Cicindelidia cyanipleura Duran & Roman, 2020

Duran, Daniel P. & Roman, Stephen J., 2020, A new tiger beetle from the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae, Cicindelini), Zootaxa 4810 (2), pp. 375-382 : 376-380

Cicindelidia cyanipleura Duran & Roman , n. sp.

Figs. 1–5

Type material. HOLOTYPE: 1 ♂, “ Mexico, Jalisco / Hwy 15, Road to Ameca / 30-VI-1994 / S.J. Roman ( USNM). PARATYPES: 8 ♂, 7 ♀, same data as holotype ( SJRC). 10 ♂, 8 ♀, “ Mexico, Jalisco / Hwy 15, Road to Ameca / 30-VI-1994 / Walter Johnson ( WNJC). 2 ♂, Mexico, Jalisco / Hwy 90, Near road to Ameca / 11-VII-1992 / R.L. Huber ( RLHC). 1 ♀, Mexico, Jalisco / Hwy 90, Near road to Ameca / 11-VII-1992 / John A Shetterly ( JASC). 3 ♂, Mexico, Jalisco / Hwy 90, Near road to Ameca / 11-VII-1994 / R.L. Huber ( RLHC). 1 ♂, Mexico, Jalisco / 13 km West of Tequila / 11-VII-1994 / R.L. Huber ( RLHC). All type specimens labelled : HOLOTYPE or PARATYPE, respectively.

Diagnosis. Cicindelidia cyanipleura n. sp. can be distinguished from all other similar Cicindelidia by the following combination of characters. The new species has a dark brassy dorsum with blue reflections that are typically most prominent towards the lateral and apical margins of the elytra and epipleura ( Figs. 1–3 ). Elytra are markedly granulate-punctate throughout, but without well-defined subsutural foveae; most specimens lack maculations but a small proportion of specimens possess an atrophied middle spot and thin adjacent band anteriorly. The pronotum is cylindrical, slightly polished and metallic ( Fig. 4 ), contrasting in texture with the elytra; the disc of the pronotum is dark brassy-purple to greenish-tinged copper, with dark blue-violet colored sulci surrounded by green margins. The most likely species to be confused with C. cyanipleura is C. rufiventris (Dejean, 1825) , although the Mexican forms are easily separable from it. The subspecies C. rufiventris reducens (Horn, 1915) typically has reduced but present markings, including portions of the middle band, apical spots, and humeral spots. The dorsal color is also more unicolorous (green-blue or coppery-brown) and lacks the granulate-punctate texture. Moreover, the pronotum is neither cylindrical nor polished-metallic, and the texture is consistent with the elytra. Cicindelidia rufiventris reducens var. hoegeana ( Horn, 1897) is unicolorous dark gray to black, does not have a granulate dorsal texture and the pronotum is not cylindrical, polished nor brassy in color. Cicindelidia rufiventris cumatilis (LeConte, 1851) can be distinguished based on a consistently blue or green-blue dorsum without a punctate texture, a pronotum that is more flattened dorsally and is neither polished nor brassy, and restriction to the Nearctic region. Cicindelidia flohri (Bates, 1878) is variable in both color and maculations, but is smooth dorsally without a granulate-punctate texture, and the pronotum is not cylindrical, shiny or different in texture or coloration from the elytra. Cicindelidia laetipennis (Horn, 1913) has a glabrous/hairless pronotum, smooth, polished elytra without any granular texture, and occurs in the Nearctic.

Description. Small-sized Cicindelidia . Body ( Figs. 1–3 ) length 8.2–10.6 mm, mean ♀ 9.6 mm, mean ♂ 9.1 mm. Head ( Fig. 4 ) slightly wider than pronotum, width 1.9–2.3 mm, mean ♀ 2.2 mm, mean ♂ 2.1 mm, vertex brassy-cupreous red with metallic blue and cupreous reflections present in sulci towards frons, head transitioning to blue with green and violet reflections anteriorly; all head portions glabrous except for two supraorbital setae next to each eye. Frons concave in median area especially in male, slightly convex near anterior margin, clearly delimited from clypeus, gradually blending into vertex. Frons surface with distinct longitudinal striae especially in lateral areas bordering eyes, vermiculate-striate in median area. Genae bright polished blue with deep longitudinal striae abruptly ending at border of vertex. Clypeus deep blue blending to green-blue in some areas, irregularly wrinkled to finely vermiculate. Labrum with 4–6 setae, ochre-yellow to pale yellow with thin dark brown to black border; male labrum typically non-dentate, with slight concavity in median edge ( Fig. 4A ), length 0.4–0.7 mm, width 1.0– 1.3 mm; female labrum weakly unidentate ( Fig. 4B ), length 0.60–0.90 mm, width 1.0– 1.3 mm. Mandibles mediumsized, ochraceous in male, dark ochraceous with metallic gold, green and black reflections in female, teeth of both sexes dark testaceous along edges. Maxillary palpi dark testaceous with metallic reflections; apical segment usually darker than subapical segment. Labial palpi in male ivory to pale yellow-ochre with dark metallic green to violet apical segment, in female entirely dark testaceous with metallic reflections throughout. Antennae of normal length, reaching humerus to basal third of elytron, slightly longer in male than female; scape dark testaceous to black with metallic reflections of cupreous, gold, and violet, with a single apical seta; pedicel dark testaceous with metallic reflections of cupreous, gold, and violet, lacking any setae; flagellum dark testaceous, antennomeres 3‒4 with me- tallic cupreous and violet reflections, with ring of apical setae and additional sparse setae throughout, antennomeres 5‒11 dull-textured without metallic reflections and possessing erect setae in apical rings only, covered with fine pubescence throughout.

Pronotum 1.7–2.2 mm wide, mean ♀ 2.0 mm, mean ♂ 1.8 mm, length 1.5–2.0 mm, mean ♀♀ 1.8 mm, mean ♂ 1.7 mm, width to length ratio 1.7–2.2, mean ♀ 2.0, mean ♂ 1.9, slightly polished with metallic finish, brassy-cupre- ous with metallic blue or blue-green sulci, white decumbent setae regular and present along lateral third of dorsal surface; disc finely rugose to vermiculate with thin but distinct median line and deeply impressed sulci; notopleural sutures clearly defined, not visible from dorsal view; proepisternum bright polished copper with gold and green reflections along margins, abruptly transitioning to blue-violet with green; in male and female, setae typically sparsely present only along ventral third and along anterior margin; all other ventral segments of thorax glabrous, dark blueviolet with greenish reflections.

Elytra elongate, 5.0– 6.3 mm length, mean ♀ 5.6 mm, mean ♂ 5.5 mm, shape similar in both sexes, but slightly wider in female, especially toward apical third; sutural spine small, fine microserrations present on elytral apices; elytral dorsal texture granulate-punctate throughout with more metallic sheen near lateral margins and apex in most individuals Elytral coloration mostly a dull cupreous brassy color, with shining blue reflections present, blue typically absent from the central area near the suture; blue reflections sometimes completely covering the brassy ground color towards the lateral margins of the elytra; a small number of individuals primarily brassy-brown with only subtle blue reflections particularly near the epipleura. Subsutural foveae present, but nearly indistinct due to the background punctate texture; elytral maculations absent in most individuals, highly reduced when present. If present, maculations restricted to a small “foot” spot of the middle band and sometimes containing a thin trace of the anterior band leading to this spot ( Fig. 1 ).

Procoxae and mesocoxae dark metallic green to blue-violet, covered in dense setae; metacoxae dark metallic green to blue-violet, with a single apical seta present; trochanters glabrous; femora dark metallic green with blue and violet reflections near the insertion of the tibia, femoral surface with rows of erect white setae dorsally and ventrally; tibiae violet to dark cupreous with dark green reflections near the apices, clothed with white setae that are sparser and shorter than those of the femora; tarsi violet with blue reflections dorsally, first three dilated protarsomeres in male with dense greyish-white setal pads.

Abdominal ventrites 1‒6 orange to orange-testaceous, setae present mostly along lateral third of each ventrite but often abraded.Aedeagus ( Fig. 5) typical for Cicindelidia , possessing a well-developed flagellum and ear-shaped internal sac ( Rivalier 1954).

Etymology. Cicindelidia cyanipleura n. sp. is named after the blue sides of the elytra and epipleura, derived from Greek: cyan - = blue, - pleura = side.

Distribution and habitat. Cicindelidia cyanipleura n. sp. is currently known from the Mexican state of Jalisco in the vicinity of Ameca. When flushed, beetles are apt to land on adjacent rocks or cobbles, not exposed soil or ground. Nothing more is known of its biology and distribution.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cicindelidia cyanipleura n. sp. Dorsal habitus of holotype and a paratype, respectively (both male), illustrating variation. Most individuals are immaculate, but a small number of specimens possess a middle band reduced to spots with faint connecting lines anteriorly.

FIGURE 4. Cicindelidia cyanipleura n. sp. Frontal habitus.A) Male. B) Female. Male labrum exhibits a concave margin, medially. Female labrum unidentate, margin not concave medially.