Leptipsius striatus (LeConte, 1858)

Bousquet, Yves, 2003, Redescription of Leptipsius Striatus (Le conte) and Description of a New Species of Leptipsius from United States (Coleoptera: Monotomidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 57 (2), pp. 133-140 : 134-137

Leptipsius striatus (LeConte, 1858)

Monotoma striatum LeConte 1858:65 . Type locality: « Colorado River, at Fort Yuma ». Bactridium striatum: Horn (1879:265) .

Leptipsius striatus: Hatch (1962:252) .

Type-Material. LeConte described this species from an unspecified number of specimens. His collection (in MCZ) contains six specimens under this name. The first one, a female, is labelled ‘‘Cal./ Type 7047/ B. striatum Lec. Monotoma Lec. Col. [handwritten]’’. The next 3, all females, are labelled ‘‘ Cal. ’’ and the last two, a male and a female ‘‘ So. Cal. ’’. I have seen all six specimens and they are conspecific .

Description. Habitus ( Fig. 1). Body dorsally pale, yellowish to reddish yellow, elytra usually slightly paler than forebody but with apical third (more so laterally) and periscutellar area infuscate. Head relatively narrow (WH/WP 5 0.86–0.93; ‾ x 5 0.90; n 5 20); eyes large but not very protruding; temples about 1/5 longitudinal diameter of eyes. Pronotum subquadrate (LP/WP 5 0.96–1.03; ‾ x 5 0.99; n 5 20), without short constriction before middle, with sides convergent on basal 3/4; maximal width near apical fourth; lateral sides markedly deflected so that lateral margin indistinct from dorsal view; disc rather flat; punctuation moderately coarse, shallow, rather sparse on disc; microsculpture impressed,isodiametric. Elytra rather short (LE/LP 5 1.61–1.76;‾ x 5 1.69; n 5 20), with sides feebly arcuate anteriorly and posteriorly; setae small but distinct (particularly at sides) even at 403; microsculpture on disc impressed, slightly elongate. Pygidium coarsely, shallowly punctate.Disc of first visible abdominal sternite of male with pair of paramedian foveae each bearing proportionnally long setae.

Body length: 1.8–2.1 mm.

Geographical Distribution. This species ranges from southern Idaho south to the southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico, northeast to Colorado and central Kansas ( Fig. 2 ).

Records. Arizona. ‘‘Ariz’’ (CUIC) 2. Cochise Co. : Benson (MCZ) 3. St. David, 27.XII.1969, K. Stephan (FSCA) 3 [under bark cottonwood]. Gila Co. : San Carlos, 25.II.1932, Duncan & Parker (MCZ) 3 [under cottonwood bark]. Globe, 23.II.36, Parker (MCZ) 2. Wheatfields (nr Globe), D.K. Duncan (CUIC) 1. Pima Co. : 2 mi NW Arivaca, 3.I.1972, D. Levin & D.S. Chandler (OSUC) 14 [under bark of dead cottonwood]. Arivaca, 21.XII.1969, K. Stephan (FSCA) 7 [under bark cottonwood]. Pinal Co.: Mammoth, 17.XI.1969, 26.X.1974, K. Stephan (FSCA) 3 [1- under bark Mesquita]. Santa Cruz Co. : Nogales, 26.III.33, O. Bryant (CAS) 1. Pajarito Mts., Pena Blanca Cyn., 15.VIII.1970, K. Stephan (FSCA) 1. Yuma Co. : Yuma , 7.III.98 (MCZ) 1.‘‘Fort Yuma’’ (USNM) 5. California. ‘‘Cal.’’ (INHS, MCZ) 7. Kern Co.: Friant, 12.VII.1971, E.A. Kane (CDAE) 1 [blacklight]. Los Angeles Co.: Pom[ona], 21.XI.90 (MCZ) 1. Pasadena, A. Fenyes (CAS, MCZ) 6; idem, 5.III. (CAS) 1. Merced Co.: Los Banos Valley, 26.III.1987, F. Andrews, A. Hardy & T. Eichlin (CDAE) 14 [under Populus bark]. Riverside Co.: Blythe, 27.XI.57 (CDAE) 1. Palm Springs, J.O. Martin (CAS) 1. Sacramento Co.: Sacramento, 20.IV.80 (CDAE) 3. San Bernardino Co.: Oro Grande, 8.VI.48, D.J. & J.N. Knull (OSUC) 4. Barstow, Wickham (USNM) 1. San Diego Co.: San Diego, 23.I.1972, A.J. Gilbert (CDAE) 7. Warner Springs (AMNH) 1. Tulare Co.: Kaweah, Hopping (CAS, MCZ) 3. ‘‘Yuma’’, Wickham (MCZ) 3; idem, J.W. Green (CAS) 1. Colorado. Boulder Co.: county record, 13.IV.24, R.C. Harris (CAS) 5. Idaho. Ada Co. : Garden City, 25.IV.1976, A. Allen (TAMU) 2. Kansas. Saline Co.: Salina, 23.VIII.11 (MCZ) 2. New Mexico. Bernalillo Co.: Albuquerque, 26.VII.1976, W.E. Steiner (USNM) 1. Utah. Utah Co.: East side Utah Lake, 20.I.1965, W.M. Tingey (CUIC) 1; idem, 10.III.1967, W. Clark (TAMU) 5. Washington Co.: St. George, V.M. Tanner (CAS) 2.

Habitat. Based on specimen labels, this species has been collected under the bark of dead poplars. Casey (1916:93) reported that the species is ‘‘very common under bark in southern California and the neighboring parts of Arizona.’’

Notes. Casey (1916:93) described Leptipsius dilutus from an unspecified number of specimens. His collection preserved in USNM contains two specimens, a male and a female, bearing each a label ‘‘Ill’’. These specimens differ from those of L. striatus in having the elytral setae on the inflexed part slightly shorter and the pronotum more transverse (LP/WP 5 0.91 and 0.94). They may represent a distinct species. I have seen other specimens from Florida, Texas, and Arizona with short elytral setae and rather uniformly pale elytra, some of them differing also from L. striatus by minute details of the pronotum. There may be a complex of species related to L. dilutus , some of them being described and named from Cuba and Mexico and currently placed in the genus Bactridium .

Casey (1916:93) listed Rhizophagus adustus Reitter, 1873 from Teapa, Mexico (see Reitter 1876:299) as a junior synonym of L. striatus without seeing the type material. The name may indeed refer to a distinct species.

Figures

Fig. 2. Collection localities for Leptipsius striatus in United States.