Meotachys (Hylotachys) ballorum, Boyd, Olivia F. & Erwin, Terry L., 2016

Boyd, Olivia F. & Erwin, Terry L., 2016, Taxonomic review of New World Tachyina (Coleoptera, Carabidae): descriptions of new genera, subgenera, and species, with an updated key to the subtribe in the Americas, ZooKeys 626, pp. 87-123 : 112-113

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Carabidae

Meotachys (Hylotachys) ballorum sp. n. Figs 2E, 3E, 4E, 5E, 6A, 7B

Type material.

Holotype: male (UASM) with following label data: "BRASIL Amazonas / Rio Negro Cucui / varzea forest / Sept. 17, 1978 // BRASIL EXP. / 1978 / G.E.& K.E. Ball / Collectors". Paratypes: 5 (2 male, 3 female) in UASM, ZSM from the type locality [1♂, UASM], "Brasilien / Tapurucuara am / Rio Negro/Amazonas / 7 11.1963 / C. Lindemann" [1♂, 1♀, ZSM], "BRASIL Amazonas / Rio Demiti, ca. / 0°53'N 66°57'W / "La Laguna" / Varzea forest / Sept. 13, 1978 // BRASIL EXP. / 1978 / G.E.& K.E. Ball / Collectors" [1♀, UASM], BRASIL Amazonas / ca. 10 km. n.e. / São Gabriel da / Cachoeira, stream / margin, forest / Sept. 20, 1978 // BRASIL EXP. / 1978 / G.E.& K.E. Ball / Collectors" [1♀, UASM].

Type locality.

Brazil: Amazonas, Rio Negro Cucui.

Description.

Head and abdomen as in description of the genus.

Size. ABL = 3.2-3.3 mm; SBL = 3.3-3.4 mm; TW = 1.4-1.5 mm.

Form. (Fig. 2E) Large, elongate, subdepressed.

Color. Uniformly dark brown and slightly iridescent.

Microsculpture. Pronotum and elytron with very fine, linear, transverse microsculpture; head with coarse, isodiametric microsculpture.

Prothorax. Pronotum (Fig. 3E) transversely quadrate, wider than long.

Pterothorax. Elytra broad and parallel-sided, narrowed beginning at apical third, 5-6 visible strial interneurs, first two complete (Fig. 2E); i5 originating at tip of elytral basal margin and separating basal elytral disc from humeral region; otherwise as in description of the genus.

Genitalia. Male (Fig. 6A): median lobe elongate, with slender brush-shaped internal sclerite; left and right parameres both broad and paddle-shaped apically, each with 5 long apical setae; right paramere smaller. Female: not examined.

Distribution.

Known from Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia.

Derivation of specific epithet.

Patronym in honor of George and Kay Ball, who collected the major part of the type series on their 1978 expedition to Brazil.

Remarks.

The habitat of this species was mistakenly regarded as várzea. In fact the specimens were collected in igapó forest (Ball, personal communication, 2016)