Paramyrmetes foveipennis Bruch, 1929

Lackner, Tomas, 2017, Redescription of the enigmatic neotropical inquiline Paramyrmetesfoveipennis Bruch, 1929 with notes on myrmecophily (Coleoptera, Histeridae) in the Saprininae subfamily, ZooKeys 675, pp. 57-73 : 58-61

Paramyrmetes foveipennis Bruch, 1929 Figs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8-16, 17

Paramyrmetes foveipennis Bruch, 1929: 422, figs 1-5, 11; Mazur (1984): 107; Mazur (1997): 217; Mazur (2011): 178.

Type material examined.

Lectotype, present designation, ♂, side-mounted on a triangular mounting card, genitalia dismembered, glued to a separate card under the specimen, with the following labels: "Hersilia / "La Geraldina ”” (written); followed by: “Prov.S.Fé.II.927 / J. Hubrich" (written); followed by: "con / Pogonomyrmex / v.carnivora" (written); followed by: “Phototypus” (light-green label, written); followed by: " Paramyrmetes / foveipennis / Bruch / C. BRUCH DETERM." (printed-written); followed by: “ACHADO” (written); followed by: " Paramyrmetes / foveipennis / Bruch, 1929 / LECTOTYPE / Des. T. Lackner 2017" (red label, written) (MNNC). This specimen is undoubtedly one of the syntypes, as Bruch described the species based on a single specimen collected by him and four specimens collected by Prof. Hubrich in Hersilia. The examined specimen belongs to the series collected by Prof. Hubrich. According to Bruch (1929) the type specimens were deposited in his private collection, and the private collections of Reichensperger and Hubrich. It is possible that the private collection of Prof. Hubrich was acquired by MNNC, where the lectotype is housed currently. Lectotype designation fixes the species’ identity; the outstanding four exemplars, whose whereabouts are unknown, would qualify for the paralectotype status.

Re-description.

Body: PEL: 3.00 mm; PPW: 1.00 mm; APW: 2.00 mm; EW: 2.60 mm; EL: 1.70 mm. Body, including appendages reddish-brown (Figs 1-2). Head broad, frons approximately twice as wide as long, with several vague depressions, frontal and supraorbital striae absent; clypeus large, quadrate, sloping down laterally; both frons and clypeus covered with dense fine punctures separated by approximately 1-2 times their diameter, interspaces with alutaceous microsculpture. Eyes flattened, but visible from above; antennal scape slender, with several setae; pedicel approximately as long as following three antennomeres together; 8th antennomere saucer-like. Antennal club oval, on distal half (roughly) with dense microsetae intermingled with several longer setae; sensory structures not examined. Mouthparts: labrum (Fig. 3) unusually large, tongue-shaped; labral pits situated on labral edges, each with two labral setae. Mandibles similar to other taxa of the subfamily, apically pointed, finely punctate. Ultimate palpomere of both labial and maxillary palpi elongate, thin, approximately four times as long as wide. Mentum quadrate, anterior margin with deep semi-circular median emargination; rest of mouthparts not examined. Pronotum broad, approximately twice as wide as long; marginal pronotal stria carinate laterally, weakened behind head. Apical pronotal angles obtuse; pronotal disk with punctation similar to that of head, punctures fine, separated by approximately twice their diameter, interspaces with prominent alutaceous microsculpture. Pronotal hypomeron glabrous. Elytral epipleuron with microscopic punctation, marginal epi pleural stria very fine, complete; marginal elytral stria complete, carinate, continued as weakened but complete marginal elytral stria connected to fine, complete sutural elytral stria. Humeral elytral stria fine, doubled, present on basal elytral third approximately; both subhumeral striae lacking. First dorsal elytral stria shortened on approximate basal tenth and apical fifth; second dorsal elytral stria even shorter, shortened on approximate basal fifth and apical third; rest of the elytral striae (apart from fine and complete sutural elytral stria) missing. Elytral disk in anterior two-thirds relatively coarsely, subimbricately punctate, punctures with posterior margins effaced, each with short appressed seta one to two times puncture diameter, interpunctural integument with very dense and prominent alutaceous microsculpture; in posterior third with punctation similar to that of pronotum and near elytral suture with rather deep large circular depression (Fig. 4). Scutellum very small, triangular. Propygidium partly covered by elytra, densely punctate, punctures separated by about their own diameter; pygidium triangular, densely punctate, punctures finer than those of propygidium, separated about their own diameter; apex of pygidium (Fig. 5) with round prominent well-defined depression, depression edges roughly subcarinate, with raised narrow triangular inclusion beginning at basomedial third of margin and ending at apical fifth, inclusion subcarinate in its apical two-thirds.

Prosternum: apical margin of prosternum (Fig. 6) rounded, marginal prosternal stria absent; carinal prosternal striae present, largely divergent apically; surface between striae convex. Lateral prosternal striae costate, apically fusing with widely divergent apices of carinal prosternal striae slightly anterior to anterior third; prosternal foveae absent. Prosternal process laterally with a single large dark circular depression presumed to accommodate antennal club when head is retracted (Fig. 7). Mesoventrite: lateral mesoventral stria complete, inwardly arcuate medially. Punctation of mesoventral disk similar to that of pronotum, punctures separated by 1-2 times their diameter, interspaces with microsculpture. Metaventrite: sparsely and finely punctate, lateral metaventral stria absent. Basal half of metaventral disk moderately depressed, this depression continues and occupies entire first visible abdominal ventrite which is strongly striolate (Fig. 2). Lateral disk of metaventrite with subcontiguous large shallow punctures, metepisternum with similar punctation; metepisternal stria thin, complete.

Legs: protibia dilated, outer margin with approximately 14 short denticles, teeth lacking. Protibial spur thin, emerging near tarsal insertion, protarsal groove shallow. Mesotibia and metatibia not particularly dilated, outer margin with sparse denticles.

Male genitalia: 8th sternite (Figs 8-9) apically without setae; 8th tergite (Fig. 9) apically outwardly arcuate; 8th sternite and tergite laterally fused (Fig. 11). Tenth tergite apically inwardly arcuate (Fig. 12); 9th tergite fused dorsally (Fig. 12). Spiculum gastrale (9th sternite) gradually dilated on both ends (Figs 13-14). Aedeagus (Figs 15-16) curved in lateral view, phallobase approximately one fifth of tegmen’s length. Parameres fused on their basal two-thirds. Female unavailable.