Baconia teredina, 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 : 170-172

Baconia teredina sp. n. Figs 47H48 M–RMap 14

Type locality.

ECUADOR: Orellana:Res. Ethnica Waorani [0.67°N, 76.43°W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "ECUADOR: Depto. Orellana: Res. Ethnica Waorani, 1km S Onkone Gare Camp, Trans. Ent., 0°39'26"S, 76°27'11"W, 216m, 7 July 2006, T.L. Erwin, M.C.Pimienta et al." / "Insecticidal fogging of mostly bare green leaves, some with covering of lichenous or bryophytic plants in terra firme forest. Project MAXUS Lot 3215 Trans. 2 Sta. 6" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00472" (USNM). Paratypes (3): same locality as type, 1: 21.i.2006, fogging, T. Erwin (USNM), 1: same locality as type except 0°39'10"S, 76°26"W, 220m 19.i.1994, fogging, T. Erwin (USNM), 1:fogging canopy, T. Erwin, DNA Extract MSC-1910, EXO-00104.

Other material.

PANAMA:1: Colón: P. N. San Lorenzo, STRI Crane Site, 9°17'N, 79°58'W, 15.v.2004, 17.v.2004, FIT, A. Tishechkin (GBFM).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.3-1.4mm, width: 0.6-0.7mm; body narrowly elongate, subcylindrical, glabrous; color rufescent, shining; head with frons transversely elevated between antennal bases, weakly convex above, concave below, with punctures becoming larger but sparser dorsad, frontal stria absent, supraorbital stria fragmented if present; antennal scape short, club broadly more or less circular; epistoma faintly emarginate; labrum short, about 3 ×wider than long, apical margin straight to shallowly emarginate; mandibles short, each with small, acute basal tooth; pronotum with sides subparallel in basal two-thirds, rounded to apex, lateral marginal stria descending to ventral edge of margin behind antennal cavity, faint to obsolete, often merging with lateral submarginal stria when present, lateral submarginal stria continuing around anterior corner to join anterior marginal stria; pronotal disk with ground punctation inconspicuous, but with secondary punctures rather large, shallow, more or less evenly scattered throughout; elytra with single, fine epipleural stria, outer and inner subhumeral striae absent, dorsal stria 1 present in basal half to two-thirds, stria 2-5 longer, nearly complete, 4th stria often slightly shorter, sutural stria more or less complete, arched laterad at base, but not joined to other stria, elytral disk with small secondary punctures in apical one-fourth; prosternal keel narrow, flat, base narrowly emarginate, carinal striae separate basally, subparallel or converging slightly to front; prosternal lobe about two-thirds keel length, apical margin broadly rounded, marginal stria obsolete at sides; mesoventrite narrowly produced at middle, with marginal stria present at middle, interrupted on each side; mesometaventral stria absent from middle, inner lateral metaventral stria extending from mesometaventral suture toward inner third of metacoxa, outer lateral metaventral stria obsolete; metaventral disk sparsely punctate at sides, impunctate at middle; abdominal ventrite 1 with single complete lateral stria, central portion of disk impunctate, ventrites 2-5 with fine punctures at sides, sparser across middle; protibiae distinctly tridentate, margin only very finely serrulate between teeth; mesotibia with two marginal spines, rarely with third small spine at base; outer metatibial margin smooth; propygidium lacking basal stria, with fine, sparse ground punctation interspersed with moderately large, shallow secondary punctures separated by their diameters or slightly less, propygidial gland openings inconspicuous; pygidium with secondary punctures rather deep, sparse but denser toward apex. Male genitalia (Figs 48 M–R): T8 wide, short, sides strongly narrowed to apex, basal emargination shallow, arcuate, apical emargination narrow, subacute, ventrolateral apodemes narrow, subbasal, separated by about two-thirds maximum T8 width, obsolete in apical half; S8 short, wide, halves fused, basal emargination shallow, sides widening to broadly outwardly arcuate, densely setose apices, apical guides obsolete; T9 with basal apodemes very short, thin, T9 apices narrow, acuminate, with lateral subapical seta, ventrolateral apodemes moderately well developed beneath; T10 entire; S9 stem narrow, short, widened from midpoint to arcuate apicolateral apices, stem and lateral margins of head sclerotized, apex shallowly emarginate, but not divided; tegmen widest about one-fourth from base, sides unevenly narrowed to apex, weakly constricted at middle, apex narrowly rounded, subapical foramen with accessory denticles, tegmen in lateral aspect weakly curved ventrad in most of apical three-fourths; median lobe short, wide, about one-fourth tegmen length; basal piece very short, about one-sixth tegmen length.

Remarks.

Externally this species appears very similar to the two in the Baconia cylindrica group, being narrow, elongate (Fig. 47H), and moderately convex. However, its male genitalia, bearing aedeagal denticles, and single subapical setae on each side of the 9th tergite, allies it much more closely with the preceding species. Externally Baconia teredina can be distinguished by being slightly more depressed than Baconia chatzimanolisi or Baconia cylindrica , and it has a unique transverse frontal ridge, larger (though shallow) pronotal punctures which are more distinct toward the scutellum, anterior marginal stria con tinuous with the lateral marginal stria, not divergent from margin, the 4th elytral stria complete, the 5th and sutural striae narrowly separated at the base, and the prosternal base emarginate. One singleton from Panama is extremely similar in most respects, but has the basal two-thirds of elytra faintly metallic blue and is thus excluded from the type series.

Etymology.

This species’ name refers to its possible tunneling habits, given its unusually narrow body form.