Aphelocerus propinquus, 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 : 93

Aphelocerus propinquus , new species Figure 224; map 25

HOLOTYPE: Male. Mexico. Hidalgo # 1, 38.5 mi. NE Jacala , 11 June 1966, J. B. Karren. ( AMNH). (Specimen pin mounted, sex label affixed to support card, 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 aedeagus and abdomen.)

PARATYPES: None.

DIAGNOSIS: The members of this species are readily distinguishable from A. scutellaris (Chevrolet) by the evenly arcuate slope of the elytral deflection at elytral basal third. In A. scutellaris specimens the lateral elytral deflection is acute.

DESCRIPTION: Size: Length 8.0 mm; width 3.0 mm. Integument: Black. Vestiture: Integument density vested with prominent light and dark setae, frontal, and pronotal, metepisternal tufts prominent. Head: Genae and epicranium expanded; interocular depressions and frontal umbo very conspicuous; frons, epicranium, and gena very coarsely punctate; eyes spherical, moderately convex; width across eyes subequal to width across pronotum (60:65); antenna (fig. 224) elongate, about as long as length of pronotum (75:78). Thorax: Pronotum longer than wide (78:65), coarsely punctate, lower disc faintly transversely wrinkled, anterior transverse depression faintly indicated, side margins moderately arcuate, pronotum considerably narrower than width across humeri (65:84); elytra boldly convex, disc polished, with serial rows of small punctations whose size progressively diminishes to elytral apex, erect and decumbent setae serially arranged, apical slope acute, depth at humerus 30, greatest depth in posterior half 40; metafemora extended beyond elytral apex. Abdomen: Posterior margin of male pygidium evenly, narrowly arcuate. Male genitalia: Very similar to that A. scutellaris (Chevrolat) (fig. 145), except with fewer renulations along the middorsal margins of the parameres.

VARIATIONS: Not studied.

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

DISTRIBUTION (map 25): Known only from the type locality.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet propinquus (near) is a Latin name that I use here to indicate the close relationship between the members of this species and those of A. scutellaris (Chevrolat) .