Elaphropus (Nototachys) occidentalis, Boyd, Olivia F. & Erwin, Terry L., 2016

Boyd, Olivia F. & Erwin, Terry L., 2016, Taxonomic review of New World Tachyina (Coleoptera, Carabidae): descriptions of new genera, subgenera, and species, with an updated key to the subtribe in the Americas, ZooKeys 626, pp. 87-123 : 102-105

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Carabidae

Elaphropus (Nototachys) occidentalis sp. n. Figs 2H, 3H, 4H, 5H, 7A

Type material.

Holotype: male (NMNH) with following label data: "PERU: LORETO / Pithecia 16May90 / 74°45'W 05°28'S / T.L. Erwin Coll. // At light on Launch / in evening after / sunset’. Paratypes: 12 (4 male, 8 female) in AMNH, CAS, CMNH, MZUSP, NMNH, from "PERU: LORETO 1km SW Boca / del Rio Samira Vigilante Post / No. 1 130m 31 Aug 1991 / 04°40.5'S 074°18.9'W // Treading margins of open / grassy marsh, no water / T.L. Erwin & M.G. Pogue / Lot 73" [1♂, NMNH], "Rio Cauaburi / AM, Brasil / 9.XII.1962 / J. Bechyné col." [1♂, MZUSP], "COLOMBIA:Amazonas / Leticia, 15-VI-65 / P. R. Craig / and J. Robb" [1♂, CAS], "PERU: MADRE DE DIOS / Pakitza, Rio Manu / 6&9Feb90 T.L. Erwin / 70°58'W 12°07'S // Treading and / quaking river edge / fine silt/sand, / sparse vegetation" [1♂, 1♀, NMNH], "PERU: MADRE DE DIOS / Pakitza, Varzea / 18&21Feb90 TL Erwin / 70°58'W 12°07'S // In leaf litter on / upper flood margin / of Cocha Chica / Tr. Pacal /57" [1♀, NMNH], "PERU: MADRE DE DIOS / Pakitza, quebrada / 06Feb90 T.L. Erwin / 70°58'W 12°07'S // Under leaves at / edge of stream / behind lab, silt" [1♀, NMNH], PERU: LORETO, San / Regis, Rio Maranon / 73°57'W 04°32'S / 04May90, dusk // river margin, at / light on Launch / T.L. Erwin Coll." [1♀, NMNH], PERU: Madre de Dios / Rio Tambopata Res. / 30km (air) sw Pto. / Maldonato, 290m / 12°50'S 069°20'W // B.M. 1983-455 / N.E.Stork / 3.x.-15.xi.1983 / riverbank" [1♀, NMNH], "BRASIL:Barra do / Tapirape, Mato Grosso, / I:1-15:1966 / B.Malkin leg." [1♀, CMNH], ARGENTINA,Tucuman: / 15 Km.N.Tucuman, / Rio Sali. / Dec.30,1971 833 / Lee Herman" [1♀, AMNH], handwritten: "Rep Arg / Tucuman / Ciudad 111-59" [1♀, NMNH].

Type locality.

Perú: Loreto, Pithecia, 74°45'W, 05°28'S.

Diagnosis.

Mentum without foveae; elytron smooth, with two pale maculae and 5 discal setae, Ed1-3 closely grouped in basal third (Fig. 2H); pronotum (Fig. 3H) narrowed at base; mesepisternum (Fig. 7A) with two deep pits; apical half of antennae (Fig. 2H) lighter than basal half.

Description.

Size. ABL = 2.0-2.4 mm; SBL = 2.4-2.7 mm; TW = 1.0-1.2 mm.

Form. (Fig. 2H) Convex, shiny, glabrous; pronotum distinctly narrowed at base.

Microsculpture. Absent except for isodiametrically microsculptured labrum.

Color. Glabrous, rufotestaceous to piceous; elytron with two pale maculae.

Head. Mentum without foveae; frons without longitudinal depressions; frontoclypeal suture with very short lateral subfoveate grooves extending posteriad; apical half of antennae abruptly lighter that basal half, nearly white in many specimens.

Prothorax. Pronotum (Fig. 3H) narrowed at base, margins sinuate; posterior angle approximately square; lateral margin of pronotum narrowly explanate, with flange about 2 × wider at midpoint than at base or apex and bordered by lateral groove; lateral groove extending to posterior angle; shallow, transverse basal impressions reduced to a series of several small, shallow punctules; basal two protarsomeres of male dilated, medially dentiform.

Pterothorax. Mesepisternum (Fig. 7A) with two deep, circular pits; elytral interneur 8 (Fig. 4H) very deeply impressed from Eo2-4, completely effaced between Eo4 and Eo5, deeply impressed from Eo5 to apex; dorsal surface glabrous and without microsculpture; elytral margin smooth; elytra apically narrowed after Eo5+6; each elytron with two pale spots; i1 subsulcate, 2-7 only visible as subcuticular dots; elytron with 5 discal setae, Ed1-4 in basal ⅔, Ed5 near tip of ARG (Fig. 2H); humeral setal insertions (Fig. 4H) asymmetrically distributed, with 4th removed from 1-3; elytral ombilicate setae 2, 6, and 8 very long, 2 –3× the length of the next longest ombilicate seta; ARG (Fig. 5H) short, shallow, extending just past Ed5.

Genitalia. Not examined.

Distribution.

Known from Perú, Brazil, and Argentina. Widespread and apparently abundant in-though not restricted to-riparian habitats.

Derivation of specific epithet.

Derived from the Latin occidens (= “west”), in reference to the New World precinctiveness of this species. This subgenus was previously only described from the Old World.