Phelister praedatoris Reichensperger, 1939

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

18. Phelister praedatoris Reichensperger, 1939 Figs 11E, F , 12C, D , Map 8

Phelister praedatoris Reichensperger, 1939: 281.

Phelister praedatorius Mazur, 1984: 284, 1997: 28, 2011: 28 (misspelling).

Type material.

Lectotype, hereby designated: "F. Plaumann Nova Teutonia Brasilien" / " Eciton praedator " / " Phelister praedatoris Reichensp."; Bonn (not seen). Paralectotypes (3), hereby designated: same data as type (CHND, FMNH-INS0000069298 and FMNH-INS0000069356, examined by the authors).

Other material.

Brazil: Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia (-27.1833, -52.3833), 22.vi.1939, F. Plaumann, E. praed ., EXO-00005 (NHMUK, 1ex.); Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia (-27.1833, -52.3833), i[?].14.193[?], F. Plaumann, (FMNH-INS0000069239, 1ex.); Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia (-27.1833, -52.3833), x.-.1939, F. Plaumann, (FMNH, 1ex.); Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia (-27.1833, -52.3833), 1953, F. Plaumann, FMNH-INS 0000 069 305 (FMNH, 2ex.); Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia (-27.1833, -52.3833), May 1953, F. Plaumann, EXO-02984 (FMNH, 1ex.); Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia (-27.1833, -52.3833), April 1952, F. Plaumann, Host: Labidus praedator (FMNH, 3ex.); Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia (-27.1833, -52.3833), 1951, F. Plaumann, Eciton (Lab.) Eciton praedator (FMNH, 2ex.); Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia (-27.1833, -52.3833), ii.1959, F. Plaumann, with Eciton prey [maybe an error in transcription?] (FMNH, 9ex.); Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia (-27.1833, -52.3833), no date, F. Plaumann (FMNH, 1ex.).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.97-2.52 mm (avg. 2.18 mm); width: 1.69-2.13 mm (avg. 1.92 mm). Body elongate oval, convex, dark rufescent, with densely intermingled ground and secondary punctation throughout; frons rather wide, moderately depressed along midline; supraorbital stria present at middle, obsolete at sides; frontal stria complete; epistoma subcarinate along sides; labrum emarginate and subcarinate apically; mandibles each with small basal tooth; antennal club with elongate setose patch on dorsal surface; prescutellar impression small, forming an oval ~ equal in size to scutellum; median pronotal gland openings present ~ 3/4 from anterior margin, distinctly annulate, vaguely obscured by punctures; marginal pronotal stria complete along sides and front; submarginal pronotal stria complete, close to margin, barely turning anterior corner; elytron with single, complete epipleural stria; outer subhumeral stria complete, but may be interrupted at middle, inner subhumeral nearly complete, obsolete at base; dorsal striae one and two usually complete, 3rd present in basal 1/2 only, 4th and 5th largely or completely absent, though a basal arch of the 4th may be traceable, sutural stria may be traceable in apical 1/2; prosternal keel narrowed, emarginate at base, striae separate at base, converging and subparallel to near apex, united anteriorly; prosternal lobe reflexed, with marginal stria complete or obsolete at middle; mesoventrite produced, with complete marginal stria continued at sides by postmesocoxal stria, which ends behind mesocoxa; mesometaventral stria angulate at middle crenulate, reaching middle of mesoventrite, continued at sides by lateral metaventral stria toward but not reaching middle of metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with faint, incomplete lateral stria along inner margin of metacoxa; protibia with outer margin strongly dentate, with ~ five marginal spines; protarsal setae of male not flattened; meso- and metatibiae slightly broadened, with a few spines along outer margins. Male: aedeagus very narrow, basal piece ~ 1/3 length of tegmen; tegmen with sides subparallel over most of length, weakly narrowed at middle, apices rounded; tegmen slightly curved in lateral view; medioventral process present, projecting at basal 1/3; median lobe ~ 2/3 tegmen length, basal apodemes abruptly narrowed at bases.

Distribution.

While the species is well represented in collections, it seems still only to be known from the type locality (in Santa Catarina, Brazil), and only in association with army ants (both Labidus and Eciton are recorded as hosts).

Remarks.

Phelister praedatoris was one of the first species in this group to be described, and it remains among the most distinctive, with its inner elytral striae largely obliterated by dense secondary elytral punctation. Few other species treated here are as thoroughly doubly punctate, including on the thoracic and abdominal ventrites, the principal exceptions being the species treated immediately below. Additional distinctive characters include its unusually strongly dentate protibiae, and a raised outer subhumeral stria that almost forms a lateral elytral margin (aligned with the strongly raised marginal pronotal bead).

Figures

Map 8. Collecting records for Phelister vazdemelloi (black circles), P. praedatoris (white star), P. ifficus (black squares), P. genieri (hexagon), and P. marginatus (black stars).

Figure 11. A, b Phelister sculpturatus: A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D P. tunki: C dorsal habitus D ventral habitus E, F P. praedatoris: E dorsal habitus F ventral habitus G, H P. ifficus: G dorsal habitus H ventral habitus.

Figure 12. Male genitalia A, B Phelister sculpturatus: A aedeagus, dorsal B aedeagus, lateral C, D P. praedatoris: C aedeagus, dorsal D aedeagus, lateral E, F P. ifficus: E aedeagus, dorsal F aedeagus, lateral.