Aulonothroscus sibateo, Johnson, 2015

Johnson, Paul J., 2015, Two new species, a new country record, and a key to the species of Aulonothroscus Horn (Coleoptera: Throscidae) from The Bahamas, Insecta Mundi 2015 (412), pp. 1-6 : 4

Aulonothroscus sibateo new species

( Figures 3–4 )

Description. Male. Similar to A. inawa , except: Body ( Fig. 3 ) 3.2–3.3 mm long, 1.5–1.6 mm wide; obovate, broadest subhumerally, shallowly convex, shining, piceus to nigrous, except tarsi brunneopiceus; pubescence cinereus, decumbent, with strial setae suberect.

Head moderately coarsely punctured, interpunctural spaces microreticulate; with a pair of fine subparallel vertical carinae on frons, diverging around antennal fossae to anterolateral angles of frons.

Pronotum 1.9 times wider than long; sparsely, coarsely punctured; interpunctural spaces subequal to puncture diameter, microreticulate; transverse antescutellar region smooth, sparsely micropunctate, extending laterad to elytral stria 3, with fine median ridge separating two rounded shallow paramedial depressions; hind angle dorsal carina subparallel to lateral margin, reaching about 47% of distance to anterior margin. Elytra 2.9 times length of pronotum along meson. Striae finely, shallowly engraved from base to apex; marginal striae deeply impressed in basal half. Intervals confusedly punctured basally, forming moderately punctured single series apically.

Abdominal ventrites coarsely punctured. Aedeagus ( Fig. 4 ) with basal piece 0.60 times total length, deeply; median lobe 0.34 times total length, 0.84 times length of lateral lobe; lateral lobe 0.41 times total length.

Female unknown.

Type Material. HOLOTYPE, male, labeled “ BAHAMAS: Eleuthera, Rainbow Bay , xi-1986, J.B. Wiley, malaise ( FSCA).

Paratype labeled identically to the holotype (1, FSCA).

Etymology. The species epithet “ sibateo ” is a noun in apposition and is taken from the Taino name of the island of provenance, now called Eleuthera. Sibateo means “distant rocky land” ( Granberry 1991; Granberry and Vescelius 2004).

Discussion. This species represents part of the “ Aulonothroscus sp. 2 ” of Turnbow and Thomas (2008). In Blanchard (1917), A. sibateo fails to fit the key due to the combination of larger body size, entire compound eyes, head with frontal carinae, and the prosternum with strong longitudinal carinae.

Figures

Figures 1–4. Aulonothroscus species. 1) Aulonothroscus inawa Johnson, new species, adult habitus. 2) Aulonothroscus inawa Johnson, new species, aedeagus, dorsal aspect. 3) Aulonothroscus sibateo Johnson, new species, adult habitus. 4) Aulonothroscus sibateo Johnson, new species, aedeagus, dorsal habitus. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.