Ora brevieminentia, Libonatti, María Laura, 2014

Libonatti, María Laura, 2014, A revision of the genus Ora Clark, 1865 (Coleoptera: Scirtidae) in Argentina (part I) — descriptions of new species, Zootaxa 3884 (1), pp. 27-44 : 32-36

Ora brevieminentia sp. n.

Type material. Holotype: ♂ ( MACN), “ ARGENTINA: Corrientes / 28º 3’ 39” S 58º 9’ 32” W / 10.xii.2012, light trap / MC Michat & PLM Torres” [white label, printed], “ HOLOTYPUS / Ora brevieminentia / Libonatti, 2014” [red label, printed]. Paratypes (all bearing yellow, printed label “ PARATYPUS / Ora brevieminentia / Libonatti, 2014”): 1 ♂ (AC), " Argentina. Prov. Corrientes. Ituzaingó dic. 1995. Leg. D. Carpintero. CDT"; 1 ♀ ( MACN), same locality label as holotype; 2 ♀ ( MACN), 2 ♀ (NHM), “ ARGENTINA: Corrientes / PN Mburucuyá: Aº Portillo / 28º 2’ 11” S 58º 6’ 33” W / 11.xii.2012, light trap / MC Michat & PLM Torres” [white label, printed].

Additional material studied. 1 ♀ ( MACN), “MISIONES / San Ignacio / B. & W. Bade” [white label, printed], “ Scirtes / sp.” [white, handwritten label]; 1 ♀ ( MLLC), “ ARGENTINA / Misiones: PN Iguazú / 27.xii.2010, light trap / MC Michat” [white label, printed].

Diagnosis. Body oval, elytral color pattern composed of a basal more or less rectangular brown spot enclosing 2–3 testaceous spots and a medial angulate brown fascia enclosing a yellowish trifurcate mark ( Fig. 22 ); tegmen and penis tightly attached to each other, lateroapical surface of aedeagus spiny, tegmen slightly asymmetrical, its lateral margins spiny, penis foot-shaped, composed of a horizontal piece and an elongate vertical piece with a short left-handed protuberance ( Figs. 37, 38 ); bursal sclerite with an evenly rounded anterior margin ( Fig. 47 ), prehensor composed of two dorso-ventral laminar sclerites and a fold surrounding its anterior part ( Fig. 48 ).

Description. Measurements. Males (n = 2): TL 3.71–4.04 (mean 3.88) mm, PL 0.67–0.77 (mean 0.72) mm, PW 1.62–1.73 (mean 1.68) mm, EL 3.27–3.53 (mean 3.40) mm, EW 2.55–3.25 (mean 2.90) mm. Females (n = 7): TL 3.51–4.17 (mean 3.92) mm, PL 0.61–0.77 (mean 0.70) mm, PW 1.54–1.70 (mean 1.67) mm, EL 2.97–3.71 (mean 3.43) mm, EW 2.47–2.79 (mean 2.63) mm.

Habitus. Oval, maximum width at the end of the basal third of the elytra, closely covered with yellowish setae ( Fig. 22 ).

Coloration. Head brown with a reddish testaceous frontal V-shaped mark between the eyes, anterolateral parts of clypeus and labrum reddish testaceous, mouthparts and antennomeres 1–2 testaceous, antennomere 3 brownish testaceous with apex testaceous, antennomeres 4–11 brownish testaceous with base and apex testaceous. Pronotum brown, margins and a pair of central spots reddish testaceous, anterior and posterior margins with a medial triangular reddish testaceous mark extending approximately one-third of the pronotal length. Scutellum brownish testaceous. Elytra yellowish testaceous with a basal more or less rectangular brown spot enclosing 2–3 testaceous spots, outer posterior apex of the brown spot extending posteriorly until contacting a medial angulate brown fascia; the fascia together with an additional brown spot enclosing a yellowish trifurcate mark. Ventral surface testaceous, with the apex of the posterior femur and lateral parts of the abdomen brown.

Head. Wide, approximately 1.9x wider than interocular space, clypeal surface convex ( Fig. 1 ); punctation very fine, punctures separated by 2.0x diameter. Antennae filiform, with apical margins of antennomeres 4–10 not projected anteriorly, approximate ratio of antennomeres: 1.4: 1.0: 1.0: 2.1: 1.8: 1.8: 1.8: 1.8: 1.6: 1.6: 1.8, approximate L/W ratios of antennomeres: 1.8, 1.4, 2.0, 3.5, 3.0, 3.0, 3.0, 3.0, 2.7, 2.7, 3.0. Mandibles with acute apex ( Figs. 5, 6 ).

Thorax. Pronotum approximately 2.4x wider than long, anterolateral angles rounded, strongly projecting anteriorly, lateral margins slightly rounded, almost straight ( Fig. 1 ); punctation of pronotum and scutellum very fine, punctures separated by 2.0–3.0x diameter. Elytra depressed anterolaterally, humerus well marked, lateral margins evenly rounded; punctation uniform, very coarse, punctures separated by 0.5–1.0x diameter, covered with long setae. Mesoventral process elongate, thin, with very subtly notched apex ( Fig. 14 ). Approximate length ratio of metatarsomere 1: dorsal metatibial spur: ventral metatibial spur: 2.6: 2.3: 1.0.

Abdomen. Completely covered with short yellowish setae except for the pair of glabrous regions on ventrites 2–5. Apex of ventrite 5 triangularly concave ( Figs. 30 , 41 ).

Male terminalia and genitalia. Tergite 8 with apodemes converging posteriorly, fusing into a U-shaped sclerotized cross-piece, plate square-shaped with setae and pores on central part and long microtrichia on apical margin, rows of minute microtrichia on lateral parts ( Fig. 32 ). Sternite 8 more or less triangular, weakly sclerotized along anterior margin ( Fig. 33 ). Tergite 9 rounded, with a pair of sclerotized apodemes converging posteriorly, posterior margin with tufts of short microtrichia ( Figs. 34, 35 ). Sternite 9 apically bilobed, with apodemes curved inwards, posterior part with setae and pores, central part with tufts of minute microtrichia ( Fig. 36 ). Tegmen and penis rather fused, forming a single piece ( Figs. 37, 38 ). Tegmen membranous, slightly asymmetrical, with a medial subapical digitiform outgrowth; microsculpture consisting of pores on the digitiform outgrowth, pores and minute setae throughout the medial part, and minute spines along both sides ( Fig. 40 ). Lateroapical parts of aedeagus with elongate spines ( Fig. 39 ). Penis asymmetrical, foot-shaped, composed of a horizontal basal piece connected to an elongate vertical piece with more or less rounded apex and a short left-handed triangular lateral outgrouwth ( Fig. 38 ).

Female genitalia. Bursal sclerite: anterior part with a single spine and evenly rounded margin, middle part with two spines ( Figs. 44, 46, 47 ). Prehensor composed of two laminar pieces, one located on the ventral surface and the other on the dorsal surface of the bursa, with a fold surrounding the anterior part; microsculpture composed of small spines ( Figs. 44, 48 ).

Sexual dimorphism. Tergite 7 with a fringe of microtrichia along both lateral parts of the posterior margin in males (absent in females) ( Fig. 31 ), with longer apodemes in females than in males, projected medially in females ( Fig. 43 ), evenly rounded and not projected medially in males ( Fig. 31 ). Ventrite 5 with posterior concavity much deeper in males than in females ( Figs. 30 , 41 ).

Intraspecific variation. Some specimens (the one from Iguazú National Park and two females from Mburucuyá National Park) have three very subtly marked costulae on elytra.

Etymology. This species is named from the Latin words brevis, meaning “short”, and eminentia, meaning “protuberance”, in reference to the short lateral outgrowth of the penis.

Remarks. The elytral color pattern of Ora brevieminentia sp. n. is somewhat similar to that of O. gamma Champion (from Brazil) and O. platensis Brèthes (from Buenos Aires Province); the three species have a trifurcate pale mark enclosed by brown areas. In comparison with the new species, these have the anterior margin of the pronotum more arched, the anterolateral angles much less projected, a smaller PW/PL ratio (approximately 2.2 in O. gamma and in O. platensis vs. 2.4 in O. brevieminentia ), a more depressed body, and a larger TL/EW ratio (approximately 1.6 in O. gamma and approximately 1.8 in O. platensis vs. 1.4 in O. brevieminentia ). Moreover, O. brevieminentia differs from O. gamma in having coarser punctation on elytra, the head and pronotum brown and a brown basal rectangular spot on elytra. Ora brevieminentia seems most closely related to O. platensis since both species have similar general morphology of the aedeagus, but it differs from the latter in having the digitiform outgrowth of the tegmen situated more centrally and with the base narrowed, the setae over the tegmen surface shorter, and the penis more uniformly elongate with the left-handed protuberance shorter and triangular.

Figures

FIGURES 22 – 29. New species of Ora from Argentina, habitus. 22, Ora brevieminentia sp. n., male holotype; 23 – 25, O. megadepressa sp. n.: 23, male paratype; 24, female paratype; 25, detail of female elytron in rectangular area indicated on habitus; 26 – 29, O. sigmoidea sp. n.: 26, male holotype; 27, female paratype; 28, detail of female elytron in rectangular area indicated on habitus; 29, female paratype.

FIGURES 30 – 40. Ora brevieminentia sp. n., male holotype. 30, abdomen, ventral aspect; 31, tergite 7; 32, tergite 8; 33, sternite 8; 34, tergite 9; 35, detail of apical microsculpture of tergite 9; 36, sternite 9; 37, aedeagus, dorsal aspect; 38, aedeagus, ventral aspect; 39, posterolateral microsculpture of aedeagus; 40, lateral microsculpture of aedeagus.

FIGURES 41 – 48. Ora brevieminentia sp. n., female paratype. 41, abdomen, ventral aspect; 42, ventrite 5; 43, tergite 7; 44, genital organs (except ovaries), dorsal aspect; 45, microsculpture of bursella; 46, bursal sclerite, dorsal aspect; 47, bursal sclerite, anterior aspect; 48, prehensor, dorsal aspect. Abbreviations: bsa: bursa, bscl: bursal sclerite, bsl: bursella, gla: accessory gland, prh: prehensor.

FIGURES 1 – 9. Argentine Ora spp., head and mouthparts morphology. 1, O. brevieminentia sp. n., head and prothorax, dorsal aspect; 2 – 4, O. megadepressa sp. n.: 2, head, ventral aspect; 3, labrum, dorsal aspect; 4, left mandible, dorsal aspect; 5 – 9, O. sigmoidea sp. n.: 5, left mandible, dorsal aspect; 6, left mandible, ventral aspect; 7, left maxilla, ventral aspect; 8, setae on apical part of galea; 9, labium, ventral aspect. Abbreviations: gus: gular suture, sgr: subgenal ridge.

FIGURES 10 – 16. Argentine Ora spp., thorax morphology. 10 – 13, Ora megadepressa sp. n.: 10, prothorax, ventral aspect; 11, prosternum, lateroventral aspect; 12, mesoventrite; 13, metathorax, ventral aspect; 14, O. brevieminentia sp. n., mesoventrite; 15 – 16: O. sigmoidea sp. n.: 15, mesoventrite; 16, right metathoracic wing, dorsal aspect.