Operclipygus curtistrius, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Operclipygus Marseul (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 271, pp. 1-401 : 167-168

Operclipygus curtistrius sp. n. Figs 45 C–EMap 16

Type locality.

BRASIL: Minas Gerais, Boqueirão Reserve near Lavras [21°14'S, 45°0'W].

Type material.

Holotype female: "BRASIL: Minas Gerais, Municip. Ingaí, Res. Boqueirão nr. Lavras. Gallery forest, F.I.T., 13-20 Nov 2002, F.Freiro-Costa"/ "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00312" (CEMT).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.93 mm, width: 1.56 mm; body rufopiceous, rather strongly elongate-oval, moderately convex, not depressed; frons weakly depressed at middle, with fine, inconspicuous ground punctation; sides of frontal stria rounded, evenly curving over antennal bases, finely impressed, complete across front; epistoma weakly convex across anterior edge, weakly emarginate; labrum about twice as wide as long, shallowly emarginate apically; left mandible untoothed, right with small, acute basal tooth; pronotum with short, sublinear, anteriorly bulbous prescutellar impression, pronotal disk slightly depressed across base, with fine, inconspicuous ground punctation and ~15 coarse lateral punctures in a band slightly removed from margin; marginal pronotal stria broadly interrupted behind head; lateral submarginal stria complete along side, curving inward at front, nearly meeting anterior submarginal stria, which is very briefly recurved at sides; median pronotal gland openings present just beyond recurved ends of anterior submarginal stria; elytra with one complete epipleural stria, outer subhumeral stria present in apical half, inner subhumeral stria absent, dorsal striae 1-4 complete, 5th stria present in apical third, sutural stria present in apical two-thirds; prosternal keel produced at base, with complete carinal striae divergent posteriorly, connected though somewhat fragmented along basal margin, united in narrow anterior arch; prosternal lobe with complete marginal stria; anterior margin of mesoventrite broadly, rather deeply emarginate, with complete marginal stria; mesometaventral stria narrowly arched forward to about mesoventral midpoint, sinuate at sides, continued posterolaterad by lateral metaventral stria toward outer corner of metacoxa, abruptly bent laterad at apex; 1st abdominal ventrite with inner lateral stria complete, outer lateral stria obsolete apically; propygidium with fine ground punctation mostly sparse, becoming slightly denser apically, with rather large, shallow secondary punctures irregularly separated by less than their widths; pygidium with fine ground punctation moderately dense, with small secondary punctures sparsely intermingled, denser along basal margin; marginal pygidial sulcus slightly separated from margin, with smooth, flat marginal bead, deeply impressed in just over apical half, obsolete basally. Male not known.

Remarks.

This species, although known from only a single female specimen, is quite distinctive in the Operclipygus hospes group, particularly in the fairly broadly rounded body form (Fig. 45C), deeply impressed but basally obsolete pygidial sulcus (Fig. 45E). The weakly depressed frons with fine, complete frontal stria (Fig. 45D) is also rather unusual in the group. Discovery of a male would help confirm placement within the hospes group.

Etymology.

This species’ name refers to the shortened marginal pygidial stria.