Trichoreninus carltoni Tishechkin & Mercado

Tishechkin, Alexey K. & Cárdenas, Alida Mercado, 2012, Description of three new species of Nymphistrini (Coleoptera: Histeridae: Haeteriinae) from Central America, Zootaxa 3500, pp. 36-48 : 44-46

Trichoreninus carltoni Tishechkin & Mercado sp. n.

( Figs. 5 & 6 )

Material Examined. Holotype male: " HONDURAS: Santa Barbara, La Fe, Finca La Roca, 5.3 km S. Peña Blanca 14°57’N, 88°02’W, 740 m 19–21 VI 1994, Brooks, Ashe #174, ex: flight intpt. trap / HOLOTYPE Trichoreninus carltoni sp. n. A. K. Tishechkin & A. Mercado C. des. 2012" ( SEMC). Paratypes (2): BELIZE: Orange Walk District, Rio Bravo Conservation Area, La Milpa Field Station, flight intercept trap, 25.iv–5.v.1996, leg. C. E. Carlton (1 male: LSAM); same data except 15–25.v.1997 (1 male: AKT).

Description: L: 2.22–2.25; W: 1.91–1.94; E/Pn L: 2.19–2.20; E/Pn W: 1.14–1.16; Pn W/L: 2.21–2.23; E L/W: 0.86–0.88; Pr/Py: 0.86–0.88; Sterna: 0.63–0.64, 0.17–0.19, 0.58–0.60; Tibiae: 0.62–0.64, 0.71–072, 0.90–0.92; (n=3). Body oval in shape, convex dorsally, dark rufescent brown, surface with fine background punctuation throughout, without setae. Frons longer than wide, trapezoid, wider at posterior base, with prominent lateromarginal frontal carina and interrupted frontal stria; vertex with numerous irregularly scattered, moderate, shallow, oval punctures. Labrum short, with row of small circular punctures along anterior margin, each bearing short seta, anterior margin of labrum projecting forward at the middle, convex on the sides; mandibles long, stout, with curved long tips and a wide tooth on inner edge of each. Antenna with scape longer than wide, pyramidal, bearing a row of deep setose punctures along the edges; antennal funicle collectively shorter than scape; antennal clubs oval, with dense pubescence except for sclerotized areas in dorsal basal, outer lateral and outer ventral surfaces.

Pronotum with posterior margin evenly arcuate, with a row of tiny shallow punctures along it; lateral margins almost straight, converging anteriorly towards prominent triangular anterior corners, anterior margin deeply emarginate behind the head; pronotal disc evenly convex, with irregularly spaced, large, shallow, circular and oval punctures, irregularly anostomosing in anterior half, especially in antero-lateral corners; marginal stria complete, thin and inconspicuous, outer lateral pronotal stria present, widely interrupted along anterior margin, variably interrupted and/or abbreviate along posterior halves; antennal cavities not visible in dorsal view. Prosternum with prosternal lobe sparsely punctate, long and wide, stria separating it from of the rest of prosternum very fine and almost indistinct; prosternal lobe with complete thin marginal stria, small preapical foveae and deep lateral notches; prosternal keel rather narrow, flat, with scattered punctures, carinal striae convergent and united anteriorly, area between striae flat; lateral prosternal striae carinate, diverging anteriorly; posterior margin triangularly emarginate.

Scutellum minute, triangural; elytra convex, widest at anterior third, narrowing almost straightly towards posterior ends; all elytral striae shallow and punctate; both outer and inner subhumeral striae complete, sometimes briefly interrupted around midpoint; 1st–4th dorsal and sutural striae complete, 5th striae variably abbreviate in anterior third, anterior portions of 4th dorsal and sutural striae in close proximity, but not united.

Mesoventrite with medial triangular projection on anterior margin; marginal stria absent, disc of metaventrite with two fragments of deep transverse discal stria, each united to anterior ends of corresponding outer lateral striae of metaventrite and so looking as its continuation; meso-metaventral suture and median suture of metaventrite obsolete; disc of metaventrite (in males) with distinct, but shallow depression, occupying most of its surface; disc mostly covered with numerous (more than 14) large, shallow, circular punctures, few of such punctures also present on elevated parts of lateral discs; inner and outer lateral and longitudinal discal striae of metaventrite wide, sulcate, impunctate; outer lateral striae complete, inner lateral striae long, abbreviate in posterior fourths, longitudinal discal striae represented by short fragments, occasionally broken in two pieces, in posterior thirds of metaventrite, next to metacoxae; recurrent arms of inner lateral striae present, long, widely separated from inner lateral striae; recurrent arms and outer lateral striae run at margins of depressions of lateral discs, where middle and hind legs rest in repose. First visible abdominal ventrite unmodified, flat, with a row of moderate, deep, circular punctures along anterior margin, with paired long postmetacoxal striae laterally, inner ones being wide, sulcate and short, outer – thin and costate, with long recurrent arms.

Femora elongate rectangular, profemora with punctures near anterior margin; meso- and metafemora smooth. Protibiae elongate-oval, outer margin with 7–8 weak wide teeth topped with spines, both teeth and spines diminishing in size towards tibial apices and bases; apices rounded, rugose in texture, inner margins with row of setae, ventral surfaces with irregular rugose texture; meso- and metatibiae paddle-shaped, outer margins weakly angulate at anterior third, smooth, each with a pair of spines at angles and near apices; inner margins with row of setae; tarsomeres 1–4 each bearing pair of ventral setae; pretarsal claws slightly curved.

Propygidium hexagonal, with some larger shallow punctures, scattered among background punctuation; marginal stria present along most of lateral and posterior margins. Pygidium trapezoid, convex, relatively short, with network of very five, transverse and circular strioles in addition weakened background tiny punctuation; fine complete marginal stria present; disc modifications in females, if present, unknown.

Male genitalia as illustrated ( Fig. 6 )

Etymology. The species is named after Christopher E. Carlton (LSAM), collector of two type specimens, in appreciation of our long-term collaboration and his contributions to the knowledge of obscure New World beetles.

Distribution. Known from two localities in Belize and Honduras.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Habitus of Trichoreninus carltoni. A) dorsal aspect; B) ventral aspect.

FIGURE 6. Male genitalia of Trichoreninus carltoni. A) eighth sternite-tergite complex, ventrally; B) same, dorsally; C) ninth sternite, laterally; D) aedeagus, laterally; E) same, apex dorsally; F) ninth sternite, dorsally; G) ninth tergite, ventrally; H) ninth tergite, laterally.