Phelister rouzeti (Fairmaire, 1850)

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2019, A revision of the Phelisterhaemorrhous species group (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 854, pp. 41-88 : 64-67

Phelister rouzeti (Fairmaire, 1850) Figs 2, 6; Map 3

Paromalus rouzeti Fairmaire, 1850: 421.

Phelister rouzeti ; Marseul, 1853: 488.

Phelister fairmairei Marseul, 1861: 172; syn. nov. (previously synonymized with P. rufinotus , Mazur, 1997, in error)

Phelister wickhami Casey, 1916: 231, syn. nov.

Phelister pimalis Casey, 1916: 233; Mazur 1997: 29.

Phelister aztecanus Casey, 1916: 233; Mazur 1997: 29.

Type material.

Lectotype hereby designated: "Bondy fourmis Rouzet" / "certe Mexicanum" [handwritten, perhaps by Marseul] / "LECTOTYPE Paromalus rouzeti Fairmaire M.S. Caterino & A.K. Tishechkin des. 2010", MNHN.

Types of synonyms. Lectotype Phelister fairmairei Marseul hereby designated: "Caracas Sallé” / "G.Lewis Coll. B.M.1926-369" / "LECTOTYPE Phelister fairmairei Marseul M.S. Caterino and A.K. Tishechkin des. 2010", NHMUK. One paralectotype, same data as lectotype, NHMUK. Lectotype of Phelister wickhami Casey hereby designated: "Tepehuanes Dgo. Mex. Wickham" / "Casey bequest 1925" / "TYPE USNM 38449" / "wickhami Csy." / "LECTOTYPE Phelister wickhami Casey M.S. Caterino and A.K. Tishechkin des. 2010.", USNM. Lectotype of Phelister pimalis Casey hereby designated: “Ari” / "Casey bequest 1925" / "TYPE USNM 38454" / "pimalis Csy." / "LECTOTYPE Phelister pimalis Casey M.S. Caterino and A.K. Tishechkin des. 2019.", USNM. One paralectotype with same data, USNM. Lectotype of Phelister aztecanus Casey hereby designated: "San Angel D.F. Mex" / "Casey bequest 1925" / "TYPE USNM 38455" / "aztecanus Csy." / "LECTOTYPE Phelister aztecanus Casey M.S. Caterino and A.K. Tishechkin des. 2019.", USNM. One paralectotype with same data, USNM.

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.38-1.77 mm (avg. 1.57 mm); width: 1.10-1.46 mm (avg. 1.32 mm). Body elongate-oval, widest behind humeri; body color varied, common with much of elytra (posterolaterally) reddish, more rarely entirely piceous dorsally, legs typically golden reddish, though darker in piceous specimens; elytra and pronotum very finely punctulate; frons finely punctulate, impressed along midline, supraorbital stria complete, frontal stria interrupted at middle, slightly sinuate at sides; labrum wide, not or only weakly emarginate apically; both mandibles with strong tooth on inner edges; pronotum with more or less complete lateral submarginal stria incurved and crenulate anteriorly, ending freely, and diverging slightly from pronotal margin posteriorly, where it is often weakly abbreviated; pronotal disk with distinct, elongate secondary punctures along lateral thirds; base of pronotum with cluster of larger punctures in front of suture; elytron with single, complete epipleural stria, outer subhumeral stria present in apical third, inner subhumeral stria absent, dorsal striae 1-4 complete, fifth stria usually present in just over apical half, rarely complete, sutural stria present in apical two-thirds; propygidium with distinct secondary punctures decreasing in density posteriad; pygidium more finely punctate; prosternal keel with two complete striae, weakly convergent to subparallel, occasionally sinuate, free anteriorly, usually united along basal margin of keel; male prosternal keel with coarser and denser punctures, the males’ striae often more widely separated; mesoventral marginal stria complete, continued at sides by sinuate postmesocoxal stria which ends freely midway between the meso- and metacoxae; mesometaventral stria complete, crenulate at middle, arched anteriad onto mesoventrite at middle, continued posteriad to near inner third of metacoxal margin; first abdominal ventrite with complete inner lateral stria and abbreviated outer lateral stria; protibia with apex obliquely truncate, outer margin weakly rounded, bearing ca. five evenly spaced marginal spines plus a larger apical marginal spine separated from others by a greater gap; meso- and metatibiae weakly expanded to apex, mesotibia with ca. five marginal spines, more prominent toward apex, metatibia with distinct spines mainly in apical half. Aedeagus with basal piece ca. one-fifth total length; tegmen simple, widest near middle, converging to apex, apex distinctly emarginate; median lobe ca. two-thirds tegmen length, with differentiated basal and distal proximal apodemes.

Remarks.

Although its distribution is rather broad, P. rouzeti seems to be primarily native to western Mexico and southwestern North America. Its distribution only barely overlaps with that of P. subrotundus , its closest relative, from which it can be separated by its more elongate body form, usually abbreviated 5th elytral stria, and its narrower, more tapered aedeagus. Where it overlaps in distribution with P. rufinotus , in northern South America, the complete submarginal pronotal stria of P. rouzeti will distinguish them. Although the species was originally described from France (Bondy, northeast of downtown Paris), it has never since been recorded in the country, despite dedicated attempts to recollect it ( Auzat 1925; M Secq, pers. comm.). While an introduction followed by extirpation cannot be ruled out, it seems more likely that the original specimen was mislabeled, and that the species has never inhabited Europe.

Biology.

Label data indicate varied habits for this species, with records from fire-scorched Yucca , rotten Opuntia , under bark of Celtis L., on a fermenting orange, in cow, dog, and horse dung, and in sifted riparian ‘dirt’.

Distribution.

This widespread species occurs from the southwestern and south-central United States, through Mexico and Central America into northern South America. The species also occurs on several islands in the West Indies. As a common cow dung associate, its range has likely expanded in post-Columbian times. Records: BRAZIL: Rio Grande do Norte; COLOMBIA: La Guajira, Magdalena, Palmira, Tolima; COSTA RICA: Guanacaste, Heredia; EL SALVADOR: La Libertad, San Salvador,; GUATEMALA: Escuintla; MEXICO: Chiapas, Colima, Distrito Federal, Guerrero, Jalisco, México, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz; NICARAGUA: Granada, Madriz; PANAMA: Chiriquí; SAINT VINCENT & GRENADINES: Saint Vincent; SURINAME: Pará, Saramacca; TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Trinidad; VENEZUELA: Aragua; USA: Arizona: Florida, Maricopa, Pima, Santa Cruz; California: Riverside, Texas: Cameron, Colorado.