Amborotubus clarkei Leschen and Carlton, 2004

Leschen, Richard A. B. & Carlton, Christopher E., 2004, A New tribe, Genus and Species of Nitidulid Beetle (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Nitidulinae) from Bolivia, The Coleopterists Bulletin 58 (3), pp. 443-451 : 443-451

Amborotubus clarkei Leschen and Carlton , new species

( Figs. 1–13 )

Description. Total length ¼ 3.9 mm. Body length/elytral width ¼ 1.5. Body elongate and highly convex ( Figs. 1–2 ); pronotal depth ¼ 1.08 mm, depth at center of elytra ¼ 1.00. Color of body redbrown. Surfaces glabrous and covered with punctures and microsculpture of points and meshes, microsculpture more pronounced on ventral surfaces, becoming somewhat lineate on flattened leg segments.Head with punctures separated by 1 diameter.Eye finely faceted, greatest length 14 facets, greatest width 24 facets. Pronotum about 0.7 times as long as wide (PL/PW ¼ 0.72); punctures separated by 0.5–1.5 diameters, stronger at center; weak apunctate line present along midline. Hypomeron with anteromesal surface glabrous. Scutellum well developed; apically angulate. Elytra about 1.4 times as long as wide (EL/EW ¼ 1.44) and 2 times as long as pronotum (EL/PL ¼ 2.0); punctures separated by 1.0–1.5 diameters, weakly impressed and forming weak lines at apex; apices slightly rounded with inside corners angulate; epipleuron visible in lateral view, greatest width subequal to width of mesocoxa. Pygidium with punctation similar to that on head. Ovipositor with the apex of gonocoxite bearing 4 setae; apex of gonostyli bearing 4–5 setae ( Fig. 11 ).

Comments. The holotype specimen was largely intact, but was missing the mesotibiae and tarsi. After drawings of the body were completed, the specimen was dissected so that the mouthparts and genitalia could be examined and drawn. Prior to dissection it was soaked in weak KOH that turned the cuticle darker than the original color. The head (and its appendages), right hind wing, and genitalia are preserved in glycerin and placed in a genitalia vial while the remainder of the specimen is pinned (two legs are pinned separately below the specimen). The paratype is complete and intact except for the pygidium and genitalia, which are in a glycerin vial.

The hindgut was mainly empty, apart from about 20 dark pigmented fungal spores lacking external features, in particular an apiculus, germ pore, or germ slit, which identifies them as an undetermined Ascomycete.

Type Material. Holotype (female, deposited in the Museo de Historia Natural ‘‘ Noel Kempff Mercado , Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia): BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz, 3.7 km SSE Buena Vista, Hotel Flora & Fauna 405 m, 5-15-XI-2001 17 8 29.949 9 S; 63 8 33.152 9 W, M. C. Thomas & B. K. Dozier, tropical transition forest/ Amborotubus clarkei HOLOTYPE designated by R. Leschen & C. Carlton 2003 (red label) /. Paratype (female, deposited Louisiana State Arthropod Museum, Louisiana State University): BOLIVIA Santa Cruz, 4–6 km SSE Buena Vista F & F Hotel, 22–31 Oct 2002 Wappes and Morris/ $/ Amborotubus clarkei PARATYPE designated by R. Leschen & C. Carlton 2004, det. A. Cline 2004 (yellow label) /.

Etymology. Patronymic for Robin Clarke, conservation activist and owner of the Hotel Flora and Fauna where the specimen was collected. The species epithet honors Robin’s continuing fight to preserve Bolivia’s dwindling pristine habitats.

Figures

Figs 1–2. Amborotubus clarkei. 1) Dorsal habitus; 2) lateral view. Scale bars ¼ 1 mm.

Fig. 3. Amborotubus clarkei, ventral habitus. Scale bar ¼ 1 mm.

Figs. 4–6. Amborotubus clarkei. 4) Anterior view of right front leg; 5) anterior view of hind left leg; 6) anterior view of head and pronotum. Scale bars ¼ 1 mm.

Figs. 7–13. Amborotubus clarkei. 7) Epipharynx; 8) right mandible (dorsal view); 9) mentum and labium (anterior-oblique view); 10) right maxilla (ventral view); 11) ventral view of ovipositor (retracted), tergite 9 (paraproct), and relative positions of sternite 8 and tergite 10; 12) dorsal view of terminalia showing tergite 10 and relative positions of the ovipositor and tergite 9; 13) sternite 8 (spiculum ventrale). Scale bar ¼ 0.3 mm. BA ¼ baculum, GC ¼ gonocoxite, GS ¼ gonostylus, S8 ¼ sternite 8, T9 ¼ tergite 9, T10 ¼ tergite 10.