges separate; tegmen short and broad, widest about one-third from apex, with extremely large and projecting medioventral tooth, in addition to distinct ventrolateral cusp on body of tegmen; median lobe with wide gonopore, long proximal apodemes, showing weak differentiation; basal piece about one-third tegmen length.

Remarks.

The aedeagus (Fig. 68E) of this species unequivocally indicates relationships with the Operclipygus fossipygus group. However, it has a number of unusual characters for that group, including the elongate, subdepressed body form (Fig. 67A), the submarginal pronotal stria showing a postocular angulation, and the lack of basal pygidial foveae (Fig. 67B).