Phelister vazdemelloi, 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

22. Phelister vazdemelloi sp. nov. Figs 13E, F , 14E, F , Map 8

Type material.

Holotype male: " Brazil: Mato Grosso, Mpio. Cotriguaçu, Fazenda São Nicolau, Prainha. - 9°51.6'S, - 58°12.9'W [-9.86, -58.215], Flight intercept, Oct 2009, F.Z. Vaz-de-Mello" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher, EXO-00853" (CEMT). Paratypes (6): Brazil: Mato Grosso, Mpio. Cotriguaçu, Fazenda São Nicolau (-9.815, -58.2858), 12/15/10-12/18/10, FIT, F.Z. Vaz-de-Mello & A.F. Oliveira (CEMT, 2ex.); Mato Grosso, Mpio. Cotriguaçu, Fazenda São Nicolau, Mata Norte (-9.8192, -58.26), 12/8/10-12/14/10, FIT, F.Z. Vaz-de-Mello (FMNH & MSCC, 2ex.); Mato Grosso, Mpio. Cotriguaçu, Fazenda São Nicolau, Matinha (-9.8383, -58.2508), December 2010, FIT, F.Z. Vaz-de-Mello (AKTC & CHND, 2ex.).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.05-2.44 mm (avg. 2.25 mm); width: 1.85-2.29 mm (avg. 2.05 mm). Body rather broadly rounded, widest behind elytral humeri, rufescent, with conspicuous ground punctation throughout, the pronotum with uniformly dense secondary punctation as well; frons depressed along midline; frontal stria obsolete within median depression; epistoma broad, with raised edges along sides and front; labrum emarginate, weakly subcarinate along apical margin; mandibles lacking basal teeth; prescutellar impression not evident; median pronotal gland openings only slightly larger than secondary punctures, ~ 1/3 behind anterior margin, distinctly annulate; marginal pronotal stria complete along lateral and anterior margins; submarginal stria complete, well-impressed along lateral margin, just turning anterior corner; elytron with single, complete epipleural stria; outer subhumeral stria present at base and apex but interrupted at middle; inner subhumeral stria present at middle but obsolete at ends; all dorsal striae complete, 4th arched to sutural, with 5th nearly meeting basal arch; pygidia with moderately coarse secondary punctation; prosternal keel emarginate at base, striae separate at base, converging, meeting ¾ of the distance to apex, united anteriorly; prosternal lobe weakly reflexed, with marginal stria complete; mesoventrite weakly produced, with complete marginal stria continued at sides by postmesocoxal stria ending laterad mesocoxa; mesometaventral stria angulate at middle, crenulate, reaching middle of mesoventrite, continued at sides by lateral metaventral stria, reaching middle of metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with nearly complete lateral stria along inner margin of metacoxa; metaventrite with coarse secondary punctation; 1st abdominal ventrite with secondary punctures largely limited to anterior third; protibia with outer margin weakly dentate, with five or six robust marginal spines; meso- and metatibiae slender, the mesotibia spinose along most of outer margin, metatibia with marginal spines finer and restricted to apical 1/2. Male: basal piece 1/3 length of tegmen; tegmen narrow at base, widest at basal 1/3, then rounded, narrowing to apex, apices rather thin, slightly separated; tegmen very flattened, straight with weak apical curve in lateral view; medioventral process present, projecting at basal fourth; median lobe ~ 1/2 tegmen length, basal apodemes abruptly narrowed at bases.

Etymology.

This species is named in honor of our friend and colleague, Fernando Vaz-de-Mello. Fernando’s lab and the collection he runs (CEMT) have provided many specimens to our studies, and he and his students graciously hosted the authors during a 2011 field trip to Mato Grosso.

Distribution.

This species is only known from Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Remarks.

This species and the preceding three ( P. marginatus , P. genieri , and P. ifficus ) form a closely related lineage within this group. All have lost a distinct prescutellar impression and are considerably larger in body size than average for the group. All also have more or less ‘complete’ elytral striation, uniformly double (ground and secondary) punctation on the dorsum, and have slightly expanded and strongly punctate protibiae. Phelister vazdemelloi is the least modified of these, with relatively sparse dorsal punctation, and a convex body.

Figures

Map 8. Collecting records for Phelister vazdemelloi (black circles), P. praedatoris (white star), P. ifficus (black squares), P. genieri (hexagon), and P. marginatus (black stars).

Figure 13. A, B Phelister genieri: A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D P. marginatus: C dorsal habitus D ventral habitus E, F P. vazdemelloi: E dorsal habitus F ventral habitus G, H P. dilatatus: G dorsal habitus H ventral habitus.

Figure 14. Male genitalia A, B Phelister genieri: A aedeagus, dorsal B aedeagus, lateral C, D P. marginatus: C aedeagus, dorsal D aedeagus, lateral E, F P. vazdemelloi: E aedeagus, dorsal F aedeagus, lateral G, H P. dilatatus: G aedeagus, dorsal H aedeagus, lateral.