Phellinocis erwini, Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano & Lawrence, John F., 2005

Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano & Lawrence, John F., 2005, Phellinocis, a new genus of Neotropical Ciidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea), Zootaxa 1034, pp. 43-60 : 49-52

Phellinocis erwini , sp. n.

( Figs 1–5 )

Diagnosis

This species differs from both its congeners in having convex elytral apices, without oblique lateral elevations or declivity, finer and sparser pronotal punctation, confused elytral punctation and well separated pronotal horns in male. From P. thayerae it also differs in having 8­segmented antennae and four frontoclypeal teeth in the male.

Description

Male. Length 1.1–1.7 mm. Body about 1.95 times as long as wide ( Fig. 1 ). Upper surfaces black to dark reddish­brown; undersurfaces, legs, ventral mouthparts and antennae mostly reddish­brown. Head strongly convex and impunctate above; frontoclypeal region produced and elevated to form pair of small, lateral frontal tubercles and larger, more strongly elevated and clypeal tubercles ( Fig. 2 ). Antennae 8­segmented; ratio of antennomere lengths: 4.5: 3.0: 2.0: 1.25: 1.0: 3.0: 3.0: 5.0; length/width ratios: 1.5, 1.5, 1.6, 0.83, 0.50, 0.67, 0.67, 1.11. Pronotum about 0.8 times as long as wide, evenly convex and finely and sparsely punctate with smooth, shiny interspaces, anterior edge produced and slightly elevated to form pair of rounded teeth or tubercles, which are distinctly separated at base ( Fig. 2 ). Elytra about 1.2 times as long as wide and 1.57 times as long as pronotum; apically strongly convex, without declivity ( Fig. 3 , arrow); megapunctures not distinctly seriate. Setal patch on abdomen about one­fourth median length of ventrite (without intercoxal process), located just behind middle, raised on tubercle and facing posteriorly ( Fig. 4 , arrow). Aedeagus slightly longer than lengths of last two ventrites combined; tegmen widest at apical fifth, with median apical incision forming paired rounded lobes; median lobe widened and broadly emarginate at apex ( Fig. 5 ).

Va r i a t i o n

Measurements in mm (17 ɗɗ, 17 ΨΨ): TLɗ 1.1–1.70 (1.3 ± 0.15), TLΨ 1.35–1.7 (1.33 ± 0.1); PLɗ 0.4–0.62 (0.53 ± 0.06), PLΨ 0.48–0.62 (0.55 ± 0.04); PWɗ 0.52–0.76 (0.68 ± 0.07), PWΨ 0.6–0.76 (0.69 ± 0.05); ELɗ 0.68–0.98 (0.85 ± 0.08), ELΨ 0.76–1.04 (0.9 ± 0.07); EWɗ 0.56–0.8 (0.71 ± 0.07); EWΨ 0.64–0.8 (0.72 ± 0.04). Ratios: BL/EWɗ 1.90–2.00 (1.95); BL/BWΨ 1.92–2.13 (1.96); PL/PWɗ 0.75–0.84 (0.81), PL/PWΨ 0.76– 0.84 (0.80); EL/EWɗ 1.15–1.24 (1.19); EL/EWΨ 1.16–1.32 (1.20); EL/PLɗ 1.48–1.71 (1.56); EL/PLΨ 1.52–1.76 (1.58). Color varies from yellow or yellowish­brown to black. Smaller males with small, widely spaced pronotal tubercles and weakly developed frontoclypeal tubercles. Female specimens without pronotal or frontoclypeal modifications and with simple first ventrite.

Type series

Holotype. ɗ, Panama: “Barro Colorado Is. CANAL ZONE July 11, 1969 / J. F. Lawrence Lot 2849 / Polyporus licnoides ” ( ANIC). Paratypes (32ɗɗ, 54ΨΨ). Panama: 2ΨΨ, Barro Colorado I., 5.ii.1968, 2305 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus sp. ( ANIC); 3ɗɗ, 3ΨΨ, same locality, 6.ii.1968, 2324 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus gilvus ( ANIC, FMNH); 2ɗɗ, same data ( LAPC); 5ɗɗ, 6ΨΨ, same locality, 6.ii.1968, 2336 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus sp.

( ANIC, NMNH); 4ɗɗ, 2ΨΨ, same locality, 10.ii.1968, 2374 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus gilvus ( ANIC, NHML); 2ɗɗ, 5ΨΨ, same locality, 12.ii.1968, 2385 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus sp. ( ANIC); 4ɗɗ, 6ΨΨ, same locality, 21.ii.1968, 2462 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus gilvus ( ANIC, CASC); 1Ψ, same data ( LAPC); 1ɗ, 7ΨΨ, same locality, 2.vii,1969, 2744 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus gilvus ( ANIC, CASC); 1Ψ, same data ( LAPC); 1Ψ, same locality, 2.vii,1969, 2745 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus sp. ( ANIC); 2ɗɗ, 4ΨΨ, same locality, 8.vii,1969, 2802 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus gilvus ( ANIC); 2ΨΨ, same data ( LAPC); 3ɗɗ, 3ΨΨ, same locality, 10.vii,1969, 2832 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus gilvus ( ANIC, FMNH); 1ɗ, same data ( LAPC); 1ɗ, 2ΨΨ, same locality, 11.vii,1969, 2849 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus gilvus . ( ANIC, NHML); 2ɗɗ, 3ΨΨ, same data ( LAPC); 1ɗ, 1Ψ, same locality, 13.vii,1969, 2862 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus gilvus . ( ANIC); 1Ψ, same locality, 20.vii,1969, 2929 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus sp. ( ANIC); 1ɗ, 2ΨΨ, same locality, 19.ii­9.iii.1975, 3808 J. F. Lawrence, T. L. Erwin, Phellinus gilvus ( ANIC, NMNH); 2ΨΨ, Cerro Campana, Panama Prov., 9.viii.1969, 3021 J. F. Lawrence, Phellinus gilvus ( ANIC).

Comments

The species is named after Dr. Terry Erwin in honor of his contributions to Neotropical Entomology and his support (and good company) during Panamanian field work in 1975.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Phellinocis erwini sp. nov., male genitalia showing the ninth segment (ix), basal piece (bp), tegmen (teg) and median lobe (ml). Scale bar: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 1 – 4. Phellinocis erwini sp. nov., male. 1. Body, dorsal view. 2. Anterior part of pronotum and head, dorsal view. 3. Part of elytra (arrow), pterothorax and abdomen, ventral view. 4. Base of abdomen, ventral view, showing setal patch (arrow). Scale bars: 0.5 mm (Fig. 1); 0.1 mm (Figs. 2, 4); 0.3 mm (Fig. 3).