Aphelocerus primigenius, 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 : 42

ACANTHUS GROUP Aphelocerus primigenius , new species Figures 216, 243; map 27

HOLOTYPE: Female. Guatemala. Huehuet’go , 15 km N Nenion, 950 m, 5­VI­ 1999, E. Giesbert, J. Monzon ( FSCA). (Specimen pin mounted, sex label affixed to support card, white, machine printed; support card, white; locality label, white, machine printed; FSCA repository label, white, machine printed; holotype label, red, machine printed; plastic vial with abdomen.)

PARATYPES: None.

DIAGNOSIS: Within the acanthus species group these beetles are readily distinguished by their profuse vestiture on the integument. From the superficially similar specimens of A. inconstans (Gorham) these beetle are distinguished by the more squat body form, more transverse pronotum, and by the more profuse distribution of setae on the sutural margin or the elytral. The extension of the middiscal elytral tuft to the epipleural margin will separate these beetles from those of A. coactus , n.sp.

DESCRIPTION: Size: Length 6.0 mm; width 3.5 mm. Integument: Black. Vestiture: Integument densely vested with prominent light and dark setae, white setae more prominent along margins and in elytral apical third. Head: Interocular depressions and frontal umbo shallow, epicranium, and gena coarsely punctate; eyes oblong, moderately convex; width across eyes equal to width across pronotum (45:50); antenna (figs. 82, 216) short, much shorter than length of pronotum. Thorax: Pronotum as long as wide (50:50), punctations most prominent on pronotal arch, anterior transverse depression poorly defined, side margins moderately arcuate, consider­ ably narrower than width across humeri (50: 77); elytra moderately convex, disc densely, minutely, subrugosely punctate, apical slope acute, depth at humerus 25, greatest depth in posterior half 30; metafemora not extended beyond elytral apex. Abdomen: Posterior margin of female pygidium evenly arcuate.

VARIATION: Not studied.

NATURAL HISTORY: The available specimen was collected during early June at 950 m.

DISTRIBUTION (map 27): Known only from the type locality.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet is taken from the scientific name of the wooly mammoth. I refer to the stout body and the densely pubescent characteristics of these beetles.