Carmenlyrus, Chani-Posse & Ramírez-Salamanca & Silva-Tavera, 2022

Chani-Posse, Mariana R., Ramírez-Salamanca, José M. & Silva-Tavera, Daniel F., 2022, Systematic treatment of the Neotropical Philonthina (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylinini): Carmenlyrus gen. nov. and its phylogenetic relationships, Zoologischer Anzeiger 299, pp. 62-72 : 66-68

Genus Carmenlyrus gen. nov

( Figs. 3–5 ).

Species composition: Carmenlyrus adrianae sp. nov. ( Bolivia, Peru);

C. newtoni sp. nov. ( Costa Rica); C. tapanti sp. nov. ( Costa Rica);

C. thayerae sp. nov. ( Costa Rica). Type species. Carmenlyrus thayerae , here designated.

Etymology. The genus name is dedicated to Carmen Lyra, pseudonym for the famous female Costa Rican writer María Isabel Carvajal Quesada (1888–1949).

Diagnosis. The most remarkable characters of Carmenlyrus that make its species different from other species within the NT lineage are the presence of both a distinct border next to the eye margin at the anterior angle of head and the maxillary palpus with the fourth palpomere distinctly narrow and at least twice as long as the preceding one. Carmenlyrus also differs from all other genera of Philonthina by the following combination of characters: antennomeres fourth–tenth distinctly separated, each showing a rather convex apical margin and prosternum with sternacostal ridge joining superior line of hypomeron.

Description. Length 11.7–12.4 mm. Body elongate, more or less parallel sided, moderately widening toward elytra and tapering toward sixth visible abdominal segment, scarcely punctate ( Fig. 3 ). Colouration: Head and thorax brown to dark brown, elytra of metallic colour, abdomen light brown or dark brown to black with last abdominal segments of distinct contrasting colour; antennae, palpi and legs brown to dark brown.

Head of trapezoidal shape with obtusely rounded hind angles, widest anteriad ( Fig. 3 ); slightly to moderately wider than long, moderately to distinctly wider than pronotum at widest point, with distinct border next to the eye margin at the anterior angle of head on dorsal view ( Fig. 5 ); epicranium with two pairs of interocular punctures; tempora with three to four postocular punctures arranged in a line at each side; dorsal surface of head with two rows of punctures at midline sub-parallel to each other and dense, wave-like microsculpture. Gular sutures joined before neck. Eyes moderately convex, distinctly shorter than temples seen from above ( Fig. 3 ). Antennae inserted closer to anterior margin of frontoclypeus than to eyes, separated from each other by about 2.0 x the distance to eye, first antennomere about one third of head length and distinctly shorter than antennomeres second and third combined, antennomere third distinctly longer than second, first three segments with rather scarce long setae, pubescence starting antennomere fourth, antennomeres fourth–tenth distinctly separated, each showing a rather convex apical margin. Maxillary palpus with fourth palpomere distinctly longer and narrower than third ( Figs. 3 , 5 ). Labrum subtriangular, distinctly emarginate and completely sclerotized with numerous and long macrosetae at apical margin. Mentum with anterior margin slightly emarginate and about as long as submentum. Labial palpus moderately long, third palpomere fusiform, about as long as to longer than second.

Thorax: Pronotum subquadrate, almost parallel-sided, slightly narrowed posteriad; front margin subtruncate, hind margin arcuate, anterior and posterior angles obtusely rounded ( Fig. 3 ); lateral puncture of pronotum bearing long macroseta separated from superior line of pronotal hypomeron by a distance at least 4.0 x as large as diameter of puncture; disc with two dorsal rows of four punctures each, parallel to each other. Prosternum glabrous, without distinct mid-longitudinal carina; basisternum longer than furcasternum, with or without a rudimentary transverse carina. Mesoventrite somewhat elongate, with sternopleural suture distinctly oblique; mesoventral intercoxal process broadly pointed forming rounded angle. Legs: Profemora cylindrical in shape, with longitudinal patch of setae lateroventrally, otherwise scarce setae overall; protibiae setose, with 1–2 medio-apical spines; protarsi with first four tarsomeres subequal in length, slightly longer than wide, widened apically, flattened dorsoventrally, ventral surface with marginal setae posteriad; meso and metatibiae distinctly spinose. Elytra at sides longer than pronotum at midline ( Fig. 3 ); punctuation fine and sparse.

Abdomen: Terga 3–5 with both anterior and posterior basal transverse carinae complete and straight. Hind margin of tergum 8 (sixth visible) straight in both sexes. Male sexual characters: Sternum 8 rather straight medio-apically, not distinctly emarginate ( Fig. 4A, 4J ). Genital segment with lateral tergal sclerites 9 (styli) elongate and subcylindrical, not sexually dimorphic; tergum 10 subtruncate to truncate at apex with 4–6 apical setae and two subapical setae; sternum 9 with basal portion distinctly asymmetrical, about 0.5 x as long as distal portion and deeply emarginate apically, distinctly setose at each side of emargination ( Fig. 4C, 4D, 4I, 4L ). Aedeagus with parameres fused as one short sclerite, completely fused to median lobe and without sensory peg setae; median lobe elongate, dagger-shaped, with apical part narrowed into a subacute apex ( Fig. 4B, 4G, 4K ). Female sexual characters: Sternum 8 with hind margin straight; tergum 10 rather truncate apically ( Fig. 4E ); second gonocoxites each with a long macroseta basally, with minute stylus ( Fig. 4F ) bearing one long macroseta and one distinctly short and fine seta.

Immature stages. Unknown.

Distribution and bionomics. Species of Carmenlyrus are known at present from Costa Rica, Peru and Bolivia, where they were found in montane cloud forests at elevations of ca. 1000–1480 m a.s.l. No records have been found from Panama, Colombia and Ecuador so far. Specimens have been collected by fogging fleshy polypores, also with dung bait and flight intercept traps.

Recognition. The presence of rather moniliform antennae (i.e., antennomeres fourth to tenth distinctly separated, each showing a rather convex apical margin) is a feature also shared by members of the so-called “False Philonthus ” clade. However, Carmenlyrus can be recognized among them and other currently known Philonthina by their distinct head and pronotum shape in addition to their elytra of metallic colour and the characters provided in the diagnosis. Although the species of Carmenlyrus superficially resemble those of Pescolinus Sharp , because of their habitus colour pattern, they differ by having the first four protarsomeres rather longer than wide as opposed to those of Pescolinus which are distinctly widened as well as the palpi which are of different shape among other characters already mentioned above.

Figures

Fig. 3. Habitus of (A) Carmenlyrus adrianae (female PT) [IRSNB ©], (B) C. newtoni (HT, male) [SEMC ©], (C) C. tapanti (HT, male) [SEMC©], and (D, E) C. thayerae (HT, male and female PT respectively) [FMNH©]. Not to scale.

Fig. 4. Carmenlyrus adrianae, male genitalia: (A) male sternum 8; (B) aedeagus in dorsal view; (C) sternum 9; (D) male tergum 10 and right lateral tergal sclerite 9. Carmenlyrus newtoni, female genitalia: (F) female tergum 10 and right lateral tergal sclerite 9; (G) gonocoxites of female genital segment. Carmenlyrus tapanti, male and female genitalia: (H) aedeagus in dorsal view; (15) sternum 9; (I) male tergum 10. Carmenlyrus thayerae, male genitalia: (J) male sternum 8; (K) aedeagus in dorsal view; (L) sternum 9. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 5. Diagnostical characters of Carmenlyrus. Head of C. thayerae [FMNH ©] on dorsal view, (1) distinct border next to eye margin, (2) fourth maxillary palpomere.