Aphelocerus bufustis, 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 : 78-81

Aphelocerus bufustis , new species Figures 32 , 80 , 151 , 180 , 273 ; map 22

HOLOTYPE: Male. Venezuela, Caracas , Valey, 11­VI­1992, L. R. Reynolds ( FMNH). (Specimen point mounted; pygidium, sixth visible sternum, and hand printed sex label affixed to paper point; support card, white; locality label, white, machine and hand print­ ed; collector label, white, machine printed; FMNH repository label, white, machine printed; holotype label, red, machine printed; holotype label, red, machine printed; plastic vial with aedeagus.)

PARATYPES: None.

DIAGNOSIS: In comparison to other members of the batesi group, the elytra of this beetle are atypically shallow (fig. 32), the elytral middiscal setal tuft (fig. 180) is comprised of two very small patches, and the antennal club is unusually large.

DESCRIPTION: Size: Length 6 mm; width 2 mm. Integument: Cranium and pronotum piceous, with a cyanescent hue, remainder castaneus. Vestiture: Head, prothorax, elytron, and protibia vested predominantly with dark setae, pterothorax, femora, and meso­metatibiae vested predominantly with pale setae; tarsi vested with dark setae; elytral discal setal tuft, bipartite, setal patches particularly small. Head: Width across eyes about equal to width across pronotum (36:37), finely punctated, interocular depression and frontal umbo shallow; eyes subspherical, moderately convex; antenna as in figure 80. Thorax: Pronotum (fig. 273) subequal in width and length (37:40), coarsely punctate, subapical depression faintly indented, side margins feebly arcuate; elytra conspicuously shallow, depth at humerus 18, greatest depth in posterior half 18. Abdomen: Pygidium with posterior margin evenly arcuate. Male genitalia: As in figure 151.

NATURAL HISTORY: The only available specimen was collected in June.

DISTRIBUTION (map 22): Known only from the type locality.

ETYMOLOGY: The trivial name is a compound name from the Latin prefix bu ­(large) and the Latin masculine fustis (club). I refer to the extraordinarily large antennal club characteristic of this species.

Figures

Figs. 29–32. Habitus views. 29–30. Aphelocerus leucomelas (29, dorsal view; 30, lateral view). 31. A. coalitus, lateral view. 32. A. bufustis, lateral view.

Figs. 62–84. Antennae. 62. Aphelocerus sagittarius. 63. A. irroratus. 64. A. naevius. 65. A. triangulus. 66. A. extensivus. 67. A. humerus. 68. A. argus. 69. A. protenus. 70. A. arenatus. 71. A. patulus. 72. A. monteverde. 73. A. chondrus. 74. A. catie. 75. A. chiriqui. 76. A. immarginatus. 77. A. anticus. 78. A. yungas. 79. A. batesi. 80. A. bufustis. 81. A. acanthus. 82. A. sturnus. 83. A. myrmecoides. 84. A. scutellaris.

Figs. 139–153. Tegmina or phallus. 139. Aphelocerus immarginatus, tegmen. 140. A. vietus, tegmen. 141. A. patulus, tegmen. 142. A. yungas, tegmen. 143. A. naevius, tegmen. 144a. A. catie, tegmen. 144b. A. affaniatis, tegmen. 144c. A. echinatus, tegmen. 145. A. scutellaris. 146–147. A. cheliferous (146, tegmen; 147, phallus). 148. A. panus, tegmen. 149. A. formicoides, tegmen. 150. A. acanthus, tegmen. 151. A. bufustis, tegmen. 152. A. batesi, tegmen. 153a. A. calvus, tegmen. 153b. A. capillus, tegmen.

Figs. 162–183. Aedeagus, habitus, elytral discal setal tufts. 162. Aphelocerus dispilis, aedeagus. 163. Weevil, Myrmex sp. 164. Aphelocerus myrmecoides, 165–183. Elytral discal setal tufts. 165. A. sagittarius. 166. A. triangulus. 167. A. cornuatus. 168. A. humerus. 169. A. acutus. 170. A. lividus. 171. A. protenus. 172. A. argus. 173. A. arenatus. 174. A. catie. 175. A. chiriqui. 176. A. yungas. 177. A. monteverde. 178. A. anticus. 179. A. batesi. 180. A. bufustis. 181. A. acanthus. 182. A. yungas. 183. A. sturnus.

Figs. 269–277. Pronota, elytral setal patches, tegmen. 269. Aphelocerus inconstans, pronotum. 270. A. cirritus, pronotum. 271. A. nitidus, elytral setal patches. 272. A. batesi, pronotum. 273. A. bufustis, pronotum. 274. A. cirritus elytral setal patch. 275. A. torosus, pronotum. 276–277. A. olanchoensis (276, pronotum; 277, tegmen).