Phelister rio, 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

50. Phelister rio sp. nov. Figs 33A, B , 34A-F , Map 17

Type material.

Holotype male: " Brazil: Rio De Janeiro, 17 km E Nova Friburgo 22°23'04"S, 42°33'30"W [-22.3844, -42.5583], 750 m, 29.I.2000, F. Génier & S. Ide, secondary mountain Atlantic for. ex. f.i.t., day 4-9, FG2000-58" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00358" (CMNC). Paratypes (9): Brazil: Paraná, Mananciais da Serra (-25.4961, -48.9817), 1000 m, 11/8/07-11/23/07, FIT, P. Grossi & D. Parizotto (CHND, 3ex.); Paraná, Piraquara (-25.4961, -48.9817), 11/3/07-11/10/07, P. Grossi, EXO-03547 (DZUP, 1ex.); Paraná, Piraquara, Mananciais da Serra (-25.4961, -48.9817), 1000 m, 10/17/07-10/31/07, FIT, P. Grossi & D. Parizotto, EXO-03546 (CHND, 1ex.); Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara (-22.8, -43), October, 1963, M. Alvarenga, EXO-03545 (USNM, 1ex.); BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro, Macaé de Cima, Nova Friburgo (-22.3816, -42.4819), 1030 m, 10/1/03-10/31/07, FIT (CHND, 1ex.); Rio de Janeiro, N. Friburgo, Sitio Bacco (-22.3, -42.5), 4760ft, 3/26/91-4/9/91, FIT, K.P. Bland (NHMUK, 2ex.); São Paulo, Est. Biol. Boracéia, 50 km SE Mogi das Cruzes, Serra do Mar (-23.7, -46), 800-900 m, 4/28/97-4/30/97, feces trap, cloud forest, F. Génier & S. Ide, EXO-03544 (CMNC, 1ex.).

Other material.

Brazil: Minas Gerais, Águas Vermelhas (-15.75, -41.4667), December 1997, FIT, A.M. Bello & F.Z. Vaz-de-Mello, EXO-03243 (CEMT, 1ex.); Minas Gerais, Águas Vermelhas (-15.75, -41.4667), December 1997, F. Vaz-de-Mello, EXO-00367 (CHND, 1ex.); Minas Gerais, Parque Estadual do Itacolomi, Trilha do Forno at 20.4290°S, 43.5075°W, 1350 m, flight intercept trap, 9-11.ii.2014, A. K. Tishechkin (AKTC, 2ex.); Minas Gerais, Parque Estadual do Rio Doce, Centro de Pesquisas, 19.7637°S, 42.6303°W, 305 m, sifting dry creek bed litter, A. K. Tishechkin (AKTC, 1ex.).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.42-1.89 mm (avg. 1.67 mm); width: 1.22-1.77 mm (avg. 1.51 mm). Body small, rounded, convex, rufescent to faintly bicolored, the elytra darker than the pronotum, with inconspicuous ground punctation; frons broad, weakly depressed, with complete, rounded frontal stria; supraorbital stria present in middle third; epistoma weakly depressed; labrum emarginate at apex; right mandible with very small basal tooth, left lacking tooth; prescutellar impression very wide, rounded, ~ 5 × as wide and 1.5 × as long as scutellum; disk lacking secondary punctures at sides; median pronotal gland openings small, slightly elongate, non-annulate, ~ 2/3 behind anterior margin; marginal pronotal stria complete around sides and front; lateral submarginal stria complete along lateral margin, barely turned inward at front, well impressed, the marginal bead distinctly convex; elytron with single, complete, crenulate epipleural stria; outer subhumeral stria short, apical, inner absent; dorsal striae very finely impressed, stria one usually slightly abbreviated from apex, striae two and three complete, 4th represented by apical and sometimes basal fragments (no basal arch), 5th present in apical 1/5 only, sutural stria present in apical 3/4; propygidium with secondary punctures concentrated in anterior 1/2, pygidium with only fine, sparse secondary punctures; prosternal keel narrow, emarginate at base, with complete striae separated at base, united anteriorly; prosternal lobe rounded, with complete marginal stria; mesoventrite produced at middle, with fine marginal stria continued at sides by short postmesocoxal; mesometaventral stria strongly arched forward, nearly to marginal mesoventral stria, at sides continued by strongly divergent lateral metaventral stria, which nearly reaches middle of metepipleuron; metaventrite impunctate; 1st abdominal ventrite impunctate, with single, complete lateral stria; protibia quite narrow at base, widened to apex but slender, weakly dentate, with ~ six small marginal spines; male protarsal setae unmodified; meso- and metatibiae slender, with few marginal spines mainly in apical halves. Male: accessory sclerites present, S8 elongate, halves approximate, apex narrowed, somewhat truncate, T10 divided; aedeagus with basal piece ~ one third tegmen length; tegmen slightly widened to midpoint, then tapered to narrowly rounded apices; medioventral process medial, weak; median lobe ~ 1/2 tegmen length, proximal apodemes long, thin.

Etymology.

This species is named as an informal reference to the type locality, Rio de Janeiro.

Distribution.

This species has been recorded from a handful of localities along coastal southeastern Brazil.

Remarks.

The four species within this fairly distinctive group are mostly characterized by minor external differences (despite considerable variation in aedeagal form). Phelister rio is distinguished by its wide prescutellar impression in combination with a short, apical outer subhumeral stria, complete 3rd dorsal stria, and lack of basal arch of the 4th or 5th striae. The male genitalia are quite similar to those of Operclipygus , a similarity that we presently hypothesize to be a convergence.

Specimens from Minas Gerais are somewhat variable in key characters, some individuals having a smaller, oval prescutellar impression, and more coarsely punctate and posteriorly inturned elytral striae. Others, including a male, however, correspond well to the above diagnosis, and male genitalia match as well.

Figures

Map 17. Collecting records for Phelister curvipes (upright black triangle), P. vilavelha (black hexagon), P. rio (white circle), P. semotus (stars), P. uncinatus (black squares), and P. inscriptus (inverted white triangles).

Figure 33. A, B Phelister rio: A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D P. semotus: C dorsal habitus D ventral habitus E, F P. uncinatus: E dorsal habitus F ventral habitus G, H P. inscriptus: G dorsal habitus H ventral habitus.

Figure 34. Male genitalia A-F Phelister rio: A tergite 8 B sternite 8 C tergites 9 & 10 D sternite 9 E aedeagus, dorsal F aedeagus, lateral G, H P. semotus: G aedeagus, dorsal H tegmen, lateral I, J P. uncinatus: I aedeagus, dorsal J tegmen, lateral.