Micropsephodes lundgreni, Leschen & Carlton, 2000

Leschen, Richard A. B. & Carlton, Christopher E., 2000, A New Species Of Micropsephodes From Southern United States (Coleoptera: Endomychidae: Anamorphinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 54 (2), pp. 232-238 : 233-237

Micropsephodes lundgreni , new species

( Figs. 1–8 )

Description. Length 1.00–1.20 (x 5 1.15) mm; width 0.80–0.90 (x 5 8.5) mm; depth 0.56 mm (n 5 6). Body ( Fig. 1 ) moderately convex, with head mostly hidden in dorsal view. Predominant color black, pronotum and elytra with greenish metallic sheen in alcohol, dry specimens with weak purple metallic sheen, especially on pronotum, tarsi and funicle pale in most specimens or entire leg and antenna pale. Punctures of head and pronotum about the size of an eye facet, separated by interpunctural spaces about equal to width of 1 puncture; those of elytron more coarse and separated by a space of 1.0–1.5 punctures. Reticulate microsculpture present on the marginal surfaces of the metasternum, metepimeron, and distal surfaces of femora. Antennal segments ( Fig. 2 ) with relative lengths of 6.3: 1.0: 0.4: 0.2: 0.3: 1.8: 2.4: 3.1 (based on 1 slide­mounted male). Funicle composed of small antennomeres, club formed by three elongate and flattened antennomeres; scape distally angulate in male, simply clavate in female; antennomeres VI–VII of male angulate and slightly broader than VIII; antennomeres VI–VII of female rounded and subequal in width to VIII. Frons of male ( Figs. 1–2 ) with setose tumulus; vertex of the male head medially concave. Frontal tumulus absent in female. Mandible ( Fig. 3 ) bidentate, prostheca with a microsetose distal lobe and proximal brush. Galea of maxilla ( Fig. 4 ) bearing approximately 10 spines, lacinial apex bisetose. Mentum of labium ( Fig. 5 ) quadrate, with submedian patches of elongate setae and lateral rows of shorter setae. Prosternal process ( Fig. 6 ) with 2 pair of lateral setae and one pair of apical setae. Mesosternal process ( Fig. 7 ) equal to width of mesocoxa. Width of metasternum ( Fig. 7 ) more than 33 its length; disk impunctate. Width of metacoxal process about ½ of metacoxal width. Abdominal ventrites equal in length. Sub­basal line of pronotum shallow and weakly punctate. Sixteen or 17 setae present on edge of elytron above epipleuron ( Fig. 1 ); length of middle setae about ⅔ length of tarsomere 3; edge of epipleuron not visible in dorsal view. Protarsomere I ( Fig. 6 ) and mesotarsus of male with tenet setae. Tenet setae absent in female. Tegmen of aedeagus ( Fig. 8 ) with parameres broad, slightly asymmetrical; apodeme broad as width of combined parameres, slightly longer than length of parameres. Median lobe elongate, not tapered anteriorly, curved and slightly irregularly margined. Internal sac not observed.

Type Material.

Holotype,?. UNITED STATES: Florida, Alachua Co. 298349300N, 828299W, 24­III­1993, Randall W. Lundgren, flight­barrier trap in hardwood hammock. Deposited in the FSCA.

Paratypes. Same data as holotype but 30­X­1992, 30­VI­1993, 20­VII­1993 (3 ??, FSCA, RABL). Louisiana (all LSAM) : Caddo Par., N. Shreveport, 10­X­1992, under bark of log (1?); E. Baton Rouge Par., Baton Rouge, 2­ 11­1991, M.S. Strother, under bark of live tree (1 /, 1?); Webster Par., 5.1 mi. N. of Dixie Inn on La Hwy 7, 9­11­1991, M. S. Strother (1 /). Tennessee

( UTK): Coffee Co., Arnold Air Force Base, Goose Pond, 22 May 1999, under bark, Adriean Mayor (1 /).

Etymology. Patrynomic for Randall Lundgren, who collected the Florida series in his backyard.

Comments. Adults of M. lundgreni can be distinguished from M. serraticornis based on the coarsely punctate elytron and male secondary sexual characters. Two specimens of undescribed species from the Dominican Republic and Ecuador differ from M. lundgreni and M. serraticornis by having well developed flabellate antennae.

Except for the occurrence under bark of several of the Louisiana specimens and the Tennessee specimen, available data do not suggest that M. lundgreni is associated with any particular habitat. The species is probably widespread across the Gulf Coastal Plain, but has been overlooked, perhaps because of its small size.

A photograph of the holotype may be viewed on the following website: http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/wwwac/dept/entomology/louisian.htm

Figures

Fig. 1. Micropsephodes lundgreni, male, dorsal habitus.

Figs. 2–5. Micropsephodes lundgreni, male. 2) head. 3) mandible. 4) maxilla. 5) labium.

Figs. 6–8. Micropsephodes lundgreni, male. 6) prosternum and prothoracic leg, anterior view. 7) meso­metasternum and ventrite 1. 8) aedeagus.