Phelister inbio, Caterino & Tishechkin, 2020

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2020, Recognition and revision of the Phelister blairi group (Histeridae, Histerinae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 1001, pp. 1-154 : 1

15. Phelister inbio sp. nov. Figs 9G, H 10G, Map 7

Type material.

Holotype male: "P.N. Tapantí, Prov Carta, Costa Rica. 1150 m. Mar 1994. G. Mora, L N 194000_559800 #2681" / " INBIO CRI001733668" (INBIO). Paratype (1): "Est. Pitilla, 700 m, 9 km S. Sta. Cecilia, P. N. Guanacaste, Prov. Guan. COSTA RICA. P.Rios, 4-25 Nov 1991,L-N-330200_380200" / " INBIO CRI000497380" (MNCR).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.60-2.68 mm (avg. 2.64 mm); width: 2.05-2.13 mm (avg. 2.09 mm). Body elongate, rather narrow, widest behind elytral humeri, rufescent, with conspicuous ground punctation throughout, the pronotum with uniformly dense secondary punctation as well; frons moderately depressed along midline, supraorbital stria present, fine, disconnected at sides; frontal stria complete, epistoma raised, subcarinate along sides and front; labrum emarginate but not subcarinate along apical margin; both mandibles with conspicuous basal tooth; pronotum with large, semicircular prescutellar impression, ~ 5 × scutellar width; median pronotal gland openings obscured by secondary punctures but present just beyond midway behind anterior margin, distinctly annulate; marginal pronotal stria complete along lateral and anterior margins; lateral submarginal stria complete, clearly impressed, just turning anterior corner; elytron with single, complete epipleural stria; outer subhumeral stria complete, characteristically bent inward along basal elytral margin, inner absent; dorsal striae 1-4 complete, 4th arched to sutural, 5th obsolete in basal 1/3, sutural stria complete; pygidia with uniformly sparse secondary punctation; prosternal keel narrow, emarginate at base, striae separate at base, converging then subparallel to apex, united anteriorly; prosternal lobe narrowed, weakly reflexed, with marginal stria complete; mesoventrite produced, with complete marginal stria continued at sides by postmesocoxal stria ending laterad mesocoxa; mesometaventral stria angulate at middle, crenulate, reaching anterior 1/3 of mesoventrite, continued at sides by lateral metaventral stria, reaching middle of metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with incomplete lateral stria along inner margin of metacoxa; ventrites with rather uniformly sparse secondary punctation, the metaventrite largely impunctate along midline; protibia with outer margin strongly dentate, with five or six marginal spines; meso- and metatibiae slightly broadened, the mesotibia with rather robust spines along outer margin, those of metatibia fewer and finer. Male: basal piece ~ 1/3 length of tegmen; tegmen with sides unevenly widening toward apical fourth, then weakly narrowed to rounded apices; tegmen rather flat, weakly curved in lateral view; weak medioventral process present near middle; median lobe narrow, ~ 1/2 tegmen length, basal apodemes abruptly thinner near bases.

Etymology.

By this species name we honor the institution and effort that was the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio), now part of the MNCR. The parataxonomists and professional taxonomists engaged in the effort to document Costa Rica’s biodiversity provided a successful model to which the rest of the world could aspire.

Distribution.

This species is only known from Costa Rica.

Remarks.

This species is very distinctive, particularly among the Central American Exosternini fauna. Its narrow, uniformly doubly punctate pronotum, broadly oval prescutellar impression, complete outer subhumeral stria with basomedial extension, and basally connected 4th and sutural elytral striae distinguish it from anything else in the region.

Figures

Map 7. Collecting records for Phelister parana (inverted triangles), P. asperatus (black stars), P. uniformis (white squares), P. miscellus (white hexagons) P. sculpturatus (black circles), P. inbio (white stars) and P. tunki (black upright triangle).

Figure 9. A, B Phelister asperatus: A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D P. uniformis: C dorsal habitus D ventral habitus E, F P. miscellus: E dorsal habitus F ventral habitus G, H P. inbio: G dorsal habitus H ventral habitus.