Ivierhipidius cechorum, Barclay & Sw, 2015

Barclay, Maxwell V. L. & Sw, London, 2015, Ivierhipidius, an enigmatic new Neotropical genus of Ripiphoridae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea) with four new species, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 55 (2), pp. 691-701 : 698

Ivierhipidius cechorum sp. nov.

( Figs 5-6 , 14 )

Type locality. South America, Northern Argentina, Salta Province, Chicoana River, West of El Carril.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ Argentina N / Salta Prov. Chicoana riv. / W of el Carril / 28.1.2009 Snižek lgt [pr.]ʼ ( BMNH) . PARATYPES: 1 J, same data as holotype ( SKTC) ; 1 J, ‘ ARGENTINA / TUCUMAN / Trancas-Tacanas / 1-30.XI.1968 / Col. L. Stange [pr.] // COLECCIÓN / Fundacion M. Lillo / 4000 S.M. Tucumán / TUCUMAN-AR- GENTINA // IMLT [PINK LABEL] [pr.]ʼ ( IMLT) .

Diagnosis. Male (holotype). Length 9.37 mm (combined length of head, pronotum and elytra measured individually), greatest width 3.21 mm across elytral shoulders. Beetle bright orange red, except elytra completely black, apical three quarters of all tibiae and all tarsi infuscated to black, antennae from antennomere 3 black, and last maxillary palpomeres infuscated. Paratype from Tucuman is apparently slightly teneral and has humeri of elytra brownish orange. Differential diagnosis. Differs from all other known species in head, pronotum and scutellum strongly contrasting in colour with elytra. Whole body including scutellum clothed with close, erect pubescence concolorous with derm. Pubescence on legs dense and thicker than in other species. See also the key below.

Collection circumstances. No collecting circumstances are recorded for any of the three known specimens, though apparently M. Snížek, collector of two of them, never uses flight interception devices. Specimens were collected in November and January.

Etymology. The specific name honours the many expert entomologists of the Czech Republic, which has been described as a ‘superpower’ of world entomology. Czech entomologists have made an exceptional contribution to the world’s knowledge of Coleoptera and other insects, including by collecting this interesting species. The name is a noun in the genitive plural.

Distribution. This species is known from three specimens from the adjoining Salta and Tucuman provinces of northern Argentina. This species has, narrowly, the most southerly distribution of any member of the genus.

Figures

Figures 5–9. Habitus. 5–6 – Ivierhipidius cechorum sp. nov.: 5 – holotype, dorsal view; 6 – holotype, lateral view. 7–8 – I. monneorum sp. nov.: 7 – holotype, dorsal view; 8 – paratype, lateral view. 9 – Ivierhipidius paradoxus sp. nov., paratype, mounted metathoracic wing. Images by Harry Taylor (Natural History Museum London).

Figs 10–15. 10–11 – detail of heart-shaped, deeply indented metatrochanter (10 – I. paradoxus sp. nov., paratype; 11 – I. monneorum sp. nov., holotype). 12–15 – detail of head, frontal view: (12 – I. paradoxus sp. nov., paratype; 13 – I. youngi sp. nov., holotype; 14 – I. cechorum sp. nov., paratype; 15 – I. monneorum sp. nov., paratype). Scale bars = 1 mm. Images by Harry Taylor (Natural History Museum, London).