Parochodaeus perdidus Paulsen, 2014

Paulsen, M. J., 2014, Correction of the misidentifications and confusion surrounding Ochodaeus grandiceps Fairmaire, 1897 (Coleoptera: Ochodaeidae), and the description of a new species of ochodaeid from Cuba, Insecta Mundi 2014 (369), pp. 1-6 : 4-5

Parochodaeus perdidus Paulsen , new species

Holotype male ( USNM), labeled: a) “[18-Oct-1944] / Vista Alegre / Stgo. Cuba, at light / C. T. Ramsden, Coll.”; b) male symbol; c) on red paper, “ HOLOTYPE / Parochodaeus perdidus / Paulsen, 2014” ( Fig. 3 ).

Description. Length: 7.5 mm. Width: 4.0 mm. Head: Surface shiny, everywhere sparsely, setigerously punctate. Frons with vertex tuberculate. Clypeus trapezoidal, long (length equal to 1/2 width), anterior margin with an erect, horn-like tubercle on each end ( Fig. 4 ), margin between tubercles distinct, thickened. Labrum emarginate. Mandibles rounded externally; left mandible with bicuspid tooth just behind apex and 1 strong basal tooth; right mandible with acute apex and 1 strong subapical tooth. Mentum with distinct longitudinal furrow in anterior half. Pronotum: Form evenly convex. Surface with tile-like tubercles; tubercles large, setigerous with short setae; surface between tubercles punctate; punctures moderate, lacking setae. Elytra: Striae moderately impressed, punctate with moderate punctures lacking setae. Interstriae tuberculate, intervals 1–2 with tubercles larger than strial punctures, elsewhere tubercles moderate. Legs: Protibia tridentate with basal tooth strongly developed, median; internal apical tooth (pollex) large, obtuse, directed ventrally ( Fig. 4 ). All femora unarmed. Metatibia straight, narrow (>4x longer than wide) expanding gradually to apex. Metatarsomere 1 not greatly enlarged. Abdomen: Stridulatory peg present. Pygidium tuberculate.

Diagnosis. The protibial pollex (“thumb”) of this species is large and obtuse ( Fig. 4 ), which is unlike any other Parochodaeus species. Some members of the genus from South America display pollices, but they are generally much narrower and acute or conical.

Etymology. The species is named ‘ perdidus ’, a Latinized form of the Spanish word ‘ perdido’, meaning lost. I chose this name primarily to allude to the isolation achieved by the founding individuals, however they arrived in the West Indies. No species of Parochodaeus are known from the mainland areas nearest to Cuba. Secondarily, the name denotes the confusion surrounding the identity of the species. It is an adjective in the nominative singular and is masculine in gender.

Distribution. ( Fig. 5 ) CUBA: CAMAGÜEY: Galbis (1); CIENFUEGOS: Soledad, nr. Cienfuegos (1); GUANTÁNAMO: San Carlos (1); SANTIAGO de CUBA: Vista Alegre (4).

Temporal Distribution. May (2), July (1), October (1), November (3). As with other species of Parochodaeus ( Ratcliffe and Paulsen 2008; Paulsen and Ocampo 2012), the Cuban species displays a long period of activity.

Remarks. The species is based solely on the largest male from Vista Alegre, although all specimens examined are tentatively and conservatively assigned to this single species. Unfortunately, there are not enough specimens available for study to be confident that the variation present in the remaining material is intraspecific. Although the armature of the internal sac of the male genitalia can be useful for species determination the three males available did not display any obvious differences in this structure. Many species of Parochodaeus demonstrate a large range in body size, and this can lead to differences in armature and punctation. The three smaller specimens from the type locality (2 females, 1 male) have much smoother pronota and less well-developed pollices, but these differences may be related to their smaller size (5 – 6 mm). The large female specimen from Camagüey (7.6 mm) most closely approximates the holotype, but has the mentum more weakly furrowed and the elytra less strongly tuberculate. Because the form of the mentum usually is a reliable character for distinguishing species of Parochodaeus and the specimen is from quite far away ( Fig. 5 ), this female specimen may not be conspecific. The partial specimen from Guantánamo lacks a head and thorax but does display a similar stridulatory peg and large elytral tubercles. In the female specimen from Cienfuegos the mentum is weakly notched anteriorly and not distinctly longitudinally furrowed, with no evidence of a pollex; this specimen is the most likely to belong to another species, however no males from this locality are known. More specimens are necessary, and especially males, to discern if there may be additional species of Parochodaeus in Cuba. Because it is possible that more than one species is present, specimens of the remaining material are not included in the type series.

Figures

Figure 5. Distribution of Parochodaeus specimens from Cuba (circles) with the type locality of P. perdidus, n.sp., indicated in orange. Provincial abbreviations shown: CF = Cienfuegos, CM = Camagüey, GU = Guantánamo, and SC = Santiago de Cuba.

Figures 2–4. Parochodaeus perdidus, n.sp. 2) Dorsal habitus of holotype. 3) Holotype labels. 4) Oblique lateral view of holotype, showing the ventrally projected pollex of the right protibia in lateral view (arrow), and bituberculate clypeus.