Agathidium chauliodoum Miller and Wheeler, 2005

MILLER, KELLY B. & WHEELER, QUENTIN D., 2005, Slime-Mold Beetles Of The Genus Agathidium Panzer In North And Central America, Part Ii. Coleoptera: Leiodidae, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2005 (291), pp. 1-167 : 145-147

Agathidium chauliodoum Miller and Wheeler , new species Figures 112 , 166 , 335–337 , 376

TYPE MATERIAL: Holotype, Ƌ in CMNC labeled ‘‘GUAT: BAJA VERAPAZ: 7.5 km S Purulha. Elev. 1630 m.cloud for. litter. R. Anderson 91­26, 26­V­1991 / HOLOTYPE Agathidium chauliodoum Miller and Wheel­ er, 2003 [red label with black line border]’’.

TYPE LOCALITY: Guatemala, Baja Verapaz, 7.5 km S Purulha.

DIAGNOSIS: Males of this species may be distinguished from most species by the strongly reduced eyes consisting of dorsally directed ovoids (fig. 112), and by the large metafemoral tooth (fig. 166) and distinctive male genitalia with the median lobe stout and apically abruptly curved and sharply pointed in lateral aspect (fig. 336). The species is most similar to A. microphthalmum and A. nimbosilva , from which it may be distinguished by slightly larger eyes and differences in the shape of the median lobe and the more broadly expanded male probasotarsomeres.

DESCRIPTION: Body small (TBL = 2.21– 2.43 mm), broad, robust (PNW/TBL = 0.43– 0.52), rounded, strongly contractile.

Head piceous; pronotum piceous, testaceous around margins; elytra piceous, slightly iridescent laterally; venter dark red; antennae, palpi, and legs red­brown.

Head broad (MDL/OHW = 0.58–0.69), dorsal surface flattened, dorsoventrally compressed; with very fine punctures, each with a short, very fine seta, surface between punctures shiny, very lightly microreticulate; frontoclypeal suture obsolete medially; eyes strongly reduced to ovoids, directed dorsally (fig. 112); gula flat or slightly convex; antennomere ratios: length I:II:III = 1.6:1.0:1.7, width VII:VIII:IX = 1.0:1.0:1.6. Pronotum very large, broad (PNL/PNW = 0.70–0.74), strongly convex, anterolateral lobes strongly produced, lateral margin broadly curved, not angulate; with fine, sparse punctures, each with a short, very fine seta, surface between punctures shiny, smooth. Elytra broad, lateral margins strongly rounded, apically rounded (SEL/ELW = 0.79–1.14); punctation and surface similar to pronotum; sutural stria present only apically. Flight wings strongly reduced. Mesosternum moderately broad, not declivitous; medial carina well developed. Metasternum narrow (MTL/MTW = 0.15– 0.18), slightly concave medially, strongly dorsally sloped anteriorly; oblique femoral carinae well developed, meeting medially in broad, broadly truncate flange.

Male tarsi 5­5­4; pro­ and mesobasotarsomeres distinctly laterally expanded, protarsomeres more strongly so and with large ventral field of spatulate setae; mandibles not modified; metafemur broad, with very large, flat, triangular tooth subapically on posterior margin (fig. 166); metasternal fovea moderate in size, transverse, with pencil of dense, fine, long setae. Median lobe in lateral aspect broad and robust, abruptly curved basally, apical portion short, slender, strongly hooked ventrally, apex sharply pointed (fig. 336); in ventral aspect robust, widened medially, apical portion broadly triangular (fig. 335); operculum flat, broad, lateral margins slightly divergent apically, apex broadly rounded (fig. 335); endophallic armature comprised of a main medial hyaline lobe that is apically truncate, a long hyaline lobe on each side, a strongly diverging, long hyaline lateral lobe on each side and a long dorsolateral hyaline lobe on each side; lateral lobes long, slender,

strongly curved, apices directed medially, apex slightly expanded, with 2 stout setae subapically (fig. 337).

Female not observed.

ETYMOLOGY: Named chauliodoum from the Greek word for ‘‘having prominent teeth’’ for the very large teeth on the posterior margin of the metafemora.

DISTRIBUTION: This species is known only from Baja Verapaz, Guatemala (fig. 376).

PARATYPES: GUATEMALA: Baja Verapaz: 14.5 km S Purulha , 26 May 1991, 1600 m, riparian bottomland oak forest litter, R Anderson (1, CNCI) ; 3 km SW Purulha , 20 Nov 1991, litter, cloud forest, R Baranowski (19, JRAC) ; 7 km E Purulha , 22 May 1991, 1600 m, cloud forest litter, RS Anderson (1, CNCI) ; 8 km S Purulha , 20 May 1991, 1600 m, pine­cloud forest litter, RS Anderson (1, CNCI) .

DISCUSSION: This species has been collect­ ed from cloud forest litter and riparian bottomland oak forest litter. Altitude records are from 1600 m.

Figures

Figs. 106–112. Agathidium oniscoides­group species, heads, left lateral aspect: 106, A. vaderi. 107, A. kimberlae. 108, A. oculeum. 109, A. stenomma. 110, A. microphthalmum. 111, A. nimbosilva. 112, A. chauliodoum. Bars = 0.5 mm.

Figs. 145–172. Agathidium oniscoides­group species, left male metafemur, ventral aspect: 145, A. oculeum. 146, A. recurvatum. 147, A. impensum. 148, A. cheneyi. 149, A. tenangoense. 150, A. rumsfeldi. 151, A. hirsutum. 152, A. cortezi. 153, A. tumidiventre. 154, A. aztec. 155, A. iridescens. 156, A. dentigerum. 157, A. stephani. 158, A. akrogeneios. 159, A. appalachium. 160, A. pocahontasae. 161, A. carolinense. 162, A. gallititillo. 163, A. divaricatum. 164, A. bushi. 165, A. georgiaense. 166, A. chauliodoum. 167, A. microphthalmum. 168, A. nimbosilva. 169, A. oniscoides. 170, A. rubellum. 171, A.

Figs. 329–356. Agathidium oniscoides­group species, aedeagus: 329–313, A. bushi: 329, ventral; 330, median lobe, lateral; 331, left lateral lobe, lateral. 332–334, A. georgiaense: 332, ventral; 333, median lobe, lateral; 334, left lateral lobe, lateral. 335–337, A. chauliodoum: 335, ventral; 336, median lobe, lateral; 337, left lateral lobe, lateral. 338–340, A. microphthalmum: 338, ventral; 339, median lobe, lateral; 340, left lateral lobe, lateral. 341–343, A. nimbosilva: 341, ventral; 342, median lobe, lateral; 343, left lateral lobe, lateral. 344–347, A. oniscoides: 344, ventral; 345, apex of median lobe, ventral, specimen from Macon City, NC; 346, median lobe, lateral; 347, left lateral lobe, lateral. 348–350, A. rubellum: 348, ventral; 349, median lobe, lateral; 350, left lateral lobe, lateral. 351–353, A. exiguum: 351, ventral; 352, median lobe, lateral; 353, left lateral lobe, lateral. 354–356, A. fawcettae: 354, ventral; 355, median lobe, lateral; 356, left lateral lobe, lateral.

Fig. 376. Geographic distribution of Agathidium oniscoides­group species: A. chauliodoum = -; A. microphthalmum = •; A. nimbosilva = *.