Zeadolopus lucidus Peck and Cook, 2014

Peck, Stewart B. & Cook, Joyce, 2014, A review of the small carrion beetles and the round fungus beetles of the West Indies (Coleoptera: Leiodidae), with descriptions of two new genera and 61 new species., Insecta Mundi 2014 (397), pp. 1-76 : 32

Zeadolopus lucidus Peck and Cook , new species

Figure 42

Diagnostic description. Body strongly convex. Length 1.7–2.0 mm; greatest width 1.1–1.4 mm. Yellow, shining, microsculpture absent. Head finely, sparsely punctate. Antennal club moderately robust. Pronotum minutely, sparsely punctate; sides rounded, posterior angles broadly obtuse. Elytral striae weakly impressed; strial punctures dense, moderately coarse; interstriae finely, sparsely punctate. Flight wings fully developed. Vertical face of mesosternum broad, convex, not carinate. Metasternum finely, irregularly punctate medially; coarsely, irregularly punctate laterally. Mesofemur in both sexes with posterior margin evenly expanded, without toothlike expansions. Metafemur of male with toothlike expansion at apex of posterior margin. In both sexes, mesotibia evenly widened from base to apex, strongly spinose; metatibia narrower, with apex on outer side drawn out to length of first tarsomere, strongly spinose. Male with conspicuous pale setae ventrally on pro- and mesotarsi. Median lobe of aedeagus ( Fig. 42 ) constricted at middle and rounded apically, curved dorsoventrally; paired apices inwardly curved. Parameres curved, extending slightly beyond apex of median lobe, each bearing 2 apical setae. Inverted internal sac with short median sclerotized structure. Spermatheca with sphere attached to oblong piece.

Type material. Holotype, male, with the following label data: “ CUBA: Santiago Prov. / Santiago, Jardin Botanico/ 5–17.XII.95, 50m/ scrub for. FITs/ S. Peck, 95-72” ( SBPC) . Paratypes (4) with same label data as holotype ( SBPC).

Distribution. Known only from Cuba.

Remarks. Comparison of Z. lucidus of Cuba with the species of Zeadolopus bifoveolatus Daffner , known only from south Florida ( Peck and Cook 2013b), showed similarity in structure of the aedeagus. This is the only example of a possible sister species affinity of the leiodid fauna of Cuba and south Florida.

Etymology. The epithet lucidus (Latin, shining) refers to the shining integument of this species.

Figures

Figures 37–43. Aedeagi, dorsal view, of Zeadolopus. 37) Z. bahamensis. 38) Z. caymanensis. 39) Z. atratus. 40) Z. cubensis. 41) Z. flavidus. 42) Z. lucidus. 43) Z. pusillus. Scale line = 0.30 mm.