Operclipygus tripartitus, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Operclipygus Marseul (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 271, pp. 1-401 : 273-275

Operclipygus tripartitus sp. n. Figs 71E72JMap 26

Type locality.

COSTA RICA: Heredia: La Selva Biological Station [10°26'N, 84°01'W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "COSTA RICA: Heredia, Est.Biol. LaSelva. 10.26°N, 84.01°W. F.I.T. 22 June 1998 C.Carlton & A.Tishechkin"/ “LSAM0046194” (FMNH). Paratypes (77): 42: same data as type, except as noted: 2: 19.vi.1998, FIT, C.E. Carlton & A.K. Tishechkin (LSAM), 1: 20.vi.1998 (LSAM), 10: 21.vi.1998 (LSAM, FMNH, MSCC, AKTC), 1: 22.vi.1998 (LSAM), 3: 23.vi.1998 (LSAM), 7: 24.vi.1998 (LSAM), 5: 25.vi.1998 (LSAM), 4: 26.vi.1998 (LSAM), 4: 28.vi.1998 (LSAM), 1: 29.vi.1998 (LSAM), 1: 5.ii.1992, FIT, W. Bell (SEMC), 1: 24.ii.1992 (SEMC), 1: 21.iii.1992 (SEMC), 1: 24.iii.1992 (SEMC), 1: 28.ii.1992 (SEMC); Heredia: 1: Los Arbolitos, Sarapiqui, 30-10m, 20-27.iii.1993, F. Araya (INBIO); Limón: 2: Area Cons. Tortuguero, Sector Cerro Cocori, Fca. de E. Rojas, 150m, i.1993, E. Rojas (INBIO), 2: vi.1991 (INBIO), 3: iii.1992, E. Rojas (INBIO), 3: iv.1992, E. Rojas (INBIO), 1: 26. vii– 2.viii.1992 (INBIO), 2: 28. v– 17.vi.1992 (INBIO), 1: 9-30.xi.1992 (INBIO), 2: xii.1992 (INBIO), 3: ii.1993, E. Rojas (INBIO), 4: iii.1993, E. Rojas (INBIO), 3: iv.1993, E. Rojas (INBIO), 2: ix.1991 (INBIO), 3: v.1993 (INBIO), 1: x.1993 (INBIO), 1: xi.1991 (INBIO).

Other material.

COSTA RICA: Alajuela: 1: Cano Negro, RNVS Cano Negro, 20m, 5-26.i.1993, K. Flores, (INBIO), 1: 1-23.xi.1994, K.F. Flores, (INBIO); Cartago: 1: Parque Nac. Barbilla, Est. Barbilla, Turrialba, Send. a Rio Barbilla, 250m, 14-26.i.2001, FIT, W. Arana (INBIO); Guanacaste: 1: Parque Nac. Guanacaste, Est. Pitilla [misspelled Patilla], 10°59'22"N, 85°25'33"W, 610m, 13-15.vii.2000, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, Z. Falin (SEMC); Puntarenas: 3: Rancho Quemado, Peninsula de Osa, 200m, ix.1992, F. Quesada (INBIO), 1: v.1992, F. Quesada y G. Varela (INBIO), 1: vii.1992, F. Quesada (INBIO), 1: x.1992, F. Quesada (INBIO), 2: xii.1991, F. Quesada, (INBIO), 1: 21. iii– 7.iv.1992, F. Quesada, (INBIO); 2: Est. Sirena, Playa Sirena, 1-100m, viii.1995, G. Fonseca (INBIO); 1: Parque Nac. Corcovado, Sirena Stn. Rio Pavo Trail, 8°29'5"N, 83°35'33"W, 5m, 25-28.vi.2000, FIT, Z. Falin (SEMC); 1: Est. Esquinas, Peninsula de Osa, x.1993, M. Segura (INBIO); 1: Rincon de Osa, 8°41.141'N, 83°31.117'W, 50m, 23-26.vi.2001, FIT, S. & J. Peck (SEMC). PANAMA: Colón: 1: San Lorenzo Forest, 9°17'N, 79°58'W, 15-17.v.2004, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (AKTC), 1: 17-18.v.2004, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (AKTC), 1: 18-19.v.2004, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (AKTC), 2: 24-25.v.2004, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (GBFM), 1: 25-26.v.2004, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (GBFM); 1: Parque Nac. San Lorenzo, Achiote, Cafetal A Dist., 09°12'N, 79°58'W, 100m, 26. vi– 10.vii.2007, FIT, A. Mercado (GBFM); Panamá: 1: Pueblo Nuevo Cave, 9°4'N, 78°45'W, 16.vi.1999, on bat guano, W. Reeves (AKTC); 1: Barro Colorado Isl., 9°11'N, 79°51'W, 1-5.vii.2000, FIT, S. Chatzimanolis (SEMC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.72-1.90 mm, width: 1.47-1.62 mm; body rufobrunneus, shining, elongate oval with sides rather broadly rounded; frons depressed at middle, disk very finely and sparsely punctate; frontal stria divergent between eyes, sinuate over antennae, continuous across front; supraorbital stria very weakly impressed, frequently fragmented and/or disconnected from frontal stria; labrum narrow, about 1.8 × as wide as long, asymmetrically emarginate apically, with left side slightly more prominent; left mandible untoothed, right with very small basal tooth; pronotal disk faintly impressed in prescutellar area, disk with very fine, sparse ground punctation, with generally few, but up to ~20 lateral punctures; lateral submarginal pronotal stria present in anterior half, curving inward but not continuous with anterior portion in most individuals; anterior submarginal pronotal stria very weakly recurved posterad at sides; median pronotal gland openings about three-fourths pronotal length behind anterior margin; elytra with outer and inner subhumeral striae absent, 1st dorsal stria usually obsolete in apical half, striae 2-3 complete, 4th stria broadly interrupted at middle, present at base and apex, 5th stria represented by short apical fragment, sutural stria present in apical three-fourths; elytral disk with few disorganized apical punctures; prosternal keel weakly emarginate at base, with carinal striae complete, fine, widely separated basally, converging anteriorly; mesoventral margin weakly projecting, marginal stria interrupted for width of prosternum; mesometaventral stria arched forward to near mesoventral margin; lateral metaventral stria extending toward outer corner of metacoxa, abbreviated apically; 1st abdominal ventrite with two abbreviated lateral striae, the outer bent behind metacoxa, short, frequently fragmented; postcoxal fovea inconspicuous; propygidium and pygidium lacking microsculpture; propygidium with small round punctures separated by about their diameters along basal margin, becoming smaller and sparser to apex; pygidium with fine, sparse ground punctation, few or no coarser punctures; marginal pygidial stria very finely impressed at extreme apex or absent. Male genitalia: segments 8-10 indistinguishable from those of Operclipygus nicodemus (see Fig. 72I and description above), tegmen (Fig. 72J) differing from that species only slightly in having the medioventral process strongly reduced, barely projecting beneath, and having the dorsoventral curvature of tegmen very weak.

Remarks.

This species is distinguished by the interrupted submarginal pronotal stria (Fig. 71E), with the ends of the anterior portion weakly recurved behind the eyes, in combination with the apically abbreviated 1st dorsal stria, the complete 2nd-3rd striae, and interrupted 4th stria. We restrict the type series to a relatively small area in northwestern Atlantic lowland Costa Rica, as there is some variation in body shape and striation. Specimens from Panamá, in particular, were initially considered to represent a distinct species. However, in most characters, including male genitalia, the various included populations are indistinguishable.

Etymology.

This species’ name refers to its three-part submarginal pronotal stria.