Sclerostomus (Altitatiayus) trifurcatus, Grossi, P. C. & Racca-Filho, F., 2004

Grossi, P. C. & Racca-Filho, F., 2004, A new Brazilian stag beetle of the genus Sclerostomus Burmeister, 1847 (Insecta: Coleoptera: Lucanidae), Zootaxa 575, pp. 1-4 : 1-4

Sclerostomus (Altitatiayus) trifurcatus , new species

Material examined. Holotype: male, Brasil, MG, Passa Quatro, Serra Fina, Trilha da Boca do Lobo, 2800 m, 07­XI­1999, R. Koike col. Ex col. E. & P. Grossi deposited in Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Description. Male: 16 mm in length, 6 mm wide. Body elongate­oval and convex ( Fig. 1 ); glabrous and black dorso­ventrally. Head broad, rectangular, excavated in the middle from vertex to the frontal border; posterior lateral borders elevated, spherical in shape; frontal border sinuate; canthus with anterior concavity, covering less than half of the eyes; frons with a conspicuous tubercle. Antennae with the scape weakly arched and the pedicel small. (Specimen lacking the antennal clubs.) Mandibles fully upturned, trifurcate apically. Lower portion of the mandible with a flat tooth basally, presenting above a bifurcate apophysis. The basal tooth of mandible median and acute ( Figs. 2 and 3 ). Labrum triangular with a small tooth laterally; labium granulose, convex and setose with marginal punctures anteriorly. Pronotum smooth, bordered all around, weakly convex; anterior border elevated towards the middle with a minute central dent. Protibiae sparsely setose with four teeth externally. Meso and metatibiae with one external spine at the middle. Elytra convex and finely punctured, with eight longitudinal striae, with coalescent punctures basally.

Female: unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the trifurcate mandibles, which are unique in the genus and readily distinguish it from other species of Sclerostomus . Discussion. The new species can be easily distinguished from other Sclerostomus species by the apical trifurcate mandibles and by the presence of a conspicuous tubercle on the frons.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Sclerostomus (Altitatiayus) trifurcatus n. sp., male, dorsal view (scale 5 mm)

FIGURE 2. Sclerostomus (Altitatiayus) trifurcatus n. sp., male, lateral view (scale 5 mm).

FIGURE 3. Sclerostomus (Altitatiayus) trifurcatus n. sp., right mandible, left view (scale 1 mm).