Tarsobaenus piper Leavengood, Pinkerton and Rifkind, 2022

Leavengood, John M., Pinkerton, Morgan G. & Rifkind, Jacques, 2022, Description of the new genus Tarsobaenus and three new species from Costa Rica (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae: Hydnocerini), Zootaxa 5138 (2), pp. 167-176 : 172-173

Tarsobaenus piper Leavengood, Pinkerton and Rifkind , new species

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A9F4F691-880E-405F-8374-426E5E6CF166

( Figs. 7–11 )

Holotype: Female. COSTA RICA: Prov. San Jose: Est. Bijagual, 500m, Res. Biol. Carara, XII-1989, Tp Malaise, L-N 192250, 474760 ( INBio) ; Paratype: 1 specimen. Prov. Puntarenas: Est. Queb. Bonita, 50m, Res. Biol. Carara, VI-1990, E. Bello, L-N-194500, 469850 ( INBio, 1 f) .

Description: Holotype (female). Body length: 5.05 mm. Head, basal antennal segments, mouthparts, thorax, legs, basal tarsomeres, scutellum, elytra, abdomen orangish-testaceous (paler on femora and abdomen); apical tarsomeres, antennomeres III-VI darkening apically), outer margins of pro- and metatibiae (hardly on metatibiae), and mandibles weakly infuscate basally (palest basally, darkening toward apices); antennomeres VII-X, large metathoracic macula, metepisternum, lateral margins of pronotum, distinct band on apical 1/3 of femora (only on outer margin of profemora), and lateral margins of elytra black. Head: Slightly wider than humeri, surface smooth, impunctate, moderately covered in fine, long, pale, erect, semirecumbent setae; setae on eyes and posterolateral margin of head (behind eyes) longer; eyes prominent, width across eyes distinctly wider than at pronotal tubercles, sparsely covered with fine, long, pale, erect setae; antennae 10-segmented with distinct single-segment club; frons with two dorsally convergent elongate depressions; mouthparts with clypeus longitudinally subdivided; mandibles bifid, right mandible dorsally excavated to receive the left; apical maxillary palpomeres securiform; apical labial palpomeres digitiform. Thorax: Pronotum widest at lateral angles but still narrower than width of head, covered in long, pale and testaceous, erect setae interspersed with short, pale, semirecumbent setae; pronotal disc shiny, sparsely, finely punctate; punctures obsolete on anterior and posterior pronotal collars, anterior collar finely rugose; disc very convex, anterior collar strongly constricted, upturned at head, transverse impression complete, anterior fringe of short, pale, erect setae projecting over head; posterior collar abruptly curved upward at scutellar margin with posterior fringe of long, pale, erect setae projecting over scutellum; scutellum with long, pale, erect setae projecting over base of elytral suture. Ventral prothorax sparsely covered with long, pale, suberect setae which become shorter and more recumbent towards middle; procoxal cavities open; mesothorax more densely covered with pale, recumbent setae which continue onto the metepisternum, becoming less dense; metathorax sparsely covered with long, pale, erect setae. Metathorax large, moderately inflated; surface smooth, minutely granulate, shiny. Legs: Surface shiny, covered with long, fine, testaceous, erect setae of varying lengths; femora expanded distally (metafemora most strongly),weakly laterally compressed, nearly twice the width of tibia; tibiae narrow, elongate, covered with long, fine, testaceous, erect setae of varying lengths, vestiture on distal 1/3 short, fine, testaceous, semirecumbent; hind legs slightly longer, metafemora extended well past apex of elytra when laid alongside; tibial spur formula 1- 2(?)-1(?); tarsal claw bifid (ungues present). Wings: Elytra shiny, parallel to subparallel (widest at humeri), apices not covering abdomen, disc subflattened dorsoventrally, distinctly punctate with large, widely spaced punctures, surface covered in long, fine, pale, erect, semirecumbent setae of varying lengths; internal facing margin of plica forming elongate excavation with distinct margin, excavation testaceous with ventral margin projecting outwards more so than dorsal margin; apical 1/3 strongly dehiscent; lateral margins weakly serrulate, each serrulate denticle with single seta, serrulations strongest apically, weakest at anterior 1/3; elytral apices serrate, independently rounded-subtruncate (serration reduced at apical truncation). Hindwing dusky-testaceous radiating from venation, apical 1/4 entirely cloudy black visible from dorsal view (obscures tip of abdomen from visibility). Abdomen: Weakly shiny, sparsely covered with long, pale, erect setae; Females with broad, gradual, smooth emargination on posterior margin of fifth sternite, sixth sternite divided longitudinally into two sclerites with widely-spaced, long, testaceous, subapical setae and dense apical fringe of shorter setae on each sclerite, apical tergite unmodified, but with pale setae of varying lengths, some being apical and subapical setae quite long and curved. Male not known.

Diagnosis: This species is the only member of Tarsobaenus lacking a black elytral fascia. Except for the extreme epipleural margin, the elytra are concolorous orange.

Variation: Black markings on the lateral margins of the pronotum and elytra are absent in the more brightly colored paratype (approx.. 5.94 mm; specimen with head projecting and abdomen perhaps distended).

Biology: Letourneau (1990) observed T. piper in the petiole chambers of Piper cenocladum ( Piperaceae ) in the presence of plant-produced food bodies. Letourneau (1993) suggested that both T. piper and Pheidole ants induce food body production by chemical stimulation.

Distribution: San Jose and Puntarenas Provinces of Costa Rica.

Etymology: This species is named after the genus (Piper) of the plant with which it is associated.

Figures

FIGURES 7–11. Tarsobaenus piper, n. sp. (holotype, paratype): 7—holotype, dorsal habitus; 8—head; 9—paratype, dorsal habitus; 10—elytral plica; 11—lateral habitus.