Epikastea piranha Erwin

Erwin, Terry L., 2004, The beetle family Carabidae of Costa Rica: The genus Epikastea Liebke of the Plochonida Group, with new Neotropical species and notes on their way of life (Insecta: Coleoptera, Lebiini, Agrina), Zootaxa 790, pp. 1-20 : 16-17

Epikastea piranha Erwin , new species

(Fig. 5)

Holotype. Female, ECUADOR. ORELLANA, Hauorani Territory, Camp Piraña, 0o 39' 25.685" S, 0 76o 27' 10.813" W, 216m, January (T.L. Erwin, et al.)( NMNH: ADP108911).

Derivation of specific name. The specific epithet, piranha , is used as a noun in apposition based on the name of the camp at which the holotype was collected. In the local language the spelling is Piraña.

Common name. Piraña big­headed carabid beetle.

Diagnosis. With the attributes of the genus as described above and pronotum unicolorous, rufous; elytron with narrow apical rufotestaceous band. Head with fine microsculpture, sculpticells isodiametric and slightly transverse. Pronotum and elytron with slightly more impressed microsculpture than head, sculpticells transverse, more so on elytron. Dorsal surface very shiny. Elytron markedly elongate and narrow for genus, Ratio PL/EL = 0.31. Size small for genus.

Description. (Fig. 5). Size small: ABL = 6.1 mm, SBL = 5.7 mm, TW = 2.3 mm. Color: Dorsum of head, prothorax and entire venter rufescent; mouthparts, and legs rufotestaceous, antennomeres 5–11 slightly infuscated. Metathorasic wings clear. Luster: Dorsal surface very shiny. Microsculpture: See Diagnosis. Head: Narrower across eyes than pronotum (eyes deformed in Holotype due to bad collecting fluid); frontal furrows extended to level of anterior supraorbital seta, moderately impressed proximal to clypeus, margined laterally by well developed carina, surface near carina slightly rugose; eyes (probably) large, produced, gena absent; frons and occiput slightly convex; labrum slightly emarginate; labial palpomere 4 depressed, slightly shorter than maxillary palpomere 4. Prothorax: Pronotum cordiform, moderately convex, depressed along midline, side margin very broadly explanate, markedly sinuate anterior to slightly right (90º) hind angle, base slightly rounded, not lobed posteriorly. Pterothorax: Normal for Agrina, fully winged. Legs: Normal for Agrina. Abdomen: Sterna normal for Agrina, glabrous, except normal paired ambulatory setae on sterna III–V; female with 3 pairs long setae on sternum VI. Male genitalia: Unknown.

Dispersal potential. This fully winged beetles was fogged from the rainforest canopy, thus adults are probably good dispersers like most arboreal beetles.

Way of life. See under genus, and one adult of this species was fogged from the canopy of a mixed hardwood rainforest in Ecuador. The known altitudinal range of this species is 216m above sea level. Adults have been obtained in January; hence there is activity by them in the dry season.

Other specimens examined. None

Geographic distribution. Known only from the type locality in Ecuador.