Phelister pirana, Caterino & Tishechkin, 2020

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2020, Recognition and revision of the Phelister blairi group (Histeridae, Histerinae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 1001, pp. 1-154 : 1

57. Phelister pirana sp. nov. Fig. 36G, H , Map 18

Type material.

Holotype (genitalia missing): " Ecuador: Depto. Orellana, P.N. Yasuní, Via Maxus at Puente Piraña 0°39.5'S, 76°26'W [-0.6583, -76.4333], Flight intercept FIT3a-1. 14-20.vii.2008 A.K.Tishechkin. AT872" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-01299" (CSCA).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.42 mm; width: 1.18 mm. Body small, elongate oval, slightly flattened, rufescent, with ground punctation quite conspicuous; frons and epistoma somewhat narrow, depressed along midline, conspicuously punctate; frontal stria complete across depression; epistoma raised at sides; labrum emarginate and subcarinate apically; mandibles lacking conspicuous basal teeth; prescutellar impression of pronotum absent, prescutellar region vaguely depressed, but not delimited by stria; pronotal disk with only a few small secondary punctures intermingled with conspicuous ground punctation very close to lateral margins; median pronotal gland openings small, annulate, only ~ 1/8 pronotal length behind anterior margin; marginal pronotal stria complete laterally, broken with inner ends recurved briefly behind eyes; submarginal pronotal stria present along pronotal sides, curved inward around anterior corner, not meeting anterior portion of marginal stria; elytron with single, complete epipleural stria, epipleuron weakly subcarinate above, mainly in posterior 1/2; outer subhumeral stria more or less complete, slightly abbreviated anteriorly, sinuate over lateral elytral gland opening, inner subhumeral stria absent; dorsal striae 1-4 complete, all tending to become fragmented posteriorly, 4th arched to sutural, 5th stria present in apical 1/3, sutural stria present in apical 2/3; propygidium with very sparse secondary punctures intermingled with ground punctation; pygidium with ground punctation only, disk appearing slightly depressed along lateral margins; prosternal keel deeply emarginate at base, strongly narrowed ( ‘pinched’) anteriorly, striae obsolete; prosternal lobe short, rounded, with complete marginal stria; mesoventrite produced, with complete marginal stria not reaching postmesocoxal stria, which ends freely behind outer corner or mesocoxa; mesometaventral stria angulate at middle, reaching middle of mesoventrite, continued posterad by lateral metaventral stria to middle of metacoxa; middle portion of metaventrite impunctate; 1st abdominal ventrite with few small secondary punctures along anterior margin, with incomplete lateral stria along inner margin of metacoxa; protibia with outer margin weakly dentate, with five or six marginal spines; meso- and metatibiae slightly broadened, mesotibia with rather robust marginal spines, those of metatibia fine and restricted to apical 1/2. Male not known.

Etymology.

This species name refers to the name of the bridge, Puente Piraña, near the type locality.

Distribution.

This species is known only from the type locality in Orellana, Ecuador.

Remarks.

This species is readily distinguished by its obsolete prosternal striae and pinched prosternal keel/lobe junction, its weakly margined elytra, and median pronotal gland openings very far forward. Its relationships may lie within the Phelister blairi subgroup, based on the position of the pronotal gland openings. However, it is not otherwise very similar to others there, and male genitalia would help assess its placement.

Figures

Map 18. Collecting records for Phelister incertus (black triangles), P. okeefei (white circle), P. blairoides (white squares), and P. pirana (star).

Figure 36. A, B Phelister incertus: A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D P. okeefei: C dorsal habitus D ventral habitus E, F P. blairoides: E dorsal habitus F ventral habitus G, H P. pirana: G dorsal habitus H ventral habitus.