Operclipygus schlingeri, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Operclipygus Marseul (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 271, pp. 1-401 : 46-47

Operclipygus schlingeri sp. n. Figs 8 E–F 10E, HMap 2

Type locality.

PERU: Huanuco: Tingo Maria, Monson Cave [9°18'S, 75°59'W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "PERU: Monson Cave Tingo Maria XII-15-1954" / "E.I.Schlinger, & E.S.Ross collectors" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00188" (CASC). Paratype (1): same data as type (CASC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.53-1.56 mm, width: 1.31-1.33 mm; body rufobrunneus, elongate oval, with conspicuous ground punctation throughout, especially on pronotum; frons flat, sides of frontal stria convergent anteriorly, abruptly bent dorsomediad above antennal bases, continuous but strongly bisinuate across middle of frons; epistoma weakly emarginate; labrum narrow, only slightly wider than long, apex rounded; mandibles markedly narrowed to apices, left untoothed, right with small, acute basal tooth; pronotum with sides relatively straight in basal two-thirds, convergent to front; pronotal disk with strong basal plicae extending forward from base of 3rd dorsal stria, with only very faint prescutellar impression, ground punctation very conspicuous, with numerous coarser punctures toward sides; marginal pronotal stria broadly interrupted behind head; lateral submarginal pronotal stria close to margin, complete, joined with anterior submarginal stria (male) or free anteriorly (female); pronotum with only single pair of anterior gland openings, in female located along anterior margin close to anterior pronotal corners, in male apparenly displaced onto hypomeron in the vicinity of an anterolateral groove formed by marginal stria; elytron with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria complete, inner subhumeral stria absent, dorsal striae 1-5 complete, 5th stria weakly arched to sutural at base, 4th and 5th striae weakly fragmented toward apex, sutural stria present in apical three-fourths; elytral disk with conspicuous, disorganized punctures along apical margin; prosternal keel trunctate at base, carinal striae complete, free basally, united in rather broad anterior arch; prosternal lobe narrowed, subtruncate apically, with marginal stria obsolete at middle, but well impressed and diverging from margin to presternal suture at side in male, female prosternal lobe with fine marginal stria apically, not impressed at side; mesoventral margin shallowly emarginate, marginal stria interrupted; mesometaventral stria broadly arched forward on mesoventrite, reaching about one-third behind anterior margin, continued posterad by lateral metaventral stria to inner third of metacoxa; metaventral disk with ground punctation only; 1st abdominal ventrite with one complete lateral stria; propygidium with sparse but conspicuous ground punctation, small coarse punctures evenly interspersed, separated by 1 –2× their diameters; pygidium with conspicuous ground punctation and few slightly coarser punctures intermixed; marginal pygidial sulcus well impressed, complete to base, interrupted apically in holotype, complete in paratype. Male genitalia (Figs 10E, H): accessory sclerites absent; T8 rather short, with sides subparallel in basal two-thirds, abruptly narrowed to apex, narrowly emarginate apically, with broad, shallow basal emargination, basal membrane attachment line distad basal emargination, ventrolateral apodemes nearly meeting at midline; S8 narrowed strongly to apex, apical guides narrow, only barely widening to apex, ventral halves weakly divergent; T9 with apices simple, pointed inward; T10 with halves fully separate; stem of S9 narrow, rounded basally, apical emargination narrow, apical flanges separate; tegmen short, broad, sides rounded, rather evenly curved dorsoventrally, medioventral process ‘U’ -shaped, projecting beneath about one-fourth from base; median lobe about one-third tegmen length, proximal apodemes uniform; basal piece nearly one-half tegmen length.

Remarks.

The unique frontal stria of Operclipygus schlingeri (Fig. 8F) is sufficient to recognize it among Neotropical Exosternini .

Etymology.

We name this species for one of its collectors, Dr. Evert Schlinger, also in recognition of his support of entomology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.