Ardistomis schaumii LeConte, 1857

(Figs 7, 10, 13, 18, 21, 22, 27, 30, 34)

Ardistomis schaumii LeConte 1857: 80 . Type locality: "Louisiana", U.S.A., herein restricted to Alexandria, Rapides Parish. ­ Putzeys (1866: 201); LeConte (1879: 32); Ciegler (2000: 43). Ardistomis schaumi: Nichols (1988a: 72, 101).

Type Material. LeConte (1857) described A. schaumii from an unspecified number of specimens. His collection, housed in MCZ, contains five specimens under this name. The first one is labelled "[orange disc] / A. schaumii Lec. [handwritten] / Type 5486 / Lectotype Ardistomis schaumi LeC. Des. S.W. Nichols 1986", the second one "Cedar Keys June 7 Fla / schaumii 2 [handwritten] / Ardistomis schaumi LeConte S.W. Nichols det. 1982", the third one " schaumii 3 [handwritten] / Ardistomis schaumi LeConte S.W. Nichols det. 1982", the fourth one "Capron 23.4 Fla / schaumii 4 [handwritten] / Ardistomis schaumi LeConte S.W. Nichols det. 1982", and the last one "Capron 30.3 Fla / schaumii 5 [handwritten]". The lectotype designation is hereby published.

Diagnosis. Distinguished most readily from members of A. obliquatus by the presence of bluish­green lustre and absence of preapical spots on the elytra.

Description. Color: Head dorsally more or less reddish­brown, pronotum mostly black with faint blue­green lustre, elytra black with blue­green lustre, without preapical spots; antennae reddish­brown; palpi paler, yellowish; legs reddish­brown. Microsculpture: Pronotum with isodiametric to scalelike meshes more impressed laterally than on disc. Elytra with faint scalelike meshes. Head: Vertex between posterior supraorbital setae with shallow transverse groove. Last labial palpomere subequal to penultimate palpomere. Prothorax: Anterior transverse depression well­impressed medially. Elytra: Striae well­impressed from base to apex. Interval 3 with five (­ six) setae. Abdomen: Last visible sternum without accessory setae near base. Male Genitalia: Median lobe relatively short, robust, with apex tapered (Fig. 7 a), parameres markedly dissimilar (Fig. 7 b), endophallus with large spines (Fig. 10). Female Genitalia: Apical stylomere relatively narrow (Fig. 13); seminal tube of spermatheca (Fig. 18) as illustrated.

Body length: 5.0–6.0 mm.

Geographical Distribution. Specimens of this species have been collected on the Coastal Plain north to Georgia, and from southern Illinois south to Honduras (Nichols 1988a: 102) (Fig. 34).

Habitat. Nichols (1988a: 103) recorded this species as "swamp­inhabiting."

Comments. This species appears to be closely related, if not identical, to Ardistomis elongatulus Putzeys from Cuba.