Arthrobrachus eloisae, Estrada, Patricia, 2016

Estrada, Patricia, 2016, Species of the genus Arthrobrachus Solier, 1849 (Coleoptera: Melyridae) distributed to the East of the Andes, Zootaxa 4092 (3), pp. 371-387 : 378-379

Arthrobrachus eloisae n. sp.

( Figure 5 )

Holotype: Male from Rep. Argentina, Misiones, Richter, 19 //2616// circular (orange)// Holotype // Arthrobrachus eloisae Estrada, 2015 . Deposited in MLPA.

Paratypes: Three males labelled as follows: Artrobrachus eloisae Estrada, 2015 // Prov. Buenos Aires, col. J. Bosq // LP //27// Paratype. Deposited in MLPA (1♂ 1♂). Catamarca // Mus. Arg. Cs. Nat. // circular (black) // Arthrobrachus eloisae Estrada, 2015 (handwritten) // Paratype. Deposited in MACN (1♂).

Etymology. eloisae in honour to my mother, Eloísa Mancilla G. who taught me the value of courage and tenacity in life, in memory of her innate love for nature.

Diagnosis. Antennae with four dilated preapical antennomeres ( Fig. 5 i); pronotum with additional carina subparallel to the lateral carina slightly marked in the anterior third; epipleura wide, narrow in the apex; ventrite 6 with two lateral, flat, transverse, contiguous plates ( Fig. 5 h), last tergite subsquare; parameres entirely sclerotized; tegmen: dorsal flange at base of parameres absent, tegminal plate reduced and weakly sclerotized, it’s distal margin moderately emarginated, tegminal arms thick, sides subparallel, convergent at the base, apodeme reduced ( Fig. 5 a– c); median lobe with dorsal surface sclerotized, strongly curved at the base, flection area like a fold ( Fig. 5 d–f).

Description. Body elongated, average body length 3.23 mm (range: 3.28–4.0 mm), length: width ratio 1.57:1, sides subparallel; head and pronotum with dense, shallow, coarse punctures; elytra coarsely and densely punctate; head, pronotum and elytra with dense, fine, white, decumbent hairs; elytral vestiture also with thick, dark and erects hairs evenly distributed; body black, pronotum dark testaceous with slightly lighter edge, elytra black, with marginal testaceous stripe enlarged in the apex and slightly extended in the suture, legs light testaceous.

Head: included eyes as wide as the apex of pronotum (1.01:1); antennae slightly shorter than the pronotum (0.8:1), generally with four mesally dilated preapical antennomeres, scarcely hairy ( Fig. 5 i).

Thorax: Pronotum wider than long (1.26:1), slightly convex transversely and longitudinally, base wider than the apex (1.32:1) and slightly narrower than the humeral region (0.80:1), disc somewhat explanate laterally, with additional carina subparallel to the lateral carina slightly marked in the anterior third, posterior angles marked; elytra longer than wide (2.32:1), sides subparallel, rounded apically, disc somewhat explanate, descending toward the apex, lateral edges more or less explanate, suture well marked; epipleura wide, with constant width until the distal fourth, narrow in the apex, hairy, with scarce asperities in the apex; tibiae with scarce fine spines on outer margin.

Abdomen: With fine vestiture and very fine and scarce punctuation; ventrite 5 with substraight distal margin, slightly curved ventrally; ventrite 6 with two transverse, contiguous plates, distal margin with scarce short hairs; last tergite subsquare, distal angles rounded, basal margin straight, distal border with fine hairs ( Fig. 5 h); segment 9 with linear tergum, short and fine sternal arms and long and fine apodeme ( Fig. 5 g). Genitalia: parameres almost flat, sclerotized, sides convergent to apex, apex subacuminated, from a lateral view the lower margin of parameres and tegmen moderately curved; tegmen without dorsal flange at the base of the parameres, tegminal arms thick, subparallel and curved at the base, tegmen plate reduced and flat, distal margin moderately emarginated, apodeme reduced and rounded ( Fig. 5 a–c); median lobe subcylindric, with dorsal surface sclerotized, sides subparallel, convergent in the apex, forming an almost right angle with the apodeme, apex acuminate, flection area folded, scarcely sclerotized, inconspicuous, apodeme long ( Fig. 5 d–f).

Distribution. ARGENTINA ( Fig. 10 ): Provinces of Misiones (MLPA), Catamarca (MACN), Buenos Aires (MLPA).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Arthrobrachus eloisae n. sp: Male genitalia: Tegmen and parameres: a: dorsal view; b: ventral view; c: lateral view; Median lobe: d: dorsal view; e: ventral view; f: lateral view. Terminal segments of the abdomen: g: IX segment; h: V, VI ventrites and last tergum; Antenna: i. Scale 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 10. Geographic distributions of: A. antonioi n. sp, red line area; A. armandoi n. sp. dark blue solid area; A. eloisae n. sp. green solid area; A. flavomarginatus, light green horizontal lines area; A. nigromaculatus, blue vertical lines area; A. ruftarsis, light blue solid area; A. solervicensi n. sp. dark cyan horizontal lines area.