Arthrobrachus antonioi, Estrada, Patricia, 2016

Estrada, Patricia, 2016, Species of the genus Arthrobrachus Solier, 1849 (Coleoptera: Melyridae) distributed to the East of the Andes, Zootaxa 4092 (3), pp. 371-387 : 375-376

Arthrobrachus antonioi n. sp.

( Figure 3 )

Holotype: Male from Argentina Tucumán, 14 Nov. 1929; H. E. Box collector // Arthrobrachus antonioi Estrada, 2015 // Holotype (all handwritten) // circular (pink). Deposited in MLPA.

Paratypes: Catamarca // L.P. // Arthrobrachus antonioi Estrada, 2015 // Paratype. Deposited in MLPA (1♂). Argentina, Jujuy, Tilcara, 24/01/1948 // T // Arthrobrachus antonioi Estrada, 2015 // Paratype. Deposited in IMLA (1♂ 1♂). Argentina, Prov. San Luis, Villa Elena, Nov., 1976, leg. M. Viana // Colección J. E. Barriga, Chile 113779 // Arthrobrachus antonioi Estrada, 2015 // Paratype. Deposited in MNNC (1 ♂). Argentina, Prov. San Luis, Sn. Gerónimo, Dic, 1972, leg. G. Williner // Colección J. E. Barriga, Chile 115142 // JEBC // Arthrobrachus antonioi Estrada, 2015 // Paratype. Deposited in MNNC (1♂). Argentina, Tucumán, 14 Nov. 1929 // Col. C. Bruch // H. E. Box Collector // 3368 // Arthrobrachus antonioi Estrada, 2015 // Paratype. Deposited in MACN // circular label (black) (1♂). Chaco // Mus. Arg. Cs. Nat. // 6822 // 11291 // Arthrobrachus antonioi Estrada, 2015 // Paratype. Deposited in MACN // circular label (black) (1♂).

Etymology. antonioi , in honour to Antonio Martínez L., my husband, because of his genuine curiosity for nature, specially for insects, in recognition of his unconditional and affectionate support and great stimulus for the achievement of my personal and professional goals.

Diagnosis. Antenna with four dilated preapical antennomeres ( Fig. 3 i); pronotum with additional carina subparallel to the lateral carina in the anterior third, and one circular impression in the basal angle; epipleura wide, with convergent margins toward the apex; male ventrite 6 with two lateral, flat, transverse, subcontiguous plates ( Fig. 3 h); last tergite nearly square, with rounded distal angles ( Fig. 3 h); parameres basally weakly sclerotized ( Fig. 3 a); tegmen without dorsal flange at the base of the parameres, tegminal plate reduced and weakly sclerotized, apodeme reduced or inconspicuous ( Fig. 3 b), tegminal arms strongly curved basally ( Fig. 3 c); median lobe with membranous grooved dorsal surface ( Fig. 3 d), with narrow flection area, apodeme with ventral apical protuberance ( Fig. 3 e–f). The female of this species has not been recognized.

Description. Average body length: 4.3 mm (range: 3.5–5.0 mm), length: width ratio 2.12:1, sides subparallel; punctuation coarse, dense in the head, pronotum and elytra; pubescence fine, short and inclined, dense in pronotum and scattered in the head; thick, short, erect, dense and uniformly distributed hairs on elytra; body dark-testaceous, pronotum black, with clear edges or light testaceous bottom with a black spot at the center, elytra always lighttestaceous with a black spot in the parahumeral area, antennae and legs orange.

Head: Including eyes narrower than the anterior margin of pronotum (0.862:1); antennae shorter than the pronotum (0.716:1), with four medially dilated preapical antennomeres ( Fig. 3 i).

Thorax: Pronotum wider than long (1.4:1), moderately convex transversely and slightly convex longitudinally, base wider than apex (1.31:1) and almost as wide as humeral region (0.962:1); from a dorsal view the anterior margin is slightly convex, anterior and posterior margins fine, lateral margins curved, hind angles marked, with adjacent circular impression, lateral edges of disc narrow and flat, with additional anterior carina subparallel to the lateral carina; elytra 1.42:1 longer than wide; lateral margin subparallel, rounded at distal third, elytral disc moderately convex transversely and slightly descending in the distal portion, lateral sides flat, horizontal, scarcely narrower than the epipleura; epipleura wide, of constant width throughout its length, sides convergent at the apex, glabrous and almost flat, internal margin with scarce denticles; legs: all the tibiae with scarce, short spines at external margin; tarsomeres with abundant apical spines.

Abdomen: Ventrite 5 flat with nearly straight distal margin; ventrite 6 with two flat lateral subcontiguous plates; last tergite subsquare, with rounded distal angles and posterior margin slightly emarginate medially, its apodemes moderately long, pubescense thick and short, scattered ( Fig. 3 h); segment 9 very fine, weakly sclerotized, with fine sternal arms and long apodeme ( Fig. 3 g). Genitalia: parameres wide, rounded at the apex, sides slightly convergent, slightly convex, lightly esclerotized, emarginated at base; from a lateral view the lower margin of parameres and tegmen in straight-line; tegmen without dorsal flange at the base of the parameres, tegminal arms thick, first subparallel and after curved and convergent medially, from a lateral view strongly and abruptly bent at the base, apodeme laminated and moderately reduced, tegminal plate weakly sclerotized, irregularly cut in the distal margin, extended to the base of the apodeme ( Fig. 3 a,b,c); median lobe subcylindrical, lateral margin subparallel, apex pointed, grooved, dorsal surface membranous in its full extent, with narrow flection area ( Fig. 3 e,fl), apodeme enlarged ( Fig. 3 d,e,f).

Distribution. ARGENTINA ( Fig. 10 ): Provinces of Jujuy (IMLA), Salta (IMLA, MACN), Tucumán (IMLA, MACN), Catamarca (IMLA, MACN), Córdoba (IMLA, JEBC), San Luis (IMLA, JEBC, IADIZA); Mendoza (MACN).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Arthrobrachus antonioi n. sp: Male genitalia. Tegmen and parameres: a: dorsal view; b: ventral view; c: lateral view; Median lobe: d: dorsal view; e: ventral view; f: lateral view. Terminal segments of abdomen: g: IX segment; h: V, VI ventrites and last tergum; Antenna: i. Scale 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 10. Geographic distributions of: A. antonioi n. sp, red line area; A. armandoi n. sp. dark blue solid area; A. eloisae n. sp. green solid area; A. flavomarginatus, light green horizontal lines area; A. nigromaculatus, blue vertical lines area; A. ruftarsis, light blue solid area; A. solervicensi n. sp. dark cyan horizontal lines area.