Rueckeria puma, Arriaga-Varela, Emmanuel, Tomaszewska, Wioletta, Huo, Lizhi & Seidel, Matthias, 2018

Arriaga-Varela, Emmanuel, Tomaszewska, Wioletta, Huo, Lizhi & Seidel, Matthias, 2018, On Neotropical Merophysiinae with descriptions of a new genus and new species (Coleoptera, Endomychidae), ZooKeys 736, pp. 1-41 : 16-19

Rueckeria puma sp. n. Figs 11 a–g, 14c, d, 19

DNA barcode.

GenBank accession number: MG676234

Etymology.

The name of this new species is dedicated to our coleopterist colleagues in the National Collection of Insects in UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) whose mascot is the puma, the pan-American felid.

Differential diagnosis.

Rueckeria puma is most similar to R. nigrileonis by its small size, black body with yellow legs, antennae, and mouth parts (Fig. 11 a–c); however, it can be distinguished by the pronotum more narrowed at base (1.20 times as wide at widest part than at base), abdominal postcoxal lines irregularly rounded and deeper reaching about half length of the ventrite 1 (Fig. 18g), and the aedeagus with the tegmen longer than the median lobe with the apex acuminate and the median lobe strongly widened at base and curved (Fig. 11 d–f).

Description.

Length 1.15-1.60 mm, width 0.72-0.54 mm, height 0.41 mm; body moderately elongate-oval, moderately convex, 2.2-2.1 times as long as wide, 3.1-3.0 times as long as high (Figs 11 a–c, 14c, d). Surfaces shiny, sparsely covered with very short, decumbent, golden setae. Color mainly black with ventral surfaces infuscate yellow, clypeus reddish brown, and mouth-parts and legs yellowish.

Head with interocular distance 0.8 times as wide as head including eyes (Fig. 19a). Eyes small, composed of 18 facets. Antenna moderately long and slender (Fig. 19c), 0.85 times as long as head and pronotum combined; scape 1.30 times longer than wide, as long as pedicel; pedicel 1.55 times longer than wide; third antennomere 1.58 times longer than wide, subequal in length with pedicel; antennomeres 4-8 getting gradually shorter and wider towards antennomere 9 which is as long as wide and 0.5 times longer than pedicel; terminal antennomere inflated, asymmetrical, 2.5 times as long at longer margin as pedicel, its longer margin 1.22 times longer than lateral one and 1.4 times longer than apical margin, apical margin truncate. Mentum rectangular (Fig. 19b), weakly produced anteriorly in middle of apical margin.

Pronotum weakly transverse (Fig. 19e), 0.78 times as long as wide, 1.38 times wider than head, approx. 1.2 times wider at widest part than at base, widest at anterior fourth, strongly convex in mid length; front angles rounded, weakly produced, margins slightly sinuate, narrowing at basal third, narrowly bordered with edges very weakly crenulate; hind angles right-angled to weakly obtuse, rounded at tips. Anterior half of disc without impressions. Longitudinal sulci weakly convergent, reaching nearly anterior 2/5 of pronotum; basal lateral pores present, connected by deep, faintly defined transversal sulcus; posterior transverse sulcus provided with large foveate punctures, area between transverse sulci convex, weakly depressed at mid-line; posterior margin weakly lobed at mid-line. Prosternal process widely separates front coxae (Fig. 19f), widest at mid length.

Elytra 0.88-0.97 mm long, 1.30-1.38 times longer than wide; 2.30-2.38 times as long as and 1.38-1.42 times as wide as pronotum; widest at basal fourth then continuously strongly converging to rounded apex. Punctation composed of small setiferous punctures, each accompanied posteriorly by 2-3 slightly larger shallow foveate punctures. Metaventrite with postcoxal longitudinal ridges extending slightly beyond anterior 2/5 (Fig. 19f).

Legs moderately long. Femora very narrow at base, strongly widened at apical half. Pro- and mesotibiae very narrow, protibiae weakly sinuate, slightly widened towards apex. Metatibia very narrow, almost straight, continuously widening apically, more accentuated at apical fifth, slightly bent inwards in apical 2/3, 0.39-0.40 times as long as elytra. Metatarsus long, 0.65 times as long as metatibia.

Abdomen with ventrite 1 slightly shorter than metaventrite and as long as three following ventrites combined (Fig. 19g); postcoxal lines on ventrite 1 reaching about half length of ventrite, weakly irregularly rounded. Ventrite 5 rounded apically.

Male genital segment with sternite emarginate apically, and acuminately rounded at its base. Tegmen large, sinuate in lateral view, with rugose and distinctly acuminate apex. Median lobe short, strongly widened at base, markedly curved, continuously strongly narrowing to acute apex. Tegminal strut absent (Fig. 11 d–f).

Female genitalia (Fig. 11g) with moderately broad coxites, and with large, elongate styli bearing two apical setae; spermatheca oval.

Type material.

Holotype, male, MEXICO, "MEXICO: Hidalgo La Mojonera 4.8 km SE Zacualtipan, upper part of Fagus forest; 20°37.9'N 98°37.0'W; 2010 m; 13-16.ix.2016; Arriaga, Cortés, Fikáček & Seidel lgt. 2016-MX22 / sifting of large accummulations of leaf litter in relictual Fagus forest with intermixed Magnolia and tree ferns, with sparse to dense understory and many (partly rotten) fungi and logs" (CNIN). Paratype. "MEXICO: Hidalgo La Mojonera 4.4 km SE Zacualtipan, lower part of Fagus forest; 20°38.0'N 98°37.1'W; 1940 m; 14-16.ix.2016; Cortés, Fikáček & Seidel lgt. 2016-MX24 / sifting of large accumulations of leaf litter in Fagus forest above the small stream" (1 female: NMPC).

Distribution.

Mexico: Hidalgo (Fig. 21)