Phelister sparsus, 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

5. Phelister sparsus sp. nov. Figs 5A, B , 6F, G , Map 4

Type material.

Holotype male: " French Guiana: Roura, 18.4 km SSE, 4°36'38"N, 52°13'25"W, 29 MAY-10 JUN 1997, J. Ashe, R. Brooks FG1AB97 180 ex. Flight intercept trap" / "SM0131741 KUNHM-ENT" (SEMC). Paratypes (87): French Guiana: Belvédère de Saül, point de vue (3.6228, -53.2094), 12/10/10, 1/7/11, 2/7/11 and 2/14/11, FIT, SEAG (AKTC & CHND, 7ex.); Régina, Rés. Natur. des Nouragues, Camp Inselberg (4.0833, -52.6833), 8/20/10, FIT, SEAG, EXO-02951 (CHND, 1ex.); Régina, Rés. Natur. des Nouragues, Camp Inselberg (4.0833, -52.6833), 7/20/09, 9/9/10 and 9/22/09, FIT, SEAG (CHND, 3ex.); Régina, Rés. Natur. des Nouragues (4.0378, -52.6725), 1/28/10, FIT, SEAG (CHND, 13ex.); Régina, Rés. Natur. des Nouragues (4.0378, -52.6725), 2/19/10, FIT, SEAG (CHND, 6ex.); Roura, 18.4 km SSE (4.6106, -52.2236), 240 m, 5/29/97-6/10/97, FIT, J. Ashe & R. Brooks, (SEMC, 2ex.); Roura, 27.4 km SSE (4.7389, -52.2236), 280 m, 6/10/97, FIT, J. Ashe & R. Brooks, SM0132188 (SEMC, 1ex.); Saül, 7 km N, Les Eaux Claires (3.6628, -53.2219), 220 m, 5/31/97-6/3/97, FIT, J. Ashe & R. Brooks, SM0094399 (SEMC, 1ex.); Rés. Trésor (route de Kaw Pk18) (4.6105, -52.279), 225 m, 11/21/09, FIT, SEAG, EXO-02962 (CHND, 1ex.); Mont Tabulaire Itoupé (3.0303, -53.1067), 400 m, 3/17/10, FIT, SEAG (CHND, 5ex.); Mont Tabulaire Itoupé (3.0303, -53.1067), 570 m, 3/24/10, FIT, SEAG (CHND, 2ex.); Montagne des Chevaux (4.7167, -52.4), 7/11/09, FIT, SEAG, EXO-02961 (CHND, 1ex.); Montagne des Chevaux (4.7167, -52.4), 5/22/10, FIT, SEAG, EXO-02950 (CHND, 1ex.); Montagne des Chevaux (4.7167, -52.4), 12/6/08-12/22/08, 1/4/09-1/25/09, 2/23/09, 3/8/09-3/15/09 and 4/11/09, FIT, SEAG (AKTC & CHND, 18ex.); Route de Bélizon, p. km 4.5, flight intercept, 8/1/16-8/31/16, J.-L. Guiglaris (AVSC, 2ex.). Suriname: Sipaliwini, CI-RAP Survey Camp 1, upper Palumeu River (-2.4770, -55.6294), 275 m, 3/10/12-3/16/12, flight intercept, A.E.Z. Short (AKTC, 5ex.); Sipaliwini, CI-RAP Surv. Camp 1: on Kutari River (-2.1753, -56.7874), 228 m, 8/19/10-8/24/10, FIT, Larsen & Short (SEMC, 2ex.); Sipaliwini, CI-RAP Surv. Camp 2: Sipaliwini River (-2.1753, -56.7874), 210 m, 8/27/10-9/1/10, FIT, Larsen & Short (SEMC, 2ex.); Sipaliwini, CI-RAP Surv. Camp 3: Wehepai SE Kwamala (2.3629, -56.6977), 237 m, 9/3/10-9/7/10, FIT, Larsen & Short (SEMC, 12ex.); Sipaliwini, CI-RAP Surv. Camp 4: on lower Kasikasima River (2.9773, -55.3850), 200 m, 3/20/12-3/25/12, FIT, T. Larsen (SEMC, 1ex.).

Other material.

Brazil: Amapá, Serra do Navio (0.9833, -52), 1/28/90-2/2/90, FIT, EXO-02954 (CHND, 1ex.); Amapá, Serra do Navio (0.9833, -52), 1/28/90-2/2/90, FIT, EXO-02952 (CHND, 1ex.); Amapá, Serra do Navio (0.9833, -52), 5/1/91-5/14/91, FIT (CHND, 3ex.); Amazonas, Reserva Ducke, 26 km NE. Manaus Barbosa (-3, -59.94), February 1995, FIT, M.G.V., EXO-02953 (NHMUK, 1ex.); Pará, Altamira - Marabá: km 18 (-3.15, -52.05), 11/22/83, Ss. cad. de rat, EXO-02956 (CHND, 1ex.); Pará, Carajás (Serra Norte) (-6.0667, -50.2), 3/29/89-4/6/89, FIT, EXO-02955 (CHND, 1ex.).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.85-2.01 mm (avg. 1.95 mm); width: 1.65-1.93 mm (avg. 1.73 mm). Body somewhat narrowly elongate oval, convex, dark rufescent, with ground punctation very fine and inconspicuous; frons and epistoma narrow, depressed along midline, sparsely punctate; supraorbital stria present, narrowly separated from sides of frontal; frontal stria complete, sinuate through frontal depression; epistoma weakly raised along sides and front; labrum narrow, apically emarginate; mandibles lacking basal teeth; antennal club elongate with elongate median setose patch and two smaller basal setose patches on dorsal surface; prescutellar impression broadly oval, ~ twice as wide as scutellum; pronotal disk with sparse secondary punctures close to sides; median pronotal gland openings distinctly annulate, 3/4 behind anterior margin; marginal pronotal stria complete along sides and front; submarginal pronotal stria complete along sides, just turning anterior corner, the marginal bead markedly convex; elytron with single, complete epipleural stria, with a rather uniform row of punctures along its inner edge; outer subhumeral stria variably present in basal and apical halves, typically interrupted and basally fragmented (nearing absent), inner absent, dorsal stria one slightly abbreviated from apex, striae 2-4 complete, 4th arched to suture, 5th present in apical 1/2, sutural stria in apical 2/3, all striae formed by punctures connected by a thin stria; propygidium with large, elongate secondary punctures separated by ~ their widths, those of pygidium smaller and sparser, densest in basal corners; prosternal keel emarginate at base, striae separate basally, evenly convergent to meet ~ 1/4 from presternal suture; prosternal lobe short, bluntly triangular, lacking marginal stria; mesoventrite produced, with complete marginal stria continued at sides by postmesocoxal stria, which ends posterolaterad mesocoxa; mesometaventral stria bluntly angulate at middle, reaching middle of mesoventrite, continued at sides by lateral metaventral stria toward, but ending short of, inner 1/3 of metacoxa; metaventrite and 1st abdominal ventrite impunctate; 1st abdominal ventrite with incomplete lateral stria along inner margin of metacoxa; protibia with outer margin rounded, weakly dentate, with five or six marginal spines; male protarsus with flattened ventral setae; meso- and metatibiae slender, with marginal spines largely restricted to apical one-third. Male: basal piece ~ 1/4 length of tegmen; tegmen with sides subparallel to near apex, then apex roundly expanded, strongly curved in lateral view, medioventral process absent; median lobe ~ 3/4 tegmen length, basal apodemes abruptly thinner near tips.

Etymology.

The name sparsus is meant to contrast with the earlier fimbriatus, referring to the setae of the apex of the male 8th sternite.

Remarks.

Like several members of this group, this species is relatively elongate, with weakly rounded sides, strongly convex, and with relatively inconspicuous ground punctation. It is somewhat generalized within the group, lacking the oddly modified, ‘scalloped’ tibiae seen in a few species. This species, P. trigonisternus , P. pretiosus , and P. globosus also have two small sensory patches in place of the basal antennal annulus (at least on the ventral/anterior face), have the elytral striae serially punctiform (variably, but always to a great degree), and the males have flattened protarsal setae. Among these, P. sparsus is distinguished by the combination of a broadly oval prescutellar impression, a complete lateral submarginal pronotal stria, the lack of a prosternal lobe stria, the presence of ~ 20 larger secondary lateral pronotal punctures, and an outer subhumeral stria that is present basally and apically, but interrupted in the middle.

Distribution.

This species is mainly found in lower Amazonian portions of Brazil, as well as in French Guiana and Suriname.

Figures

Map 4. Collecting records for Phelister stellans (stars), P. sparsus (white circles).

Figure 5. A, B Phelister sparsus: A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D P. pretiosus: C dorsal habitus D ventral habitus E-G P. trigonisternus: E dorsal habitus F ventral habitus G frons and labrum showing labral fovea.

Figure 6. Male genitalia A-C Phelister fimbriatus: A sternite 8 B aedeagus, dorsal C aedeagus, lateral D, E P. stellans: D aedeagus, dorsal E aedeagus, lateral F, G P. sparsus: F aedeagus, dorsal G aedeagus, lateral H, I P. pretiosus: H Aedeagus, dorsal I Aedeagus, lateral J, K P. trigonisternus: J aedeagus, dorsal K aedeagus, lateral.