Phelister thiemei Schmidt, 1889

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2019, A revision of the Phelisterhaemorrhous species group (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 854, pp. 41-88 : 68-71

Phelister thiemei Schmidt, 1889 Figs 2, 7; Map 5

Phelister thiemei Schmidt, 1889: 338.

Phelister stercoricola Bickhardt, 1909: 223, syn. nov.

Type material.

Lectot

ype,

hereby designated: "Matto grosso" / “Thiemei” / “Type” / "coll. J.Schmidt" / "Thiemei Schm." / "LECTOTYPE Phelister thiemei Schmidt 1889, M.S. Caterino & A.K. Tishechkin des. 2010", ZMHB.

Types of synonyms. Lectotype of Phelister stercoricola Bickhardt hereby designated: "Montevideo, J. Tremoleras" / “Type” / "stercoricola Bickh." / "LECTOTYPE Phelister stercoricola Bickhardt, 1909 M.S. Caterino & A.K. Tishechkin des. 2010", ZMHB; five paralectotypes with same data, four in ZMHB, one in NHMUK.

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.30-1.77 mm (avg. 1.53 mm); width: 1.06-1.50 mm (avg. 1.32 mm). This species is extremely similar to both P. rufinotus and P. rouzeti , differing principally in the following features: Body elongate-oval, widest behind humeri; nearly always distinctly bicolored, with much of elytra (posterolaterally) reddish, rarely entirely piceous dorsally; frontal stria complete to narrowly interrupted; lateral submarginal pronotal stria absent; dorsal elytral striae 1-4 complete, 5th variable, complete to abbreviated from base; prosternal keel striae subparallel to sinuate; male prosternal keel with coarser and denser punctures; mesometaventral stria closer, almost subparallel to mesoventral stria; aedeagus with basal piece ca. one-fourth total length; tegmen simple, widest just beyond middle, subparallel in apical third, apex shallowly emarginate, tegmen in lateral view thickest toward apex; median lobe ca. two-thirds tegmen length, with differentiated basal and distal proximal apodemes.

Remarks.

We have characterized this species rather broadly. The typical form, from Mato Grosso, has a complete frontal stria and abbreviated 5th dorsal stria. Considerable variation is observed in these characters from other areas, with the frontal stria more often interrupted elsewhere. Typical P. stercoricola (which we synonymize here) exemplifies this alternative, with an interrupted frontal stria and complete 5th dorsal elytral stria. However, while there is some variation in genitalic shape over this range (mainly in the degree of apical expansion and approximately parallel sides of the tegmen), there is inadequate consistency to support multiple species at present. More careful study over this species’ range may conclude otherwise. Specimens from the Cochabamba region of Bolivia frequently exhibit anterior fragments of a lateral submarginal pronotal stria, but we have dissected these as well and find them to fit within this broad concept of P. thiemei . Phelister rufinotus occurs broadly over much of the same range as this species, but we have generally had little difficulty separating them, on the basis of (in P. rufinotus ) a partial lateral submarginal pronotal stria, and the spoon-shaped aedeagus.

Biology.

Label data provide limited clues into the habits of this species; a few specimens were collected in cow dung or in pitfalls baited with human dung. Numerous specimens were simply collected by flight interception traps.

Distribution.

This species is known from a fairly broad area from southeastern Bolivia and southeastern Brazil in the north through Uruguay and Paraguay south across central Argentina. Records: ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Mendoza, San Luis; BOLIVIA: Cochabamba, Santa Cruz; BRAZIL: Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo; PARAGUAY: Caazapá, Misiones; URUGUAY: Canelones, Rocha; VENEZUELA: Aragua.