Baconia submetallica, 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 : 145-147

Baconia submetallica sp. n. Figs 40F41 E–F, H, J, M–NMap 12

Type locality.

BELIZE: Cayo: Las Cuevas Research Station [16.73°N, 88.98°W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "BELIZE: Cayo; Las Cuevas Research Station, 550m 16° 44.33N, 88° 59.07W V/30/2000 M.Caterino" / "flight interception trap" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00459" (BMNH). Paratypes (3): 1: BELIZE: Cayo: Las Cuevas Res. Sta., 8.vi.1997, FIT, D. Inward (BMNH); 1: Orange Walk: Rio Bravo Cons. Area, Rd. to Arch. site, 18-25.iv.1996, FIT, C.E. Carlton (CHPWK) 1: MEXICO: Chiapas: Laguna Belgica, 16 km NW Ocozocoautla, 970 m, 31.v.1990, H. & A. Howden (CMNC).

Other material.

COSTA RICA:2: Heredia: Est. Biol. La Selva, 10°26'N, 84°01'W, 50-150 m, 14.x.1994, Pentaclethra macroloba (INBI); 1: Limón: Sector Cerro Cocori, Finca de E. Rojas, 150 m, 9-30.xi.1992, E. Rojas (INBI). NICARAGUA: 1: Rio San Juan: Ref. Bartola, 60 km SE San Carlos, 10°58.40'N, 84° 20.30W, 100 m, 28-30.v.2002, FIT, R. Brooks, Z. Falin & S. Chatzimanolis (SEMC). PANAMA:1: Darién: Cana, Pirre Camp, 7°45.825'N, 77°43.325'W, 1320 m, 6.v.2008, A. Gillogly (AKTC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.3-1.4mm, width: 1.1-1.2mm; body elongate oval, subdepressed, glabrous; color rufobrunneus, anterior two-thirds of elytra faintly metallic blue; head with frons produced over antennal bases, very weakly depressed at middle, ground punctation conspicuous, with few, sparse coarser punctures, frontal stria present only at upper corner of eye, absent across front, supraorbital stria present at middle, detached from sides of frontal stria; antennal scape short, clubs missing from type; epistoma faintly emarginate apically; labrum about 3 ×wider than long, apical margin shallowly emarginate; mandibles short, each with acute basal tooth; pronotum with sides weakly convergent in basal half, rather abruptly convergent to apex, lateral marginal stria descends to ventral edge of pronotum in posterior two-thirds, detached from anterior marginal stria, which diverges slightly from margin behind eye, lateral submarginal stria present in basal three-fourths, pronotal disk weakly depressed in anterolateral corners, ground punctation fine, very sparse, with slightly coarser secondary punctures sparsely scattered in lateral thirds; elytra with two epipleural striae, outer and inner subhumeral striae absent, dorsal striae 1-2 complete, striae 3-4 present only in basal half, stria 5 abbreviated from base and apex, about as long as stria 4 but displaced slightly posterad, sutural stria similar in length and displaced further posterad, elytral disk with very small, very sparse secondary punctures in apical one-third, extending further anterad toward middle; prosternal keel weakly convex, emarginate at base, with more or less complete carinal striae converging from base, few punctures between; prosternal lobe about two-thirds keel length, apical margin rounded, with marginal stria present only at middle; mesoventrite produced at middle, with marginal stria narrowly interrupted; mesometaventral stria broadly arched forward, continuous laterally with inner lateral metaventral stria, extending toward inner third of metacoxa, outer lateral metaventral stria short, oblique; metaventral disk moderately coarsely punctate at sides, impunctate at middle; abdominal ventrite 1 with complete inner lateral stria and short fragment of outer lateral stria, with a few small secondary punctures in anterior half of middle portion, ventrites 2-5 with fine punctures at sides, those of ventrite 4 dense across middle, the others more sparsely punctate across middle; protibia weakly tridentate, margin serrulate between; mesotibia with two marginal spines; outer metatibial margin with very small subbasal denticle; propygidium short, wide, lacking basal stria, with fine ground punctation and slightly coarser, ocellate punctures uniformly separated by about their diameters, propygidial gland openings inconspicuous; pygidium with sparse ground punctation becoming slightly denser apically, with small secondary punctures only in basal half. Male genitalia (Figs 41 E–F, H, J, M–N): T8 broadly, shallowly emarginate at base, ventrolateral apodemes with inner apices subparallel, separated by about three-fourths T8 width, projecting beneath to about ventral midpoint, obsolete apically, apical margin shallowly emarginate; S8 with halves narrowly fused, more strongly sclerotized along midline, basal emargination broad, subacute at middle, basal apodemes tapered, blunt, sides slightly narrowed to apex, apices obliquely truncate with inner corner slightly produced, with a few apical setae, apical emargination broad, sinuate, subacute at middle; T9 with short, narrow basal apodemes, separated dorsally, ventrolateral apodemes bluntly produced beneath, apices of T9 narrowly rounded, with apical and subapical setae on each side; T10 with weak apical emargination; S9 with long, narrow, medially keeled stem, head abruptly widened, sides weakly rounded, narrowed to apex, apices acute, apical emargination broad, sinuate; tegmen narrow, with sides subparallel from base to about midpoint, narrowed to apex, apices subacute, tegmen weakly but evenly curved in lateral aspect, with eversible subapical denticles ventrally; median lobe about one-half tegmen length; basal piece almost one-third tegmen length.

Remarks.

Baconia submetallica is very similar to the preceding species, differing mainly in its narrower, slightly rounded body form (Fig. 40F), generally coarser frontal punctation, and by the faint but distinct metallic coloration in the anterior half of the elytra. Their male genitalia differ in the form of the apices of the male 8th sternite, which in Baconia submetallica are wider and more distinctly truncate, and by the very slightly narrower aedeagus of Baconia submetallica .

We exclude several specimens as types from more southerly parts of Central America due mainly to variation in the intensity of dorsal coloration, with specimens from Nicaragua and Costa Rica showing more distinctly blue elytral coloration, and a specimen from Panama showing essentially no hints of metallic. Male genitalia are similar throughout the range.

Etymology.

This species is named for the faint metallic luster on the anterior half of its elytra.