Phelister spectabilis, 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

24. Phelister spectabilis sp. nov. Figs 15A, B , 16A-F , Map 9

Type material.

Holotype male: " Ecuador: Orellana, P.N. Yasuní, Est. Cienc. Yasuní 0°40.5'N, 76°24'W [-0.675, -76.4]. Flight intercept FIT#6-6. 17-19.vii.2008, A.K.Tishechkin AT924" / "Caterino DNA Voucher, Extraction: MSC-2187, Species: Enigm nr.dubEcu, Extraction Date: viii.16.2011" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00697" (FMNH). Paratypes (4): Ecuador: Orellana, Est. Cientifica Yasuní (-0.675, -76.4), 7/19/08-7/24/08, FIT, A. Tishechkin, EXO-00697 (AKTC, 1ex.); Orellana, Est. Biodiv. Tiputini (-0.6333, -76.0383), 220 m, 9/5/00-9/25/00, D. Inward & K. Jackson (NHMUK, 2ex.); Orellana, Est. Biodiv. Tiputini (-0.6367, -76.1483), 7/27/08-7/31/08, FIT, A. Tishechkin, EXO-00808 (AKTC, 1ex.).

Other material.

Colombia: Vaupes, Est. Biol. Caparu, Rio Apoporis (-1.1, -69.5), 9/27/95-12/1/95, FIT, Black-water terrace forest on sandy soils, B. Gill, EXO-00377 (AKTC, 1ex.); French Guiana: Régina, Rés. Natur. des Nouragues, Camp Inselberg (4.0833, -52.6833), 1/25/11, FIT, SEAG, EXO-02983 (CHND, 1ex.); Saül, 7 km N, 3 km NW Les Eaux Claires, Mt. La Fumée (3.6628, -53.2219), 490 m, 6/1/97-6/8/97, FIT, J. Ashe & R. Brooks, SM0096747 (SEMC, 1ex.).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.68-2.96 mm (avg. 2.84 mm); width: 2.32-2.64 mm (avg. 2.43 mm). Body large, elongate, dark-rufescent, nearly parallel-sided, smooth, with fine inconspicuous ground punctation; supraorbital stria complete, forming a carina between upper margin of eyes; frons broad, widened anteriorly, deeply depressed at middle; frontal stria complete, raised as a sinuate transverse carina; epistoma deeply depressed at middle, sides raised, subcarinate; labrum wide, emarginate; mandibles lacking basal teeth; antennal club elongate; pronotum lacking prescutellar impression, disk without secondary lateral punctures; pronotal gland openings small, annulate, located just beyond middle of disk; lateral submarginal pronotal stria complete, deeply impressed, curving inward and joining anterior marginal stria, marginal bead raised laterad; anterior marginal stria separated from lateral portions of marginal stria; elytra with single, complete epipleural stria; outer subhumeral stria complete, forming a strong lateral marginal carina, other dorsal striae reduced, those present displaced laterad, carinate, inner subhumeral present as very short apical carina, stria one complete, 2nd present in apical 2/3, 3rd represented only by scratch-like basal vestige; other dorsal striae absent; propygidium with depressions on either side, disk with secondary punctures mainly at sides; pygidium with broken marginal stria, disk punctate along lateral and apical margins; prosternal keel elevated, narrow, emarginate at base, with complete striae united anteriorly; prosternal lobe short, marginal stria complete; mesoventrite deeply sulcate at sides, raised along midline, marginal stria obscured; postmesocoxal stria present, recurved to mesepimeral-metepisternal corner; mesometaventral stria absent at middle, lateral metaventral stria very short, divergent, ending freely behind mesocoxa; median portions of metaventrite and 1st abdominal ventrite impunctate, the latter with incomplete lateral stria along metacoxa; protibia with outer margin strongly dentate, with five marginal spines; male protarsus with modified setae; meso- and metatibiae with fine marginal spines. Male: basal piece 1/4 length of tegmen; tegmen narrow at base, weakly expanded to just beyond middle, narrowed to rounded apices; tegmen flattened at base and apex, thicker in middle in lateral view; medioventral process absent; median lobe ~ 1/3 tegmen length, basal apodemes narrower toward bases.

Etymology.

The ‘spectacular,’ highly autapomorphic general morphology of this species inspires its name.

Distribution.

This species is known from two disjunct areas, Amazonian Ecuador and Colombia in the west, and French Guiana far to the east.

Remarks.

This very distinctive species is easily recognized by its elongate body form, carinate outer elytral striae, and obsolete inner elytral striae (including the sutural stria). The deep pits on the mesoventrite are also unique among Neotropical Exosternini . It lacks a distinct prescutellar impression, and its relationship to others in this group is not very clear. Its annulate pronotal gland openings near the middle of the pronotal disk do seem to support relationships somewhere in this group, however.

Specimens from the rather disjunct areas reported here differ somewhat. In Guianan specimens the frons is slightly broader, the supraorbital stria is connected to the frontal stria at the sides; the lateral submarginal pronotal stria is joined to the anterior marginal, and the lateral epistomal carinae is less prominent. Even the aedeagus is a bit more parallel-sided and apically quadrate. We considered separating these as distinct, but expect that additional specimens from intervening gaps will fill these minor morphological gaps.

Figures

Map 9. Collecting records for Phelister dilatatus (stars), and P. spectabilis (circles).

Figure 15. A, B Phelister spectabilis: A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D P. pervagatus: C dorsal habitus D ventral habitus.

Figure 16. Male genitalia A-F Phelister spectabilis: A tergite 8 B sternite 8 C tergites 9 & 10 D sternite 9 E aedeagus, dorsal F aedeagus, lateral G, H P. pervagatus: G aedeagus, dorsal H aedeagus, lateral.