Epikastea grace 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 : 13

Epikastea grace Erwin , new species

(Fig. 2)

Holotype. Female, PERÚ, LORETO, Samiria River, Camp Manco Capac, 04º 43’ 0 S, 074º 18’ 0 W, June (T.L. Erwin, G.P. Servat, et al.)( MUSM: ADP093696).

Derivation of specific name. The specific epithet, grace , is used as a noun in apposition based on the name of the collector, Grace Servat, a Peruvian Ornithologist.

Common name. Grace’s big­headed carabid beetle.

Diagnosis. With the attributes of the genus as described above and pronotum unicolorous, rufous; elytron with broad apical rufotestaceous band. Head with fine microsculpture, sculpticells isodiametric and slightly transverse. Pronotum and elytron with slightly more impressed microsculpture than head, sculpticells transverse. Dorsal surface very shiny. Elytron proportions normal for genus, Ratio PL/EL = 0.33. Size small for genus.

Description. (Fig. 2). Size small: ABL = 5.9 mm, SBL = 5.5 mm, TW = 2.3 mm. Color: Dorsum of head and prothorax and entire venter rufescent; mouthparts, antennomeres, and legs rufotestaceous. Metathorasic wings clear. Luster: Dorsal surface very shiny. Microsculpture: See Diagnosis. Head: Slightly narrower across eyes than pronotum; 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 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 margins broadly explanate, markedly sinuate anterior to slightly obtuse 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 beetle 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 of a Mauritia flexuosa L. palm in Perú. The known altitudinal range of this species is 100m above sea level. An adult was obtained in June; hence there is activity by them in the rainy season.

Other specimens examined. None

Geographic distribution. Known only from the Samiria River watershed, Perú.