Brontoliota lawrencei Thomas, 2010

Thomas, Michael C., 2010, A new Chilean species of Brontoliota Thomas (Coleoptera: Silvanidae: Brontinae: Brontini), Insecta Mundi 2010 (113), pp. 1-4 : 1-4

Brontoliota lawrencei Thomas , new species

Figure 1 -6

Diagnosis. From other brontine genera present in Chile, Brontoliota is easily distinguished by its flightlessness, body incrustation, and bud-vase-shaped antennal scape. From other members of Brontoliota , the new species is distinguished by having four lateral projections on the pronotum (versus six or seven in the Australian species).

Description. Holotype male, deposited in the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Santiago, Chile, with the following label data: “ CHILE: Punta Curiñanco (39 o 42.788S, 73 o 24.323W) 177m 9.i.2007 Aextoxicum forest, under bark & in rotten logs J.F. Lawrence coll.”/” CHILE MNHN Tipo No 6806"/” HOLOTYPE Brontoliota lawrencei Thomas 2009 ".

With the characteristics of Brontinae : Brontini : Brontoliota (Thomas 2004) , plus: body ( Fig. 1 ) elongate, parallel-sided, dorso-ventrally compressed; dark testaceous, legs and margins slightly paler, antennae darker. Length, 8.7mm.

Head transverse, markedly triangular in shape, widest across the densely setose, pronounced temples; frons above antennal insertions strongly elevated, densely punctate and setose, with a strongly impressed, curved, transverse groove between antennal insertions; surface otherwise appearing almost impunctate; surface smooth and shining, without microsculpture; with scattered thick, strongly curved, suberect setae, denser laterally and especially so along margins; eyes small, protuberant, set on short stalks; antennae filiform, about two-thirds length of body; scape as long as head, slightly sinuate, shaped like a bud-vase, densely, coarsely punctate; ratios of antennomeres 5.5:1:1.5:2.5:2.5:2.5:2.5:2:2:1.7:2.

Pronotum ( Fig. 4 ) 1.28 × wider than long, more or less bluntly triangular in shape, widest at front, with four blunt lateral processes, the first long and relatively slender, the following three shorter; disk simple, slightly concave medially; appearing almost impunctate; surface smooth and shining, without microsculpture; with scattered thick, curved, suberect setae; setae denser laterally and especially so along margins.

Elytra 2.4 × longer than wide, basally narrowed, forming a neck-like region, then broadened and parallel-sided to about apical fifth, where they narrow to rounded apices; apices not individually produced; not fused; margins strongly explanate, almost horizontal from basal sixth to about apical fifth, where they abruptly descend; margins not tuberculate but heavily setose; third and fifth elytral intervals apically with blunt, setose tubercles ( Fig. 5 ); seventh interval costate, more strongly so posteriorly. Hind wings absent; metaventrite very short.

Male genitalia (Fig.6) with apex of median lobe deeply, moderately broadly emarginate.

The female allotype ( Fig.2 ), deposited in the Essig Museum, University of California, Berkeley , with same data as holotype, is similar to the male, differing as follows: Head 1.33 × wider than long, widest across eyes ; antennae slightly shorter than in male. Pronotum ( Fig. 3 ) 1.07 × wider than long, widest across anterior third; anterior process shorter than in male. Elytra 2.5 × longer than combined width. Length, 8.6mm.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of John

F. Lawrence, its collector, in acknowledgment of

his many important contributions to knowledge of

the Coleoptera during his long career.

Discussion. Punta Curiñanco is located in the

Valdivian Coastal Range in southern Chile, the

area of highest endemism in Chile (The Nature

Conservancy 2009). Chile has a curious silvanid

fauna. Two of the Chilean brontine gene-

ra, Brontoliota and Australohyliota , have species

in both Chile and Australia, while the monotypic

Microhyliota is found in Chile exclusively.

Brontoliota and Australohyliota do not appear to

be especially closely related. The only other silvanid

known from Chile is Australophanus redtenbacheri

(Reitter), a member of the tribe Telephanini (Tho-

mas and Nearns 2008). The entire subfamily

Silvaninae is apparently absent from Chile, al-

though well represented in the rest of South

America and in Australia.

Figures

Figure 1. Brontoliota lawrencei Thomas, new species, male habitus.

Figure 2-5. Brontoliota lawrencei Thomas, new species. 2) female habitus. 3) female pronotum. 4) male pronotum. 5) elytral apices, female.