Baconia sanguinea, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Baconia Lewis (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 343, pp. 1-297 : 253-255

Baconia sanguinea sp. n. Figs 77 C–E 78Map 22

Type locality.

ECUADOR: Orellana: Tiputini Biodiversity Station [0.635°S, 76.150°W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "ECUADOR: Depto. Orellana, Tiputini Biodiversity Station 0°37'55"S, 76°08'39"W 220-250m. 21 October 1998 T.L.Erwin et al. collectors" / "insecticidal fogging of mostly bare green leaves, some with covering of lichenous or bryophytic plants Lot 1998 Trans. 10 Sta. 9" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00462" (USNM). Paratypes (3): 1: same locality as type, 29.vi.1998, fogging, T. Erwin (USNM, USFQ); 1: Res. Ethnica Waorani, 1 km S Onkone Gare Camp, Trans. Ent., 0°39'10"S, 76°26'W, 220 m, 29.vi.1994, fogging, T. Erwin (USNM), 1: 8.x.1995, fogging, T. Erwin (USNM).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.6-1.8mm, width: 1.1-1.3mm; body narrowly elongate oval, subparallel-sided, moderately depressed, glabrous; subtly bicolored, with pronotum and head rufobrunneous, elytra, pygidia and venter rufescent; frons distinctly swollen and faintly microsculptured over antennal bases, depressed at middle, with small, rather deep punctures separated by about 2 × their diameters at middle, denser toward eyes and vertex; frontal and supraorbital striae absent; antennal scape short, subtriangular, club oblong; epistoma weakly elevated along apical margin, faintly emarginate; labrum about 4 ×wider than long, apical margin distinctly emarginate; mandibles short, each with conspicuous, acute basal tooth; pronotum with sides subparallel in basal half, weakly arcuate to apex, lateral and submarginal striae merging behind anterior corner, continued along anterior margin; pronotal disk weakly depressed in anterolateral corners, with very small punctures sparsely, uniformly scattered throughout; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria absent, short fragment of inner subhumeral stria present at base, stria 1 nearly complete, striae 2-5 present to base, progressively abbreviated apically, sutural stria obsolete in basal half and apical fourth, elytral disk with small, sparse punctures in apical third; prosternal keel moderately narrow, shallowly emarginate at base, carinal striae subparallel in basal half, united just anterad midpoint; prosternal lobe about two-thirds keel length, apical margin deflexed, bluntly rounded, marginal stria obsolete at sides; mesoventrite weakly produced at middle, marginal stria complete; mesometaventral stria broadly arched forward, crenulate, continuous at sides with inner lateral metaventral stria, which extends obliquely posterad toward middle of metacoxa, outer lateral metaventral stria absent; metaventral disk impunctate at middle; abdominal ventrite 1 with single lateral stria, slightly abbreviated apically, ventrites 2-5 with sparse punctures at sides, finely and sparsely punctate across middle; protibia tridentate, widest basad midpoint, the outer margin finely serrulate between denticles; mesotibia with two marginal spines; outer metatibial margin smooth; propygidium lacking basal stria, ocellate punctures separated more or less uniformly by slightly less than their widths, denser toward base, propygidial gland openings evident, located about one-third behind anterior margin, one-fourth from lateral corners, the immediately surrounding disk devoid of punctures; pygidium more or less uniformly punctate, the punctures slightly smaller and denser toward apex. Male genitalia (Fig. 78): T8 small and weakly sclerotized, basal emargination shallow, ventrolateral apodemes with inner apices widely separated, projecting short of ventral midpoint, obsolete apically, apical margin shallowly emarginate; S8 about 1.5 × longer and broader than T8, halves weakly sclerotized but apparently fused along midline, sides subparallel, diverging slightly, apices projecting at corners, broadly emarginate between, with apical pair of weakly sclerotized, tomentose velar disks; T9 with basal apodemes thin, nearly half entire length, T9 sides rounded, convergent apically, without apical setae, ventrolateral apodemes bluntly produced beneath; T10 narrow, weakly sclerotized; S9 desclerotized along midline, with stem narrow, weakly expanded to base, head abruptly widened near apex, apices subacute, apical emargination broad; tegmen widest just distad base, sides sinuate, narrowed to middle, weakly bulbous apically, apices narrowly rounded, tegmen weakly curved ventrad over much of its length; median lobe simple, about one-third tegmen length; basal piece about one-fourth tegmen length.

Remarks.

This species is rather isolated, although it has some general similarity with members of the Baconia aeneomicans group, including presence of complete lateral submarginal pronotal stria, inwardly bent bases of 4th and 5th elytral striae, and generally subdepressed, elongate body form (Fig. 77C). The male genitalia are difficult to interpret, as the 8th sternite appears fused into a single sclerite, but its apical velae are unique, and the general form of the 9th tergite and sternite (Figs 78 C–D) are quite different from any in the Baconia aeneomicans group. It is generally easy to recognize, with its pronotum distinctly darker than its rufescent elytra, prosternal carinal striae united near middle (Fig. 77E), and the epistoma elevated along apical margin and rather coarsely microsculptured (Fig. 77D).

Etymology.

This species is named for the red color of the elytra.