Leptipsius imberbis Bousquet

Bousquet, Yves, 2003, Redescription of Leptipsius Striatus (Le conte) and Description of a New Species of Leptipsius from United States (Coleoptera: Monotomidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 57 (2), pp. 133-140 : 137-139

Leptipsius imberbis Bousquet , new species

Etymology. From the Latin imberbis , - e (beardless) in reference to the missing paired tufts of setae on the male first visible abdominal sternite, unlike the other species of Leptipsius occurring in America north of Mexico.

Type Material. Holotype (#) labelled ‘‘ N.Mex: Lincoln Co. Valley of Fire 10 mi. E Carrizozo VII-23-1978 Andrews & Hardy / Holotype Leptipsius imberbis Bousquet. ’’ The specimen is deposited in CDAE.

Paratypes from the following localities: Arizona. Cochise Co. : Chiricahua Mts., 5.VII.49, D.J. & J.N. Knull ( OSUC) 1 #. Dragoon Mts., Wood Cyn., 29.IV.1972, K. Stephan ( FSC) 1 $. Pima Co. : St. Catalina Mts., Molino Basin , 27.VIII.74 ( MCZ) 1 $ [base of yucca]; idem, 7.III.1970, 14.III.1970, 25.II.1972, 13.X.1974, K. Stephan ( CNC, FSCA) 4 #, 8 $ [7- dead sotol]. Santa Cruz Co. : Pajarito Mts., Sycamore Cyn., 12.X.1970, K. Stephan ( FSCA) 1 #, 1 $. New Mexico. Lincoln Co.: Valley of Fire, 10 mi. E Carrizozo, 23.VII.1978, Andrews & Hardy ( CDAE) 3#, 1 $.

Description. Habitus ( Fig. 3). Body dorsally uniformly reddish yellow to reddish. Head relatively narrow (WH/WP 5 0.86–0.93; ‾ x 5 0.91; n 5 8); eyes slightly smaller than in L. striatus , not very protruding; temples proportionally longer than in L. striatus , about 0.4–0.5 3 longitudinal diameter of eyes. Pronotum subquadrate (LP/WP 5 0.96–1.02; ‾ x 5 0.99; n 5 8), with sides slightly convergent on basal 3/4; maximal width near apical fourth; lateral sides less deflected than in L. striatus so that lateral margin clearly distinct from dorsal view; disc somewhat depressed; punctuation moderately coarse, shallow, rather sparse on disc; microsculpture impressed, isodiametric. Elytra rather short (LE/LP 5 1.63–1.70; ‾ x 5 1.67; n 5 8), with sides feebly arcuate anteriorly and posteriorly; setae distinct at 803; microsculpture on disc impressed, slightly elongate. Pygidium coarsely, shallowly punctate. Disc of first visible abdominal sternite without paramedian foveae bearing long setae in the male; intercoxal process proportionally slightly narrower than in L. striatus .

Body length: 2.2–2.6 mm.

Geographical Distribution. The species is known from Lincoln County in New Mexico and from a few mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona ( Fig. 4 ) .

Habitat. Based on specimen labels, this species may be associated with yucca and sotol plants (family Liliaceae ).

Notes. This species differs from L. striatus in having the temples proportionally longer, the lateral sides of the pronotum much less deflected, the male first abdominal visible sternite without tufts of setae and by larger size. I have not noted any useful structural differences in the male genitalia between the two species.

Among the species I have studied, L. eumorphus (reported from Guatemala) is most similar to L. imberbis but differs obviously in having the microsculpture much less impressed, the disc of the pronotum convex, and the elytral setae less conspicuous.

I have little doubt that L. imberbis and its relative species will deserve a generic name of their own when the taxonomy and relationships of the New World Monotomidae will be better understood.

Figures

Fig. 4. Collection localities for Leptipsius imberbis in the United States.