Emmallodera telteca, Silvestro, Violeta A. & Flores, Gustavo E., 2012

Silvestro, Violeta A. & Flores, Gustavo E., 2012, Two new species of Emmallodera Blanchard, 1842 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from western Argentina, Zootaxa 3405, pp. 64-68 : 66-67

Emmallodera telteca sp. nov.

( Figs 3–4 )

Flores et al. 2004: 77, 82 (misidentified as Emmallodera hirtipes Kulzer 1955 ).

Diagnosis. Pronotum densely punctate, anterior margin wider than posterior margin, with anterior angles produced ( Fig. 4 ); elytron with longitudinal parallel rows of large conical tubercles, the seventh row with 18 to 23 tubercles ( Fig. 3 ); epipleuron and femora with smooth long hairs. Emmallodera telteca superficially resembles E. hirtipes in pronotal aspect and punctures, and in having smooth long hairs on the posterior half of the epipleuron and metafemora. It differs from E. hirtipes , which has the anterior and posterior margins of the pronotum of the same width, and small serrate tubercles on the elytron, with 80 to 110 tubercles in the seventh row.

Description. Length 12.0-17.0 mm. Body black, shiny; antennae and tarsi dark brown. Head. Labrum small, with punctures and golden setae on anterior margin. Clypeus, frons with regular punctures, each with central, short seta; frons with two kinds of punctures: one same size as punctures of clypeus, another larger than punctures of clypeus; clypeal suture not covered by frons. Antennae short, reaching midpoint of lateral margin of pronotum; antennomere 2 shorter than remainder, antennomere 3 longer than remainder, antennomeres 4 to 7 longer than wide, antennomeres 8 to 11 wider than long. Thorax. Pronotum narrow, slightly wider than long, concave, with punctures and conspicuous margin ( Fig. 4 ). Anterior margin wider than posterior margin, posterior margin straight to concave. Anterior angles strongly produced; lateral margins elevated, posterior angles pointed ( Fig. 4 ). Elytron rounded, narrowing backwards, with seven longitudinal parallel rows of large conical tubercles ( Fig. 3 ), the first and second rows only posteriorly visible, the first row very close to elytral suture, sometimes elevating the suture, the third and fourth rows of tubercles fused in anterior half forming a carina ( Fig. 3 ); the outer, fifth to seventh rows with tubercles throughout, the seventh row with 18 to 23 tubercles ( Fig. 3 ). Spaces between rows rugose, with small punctures and wrinkles. Pseudoepipleuron with a row of a few sparse tubercles. Epipleuron with conspicuous margin and smooth long hairs on posterior half. Legs with punctures, each with a central short seta. Pro –, mesofemur with sparse long hairs in distal half of ventral surface, metafemur without spur, with hairs over the entire ventral surface and in distal half of interior surface. Metatibia straight at the base. Metafemoral–tibial articulation not reaching elytral apex.

Type material. Holotype, male: [ Argentina Mendoza Dto. Lavalle / Reserva Telteca 548 m / 32º 22`59.58``S, 68º 03`14.16``W / 15-XII-1994 al 3-II-1995 / coll: G. Flores-S. Roig] [ Emmallodera / telteca sp. n. / HOLOTYPUS male/ Det. V. Silvestro and/ G. Flores 2012] ( IADIZA) ; allotype, female: ( IADIZA) and 20 paratypes with the same data as holotype; 54 paratypes ( IADIZA) with the same data as holotype except date: 22-IX-1994 to 1-XI-1994, 5 ; 15-II-1996 to 25-III-1996, 15 ; 26-III-1996 to 2-V-1996, 4 ; 29-IX-1996 to 5-XI-1996, 1 ; 1-XII-1994 to 15-XII-1994, 5 ; 24-XII-1995 to 15-II-1996, 3 ; 3-XII-1996 to 6-I-1997, 3 ; 5-XI-1996 to 3-XII-1996, 2 ; 25-XI-1995 to 25- XII-1995, 3 ; 14-IV-1995 to 11-V-1995, 1 ; 1-III-1994, 5 ; 28-III-1994, 4 ; 25-II-1994, 1 ; 14-XII-1994, 1 ; 16-III-1995, 1 ; 43 paratypes with the same data as holotype, except date and collector: 3-I-2002, coll: F.C. Ocampo, 1 ( IADIZA) , 11-IV-2008, coll: L. Muñoz, 4 ( FMNH) , 4 ( HNHM) , 2 ( IADIZA) , 12-IV-2008, coll: L. Muñoz, 4 ( IFML) , 4 ( LEULS) , 5 ( MACN) , 13-IV-2008, coll: L. Muñoz, 4 ( MLPA) , 4 ( MNNC) , 4 ( NHMB) , (3 IADIZA) , 2 (ENTCNP) , 14-IV-2008, coll: L. Muñoz, 2 ( IMCN).

One paratype: [ Argentina, San Luis/ Quines, 350 m / 4-I-2002 / coll: F. Ocampo] ( IADIZA) . One paratype: [ Argentina, San Juan/ Dto. 25 de Mayo/ 12 km E El Encón/ 10-XII-2002 coll: G. Flores] ( IMCN).

Etymology. Named “ telteca ” because most specimens were collected at the type locality, Reserva Telteca in Mendoza, Argentina.

Distribution and habitat. Emmallodera telteca sp. nov. is known from the type locality in Reserva Telteca, Mendoza province, in San Juan province at 40 km from Reserva Telteca and in San Luis province, near the two first localities. It inhabits the Monte biogeographic province in its Central area ( Roig-Juñent et al. 2001). Some specimens were found walking on dunes during the night. Most specimens were collected using pitfall traps. It was one of the five most abundant coleopteran species in Reserva Telteca ( Flores et al. 2004) during the survey. Fig. 6 in Flores et al. (2004) shows the seasonal fluctuations of this species (misidentified as Emmallodera hirtipes ), whose abundance peaks are in spring and summer. It shares the habitat with other tenebrionid species such as Emmallodera perlifera Burmeister , Epipedonota ebenina (Lacordaire) , Entomoderes erebi (Lacordaire) , Leptynoderes strangulata Fairmaire , Megelenophorus americanus (Lacordaire) , Nyctelia puncticollis Waterhouse , Platyholmus dilaticollis (Lacordaire) and Psectrascelis nitida Kulzer ( Flores et al. 2004, Appendix 1).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Habitus in dorsal view and pronotum of Emmallodera rugosa sp. nov. (1 – 2) and E. telteca sp. nov. (3 – 4).