Sirpa latiflava OPITZ, 2019

Opitz, Weston, 2019, Descriptions of new genera and new species of Western Hemisphere checkered beetles (Coleoptera, Cleroidea, Cleridae), Linzer biol. Beitr. 51 (2), pp. 959-1076 : 1021

Sirpa latiflava OPITZ nov.sp. ( Figs 58, 157, 258, 354)

Holotype: ♂. Type locality: PERU, Madre de Dios, Rio Tambopata Res., 30 km (air) sw Pto. Maldonado , 290 m, 12°50'S 069°20'W. A second label reads: Smithsonian Institution , Canopy Fogging Project , T. L. Erwin et al colls. 10Sep84, 02/02/04. A third label reads: 0053682 ( USNM). Paratype: 1 specimen. Peru: Region Tambopata, Madre de Dios, Rio Tambopata Res., 30 km (air) SW Puerto Maldonado , 12°50'S 069°20'W, 8-IX- 1984, 290 m, T. L. Erwin ( USNM).

D i a g n o s i s: In 2016, OPITZ published a key to the species of Sirpa OPITZ ( OPITZ 2016: 262). Sirpa latiflava specimens key out to S. parva OPITZ from which S. latiflava specimens differ by showing a more transverse pronotum that is also more convex and a much broader aedeagus.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Size: Length 5.2 mm; width 1.8 mm. Form: As in Fig. 354. Color: Cranium mostly testaceous, with broad black marking that covers upper frons and epicranium; prothorax mostly testaceous, pronotum broadly black at middle; pterothorax, legs, and abdomen dark brown; elytra mostly testaceous, black at base of sutural margin and in elytral apical region. Head: Eye coarsely facetted, as wide as frons (EW/FW 24/24); antenna capitate ( Fig. 58), funicular antennomeres subfiliform, gradually shorter and wider to capitulum, capitulum sex dimorphic, slightly longer in male, capitular antennomeres 9 and 10 triangular, antennomere 11 subrectangulate. Thorax: Pronotum ( Fig. 157) transverse, lateral tubercles slightly defined (PW/PL 80/60), disc coarsely punctate; asetiferous punctures profusely distributed on elytral disc, epipleural margin prominent, narrows to elytral apex (EL/EW 235/65). Abdomen: Pygidium transverse / scutiform; aedeagus as in Fig. 258.

N a t u r a l H i s t o r y: The available specimens were collected in September, at 290 m.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: ThisspeciesisknownfromPeru.

E t y m o l o g y: The trivial name, latiflava, is a Latin compound name that stems from latus (= side) and flavis (= yellow); with reference to the color of the sides of the elytra.