Philothalpus juanecoi Asenjo & Ribeiro-Costa

Asenjo, Angelico & Ribeiro-Costa, Cibele S., 2009, Two new species of the Neotropical genus Philothalpus Kraatz from Peru (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Xanthopygina), Zootaxa 2286, pp. 49-57 : 50-51

Philothalpus juanecoi Asenjo & Ribeiro-Costa , new species

( Figs. 1–11 )

Type material. Holotype: PERU: 3, with labels: “ PERU: CU [Cusco], Campamento / Paratori, 27.x.2002 / 12º3’S 72º58’W, 690 m, / Pitfall trap, J. Grados”, “ HOLOTYPUS / Philothalpus / juanecoi Asenjo & Ribeiro-Costa / Desig. Asenjo & Ribeiro-Costa, 2009” ( MUSM). Paratypes (2): PERU: 3, with labels: “ PERU: CU [Cusco], Campamento / Paratori, 24.x.2002, / 12º3’S 72º58’W, 690 m, / Pitfall trap, J. Grados”, “ PARATYPUS / Philothalpus / juanecoi Asenjo & Ribeiro-Costa / Desig. Asenjo & Ribeiro-Costa, 2009" ( DZUP); Ƥ, “ PERU: CU [Cusco], Campamento / Comerciato, 23.xi.2002 / 14º47’S 73º22’W, 1350 m, / Pitfall trap, J. Grados”, “ PARATYPUS / Philothalpus / juanecoi Asenjo & Ribeiro-Costa / Desig. Asenjo & Ribeiro- Costa, 2009” ( MUSM).

Diagnosis. Among Philothalpus species, P. juanecoi sp. n. is similar to P. falini Chatzimanolis & Ashe, 2005 in having the head and pronotum dark reddish brown, but in P. juanecoi sp. n. the elytra are metallic, dark reddish brown, almost black, while in P. falini they are dark and metallic green. Philothalpus juanecoi sp. n. can be distinguished from the other species of Philothalpus by the paramere strongly expanded apically and having apical emargination ( Figs. 9, 11 ).

Description. Holotype male, BL: 12.41.

Body dark brown ( Fig. 1 ). Head ( Fig. 2 ) and pronotum ( Fig. 3 ) dark reddish brown; antennal segments 1– 3 lighter; legs ( Fig. 1 ) light reddish brown; elytra metallic; scutellum and elytra ( Figs 1, 4 ) dark reddish brown, almost black. Abdominal terga III–V ( Fig. 1 ) each with triangular dark reddish brown spot medially, apical margin light reddish brown; tergum VI black ( Fig. 1 ) with apical margin reddish brown; tergum VII ( Fig. 1 ) with basal half dark reddish brown, almost black, and apical margin light reddish brown. Prosternum, meso- and metaventrite dark reddish brown; abdominal sterna III–V ( Fig. 5 ) dark reddish brown with lighter apical margin, sternum VI black with apical margin reddish brown; sternum VII ( Fig. 1 ) with basal half dark reddish brown, almost black, and apical margin light reddish brown.

Head ( Fig. 2 ) wider (HW: 1.94) than long (HL: 1.45), with rounded hind angles, head disk with umbilicate punctures each carrying a brown microseta. Epicranium with micropunctures between umbilicate punctures, slightly convex and smooth medially; umbilicate punctures absent medially, denser posteriorly (about 4.59 punctures / 0.3 mm) than anteriorly (about 3.06 punctures / 0.3 mm), lateral density about 3.38 punctures / 0.3 mm. Eyes prominent ( Figs. 1–2 ), length (OL: 1.00) about 7/10 the length of head, distance between eyes (IO: 1.74) about 4.2 times the width of eyes (OW: 0.41). Gula very narrow posteriorly (GL: 1.37, GW: 0.04), gular sulci widely separated anteriorly and medially and contiguous posteriorly. Neck with 4–5 transverse irregular rows of umbilicate punctures; without micropunctures. Antennae with scape gradually thickened, pedicel (0.33) shorter than 2.0 times the length of scape (0.61), pedicel and segment 3 similar in width (0.33), segment 3 longer (0.41) than pedicel (0.33), segment 4 (length 0.2: width 0.18) longer than wide, segment 5 quadrate (0.20:0.20), segment 6 wider than long (0.18:0.22), segment 7 wider than long (0.18: 0.22), segment 8 wider than long (0.18:0.24), segment 9 wider than long (0.18:0.24), segment 10 wider than long (0.18:0.27); segments 4–11 densely covered by microsetae; scape and pedicel with black macrosetae lacking a defined pattern, on segment 3 arranged in four rings, on segments 4–7 arranged in 3 rings, on segments 8–10 forming 2 rings in the apical region and disorderly arranged on segment 11.

Pronotum ( Fig. 3 ) longer than wide (PL: 2.18; PW: 1.90), wider anteriorly, lateral margins gently concave in posterior 2/3; with glossy golden microsetae and few black macrosetae along borders. Superior line of hypomeron completely visible in dorsal view. Disk with longitudinally elongate umbilicate punctures (about 3.7 punctures / 0.3 mm), except on smooth medial line that is abbreviated anteriorly; rare micropunctures only on median line. Scutellum ( Fig. 4 ) with glossy microsetae and micropunctures. Elytra ( Fig. 4 ) wider than pronotum (EL: 2.38; EW: 2.48); punctation course and denser than on pronotum (about 4 punctures / 0.3 mm); with glossy yellowish microsetae, a few black macrosetae arranged along lateral and posterior borders.

Legs ( Fig. 1 ) uniformly covered with glossy yellowish microsetae, tibiae with dark brownish macrosetae; segments of protarsus 1–4 strongly bilobate and ventrally with yellowish setae.

Terga and sterna III–VII with golden and black setae, golden microsetae predominate on terga and sterna III–V and black macrosetae on terga and sterna VI–VII, black macrosetae arranged in row at the apical borders of all terga and sterna except tergum VII, posterior angles of terga and sterna III–VI with one longer black macroseta. Terga III–V with subbasal carina curved and transverse basal carina; subbasal carina fused to transverse basal carina in middle region. Basal carina on middle of sterna III–V ( Fig. 5 ) projected posteriorly, straight on sternum VI, projected anteriorly on sternum VII and emarginate anteriorly on lateral third of sterna III–VII.

Male with median subbasal depression on sternum VII ( Fig. 6 ) completely covered with tuft of long setae. Sternum VIII and tergum X slightly emarginate, sternum IX emarginate. Tergum IX ( Fig. 8 ) long, straight, covered with prominent macrosetae. Aedeagus as in Figs. 9–11 ; paramere expanded apically, symmetric, with median apical emargination, slightly shorter than median lobe. Sensory spinules as in Fig. 11 ; arranged in a single marginal row. Median lobe symmetrical, apex acute; in lateral view apex bent dorsally, with oblique incision toward apex.

Female similar to male, except first four protarsomeres less expanded.

Distribution. Known from Paratori and Comerciato camps, Cusco, south region of Peru, from the altitude of 690 m and 1350 m, respectively.

Habitat. From pitfall traps in rainforest.

Etymology. The species name is in honour of Juan Grados, the collector of the specimens and a colleague of the first author, curator of Arctiidae (Lepidoptera) at MUSM. The name “Juaneco” is the diminutive form of “Juan” in the regional language of the Loreto department ( Peru).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Philothalpus juanecoi sp. n., holotype male. Dorsal aspect 1 – 4. Ventral aspect 5 – 6. 1, general aspect; 2, head; 3, pronotum; 4, elytra; 5, sterna III – V; 6, sternum VII. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 7 – 11. Philothalpus juanecoi sp. n., holotype. 7, male sternum VIII, ventral aspect; 8, male terga IX – X, sternum IX, dorsal aspect; 9, aedeagus, dorsal aspect; 10, aedeagus, lateral aspect; 11, apex of paramere, ventral aspect. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (7 – 10), 0.25 mm (11). Dots indicate position of microsetae (7 - 8). Sternum eight (S 8), Sternum nine (S 9), Tergum ten (T 10).