Aphelocerus aeneus, OPITZ, 2005

OPITZ, WESTON, 2005, Classification, Natural History, And Evolution Of The Genus Aphelocerus Kirsch (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2005 (293), pp. 1-128 : 39-41

Aphelocerus aeneus , new species Figure 196 ; map 27

HOLOTYPE: Male. Mexico. Chiapas, El Sumidero , 21 Oct. 1988, R. Turnbow. ( AMNH). (Specimen point mounted, sex label affixed to paper point, white machine printed; support card, white; locality label, white, machine printed; AMNH repository label white, machine printed; holotype label, red, machine printed; plastic vial with abdomen and aedeagus.)

PARATYPES: None.

DIAGNOSIS: The brassy color of the body in combination with the testaceous mouthparts, clypeus, antenna, and legs testaceous easily distinguish the members of this species from congeneres. Also, most of the short, pale elytral setae are directed posteriorly with no evidence of a middiscal elytral setal tuft.

DESCRIPTION: Size: Length 4.3 mm; width 1.8 mm. Integument: Mouthparts, antenna, clypeus, and legs testaceous, remainder metallic blue­green; elytral disc with pale decumbent setae; no indication of setal tuft. Head: Width across eyes about equal to width across pronotum (32:32); cranium rugose; eyes subspherical, moderately convex. Thorax: Pronotum as long as wide (32:32); narrower than width across humeri (32:38), finely punctate, subapical depression faintly indicated, side margins feebly arcuate; elytra shallow, plane depth at humerus 18, greatest depth in posterior half 18, surface shallowly rugose. Abdomen: Pygidial posterior margin evenly arcuate, tegmen as in figure 196, parameres with medial acumination.

VARIATIONS: Not studied.

NATURAL HISTORY: The holotype specimen was captured during October.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from Southern highlands of Chiapas, in Mexico.

ETYMOLOGY: The epithet is a Latin adjective that refers to the metallic blue­green col­ or of this beetle.

Figures

Figs. 193–214. Tegmina and phalli. 193. Aphelocerus delicatulus, tegmen. 194–195. A. bispineus (194, tegmen; 195, phallus). 196. A. aeneus, tegmen. 197. A. acuticolis, tegmen. 198. A. sculptillus, tegmen. 199. A. sabulosus, tegmen. 200–201. A. akis (200, phallus; 201, tegmen). 202–203. A. chelonus (202, tegmen; 203, phallus). 204. A. scalenus, tegmen. 205. A. ebenus, tegmen. 206. A. hespenheidei, tegmen. 207–208. A. ciliaris (207, tegmen; 208, phallus). 209. A. turnbowi, tegmen. 210. A. improcerus. 211. A. anticus, tegmen. 212. A. inbatus, tegmen. 213. A. chondrus, tegmen. 214. A. monteverde. tegmen.