Pelecium zophos, Orsetti & Lopes-Andrade, 2024

Orsetti, Artur & Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano, 2024, A contribution to the taxonomy of the genus Pelecium Kirby (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Peleciini), European Journal of Taxonomy 922, pp. 1-61 : 26-29

Pelecium zophos sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A2F75B1D-47B4-4591-8EC3-5C4F720BF52F

Figs 6A–H , 25

Diagnosis

A medium-sized species (13 mm) distinguishable from its congeners by the combination of the following features. Head frontal fovea short and deep ( Fig. 6B ). Pronotum elongated; median line shallow; posterior impressions deep. Elytra elongate, ovate, each with eight deeply impressed striae ( Fig. 6A ). Adults of P. zophos sp. nov. and P. cyanipes are quite similar, but in the former the tarsomeres 5 are glabrous ventrally, while in the latter the tarsomeres 5 bear a row of few slender setae on ventral margin.

Etymology

The specific epithet is from the Greek “ zophos ”, which means “darkness”, in reference to the dark dorsal colour.

Type material

Holotype

BRAZIL • ♂; Rio de Janeiro, Teresópolis ; Dec. 1992; A.Bello leg.; “\\ Coleção A. M. BELLO \\ Pelecium zophos Orsetti & Lopes-Andrade HOLOTYPUS ” [printed on red paper]; CAMB.

Paratype

BRAZIL • 1 ♀; Rio de Janeiro, Itatiaia, P .N. Itatiaia ; Jan. 2014; R. Monteiro leg.; “\\ Coleção A. M. BELLO \\ Pelecium zophos Orsetti & Lopes-Andrade PARATYPUS” [printed on yellow paper]; CAMB.

Description

Male (holotype, fully pigmented adult)

MEASUREMENTS (in mm). AL1 1.0, AL2 0.5, EL 7.0, EW 5.3, PL 4.0, PW 3.7, HL 2.4, HW 3.1, TL 13.4, TL/EW 2.5, lp2L 0.8, lp3L 0.9, lp3 W 0.5, mp3L 0.4, mp4L 0.9, mp4 W 0.4.

BODY. Ovate, flat; disc of head, pronotum and elytra shiny black in dorsal view; with light metallic violaceus reflections alongside in dorsal view; glabrous ( Fig. 6A ).

HEAD. Microreticulate, with pair of punctiform frontal foveae, with shallow excavation reaching anterior plane of eyes ( Fig. 6B ). Antennae reddish brown, long, reaching anterior portion of elytra; antennomeres 1–3 with few long, sparse yellowish setae at apical portion; antennomeres 4–11 fully covered with both short and long yellowish setae. Apical labial and maxillary palpomeres with long, sparse yellowish setae; ovate, with apex obliquely truncated, reddish brown, with apicalmost portion lighter.

PRONOTUM. Longer than wide; sides arcuate, each with pair of long setae; posterior fourth forming sinuous line with posterolateral angles; median line long, shallow; posterior impressions deep, almost parallel with median line ( Fig. 6A ).

ELYTRA. Oval; each with eight deeply impressed striae; in between striae shiny, impunctate.

LEGS. Dark reddish brown; protarsomeres 1–4 expanded, ventrally with vestiture of adhesive setae; protibiae expanded at apex, with few long yellowish setae ventrally and surrounding antennal cleaner; mesotibiae slender, with few long yellowish setae laterally in full length; metatibiae slender, with few long yellowish setae ventrally on apical half.

ABDOMINAL TERGITE IX ( Fig. 6E ). Oval, elongate, asymmetrical; sides subparallel, converging in anterior portion and forming rounded projection; inner anterior angle rounded; posterior portion rounded.

AEDEAGUS ( Fig. 6C–D, F–G ). With median lobe ( Fig. 6C–D ) cylindrical, sinuous, asymmetrical, flattened dorsoventrally in medial area, slightly broadening apically; ostium very short, confined to apical fourth; apical lamella very short, indiscernible, apical edges sharp; parameres ( Fig. 6F–G ) asymmetrical; left paramere elongate, posterior angle rounded; right paramere with parallel sides converging to rounded apex.

Female

Similar to males but with mesh of long yellow setae on basal region of tergite V.

MEASUREMENTS (in mm). AL1 0.9, AL2 0.4, EL 6.1, EW 4.1, PL 3.0, PW 3.0, HL 2.0, HW 2.4, TL 11.1, TL/EW 2.7, lp2L 0.7, lp3L 0.7, lp3 W 0.2, mp3L 0.3, mp4L 0.8, mp4 W 0.2.

GONOCOXITE 1 ( Fig. 6H ). Outer and inner sides arcuate; inner side forming acute projection on posterior margin; anterior margin dull.

GONOCOXITE 2 ( Fig. 6H ). Elongate, basal lobe bearing ensiform setae on each side; ensiform setae moderately long, with one-third length of gonocoxite 2; slender setae at apex.

Remarks

We include P. zophos sp. nov. in the P. violaceum species group due to the head having a punctiform frontal impressions, a deep posterior impression of the pronotum and tarsomeres 5 having a row of setae on the ventrolateral margin.

New records and complementary descriptions

Below, we provide new distributional records and supplementary descriptions for some species studied by Straneo & Ball (1989), focused mainly on body measurements and the morphology of the abdominal terminalia of the following species: P. atroviolaceum , P. bolivianum , P. cyanipes , P. drakei , P. fulgidum , P. helenae , P. laeve , P. negrei , P. nicki , P. purpureum , P. striatum and P. violaceum . We had access only to female individuals of P. bolivianum and only to male individuals of P. purpureum .

Figures

Fig. 6. Habitus and dissected parts of some species of Pelecium Kirby, 1817. A–H. Pelecium zophos sp. nov., male holotype from Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (A–G) (CAMB) and female paratype from Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (H) (CAMB). A. Dorsal view. B. Detail of head. C–D. Median lobe. E. Tergite IX. F. Left paramere. G. Right paramere. H. Genitalia. – I–P. Pelecium atroviolaceum Straneo & Ball, 1989, male from Cotriguaçu, Mato Grosso, Brazil (I–O) (CEMT) and female from Cotriguaçu, Mato Grosso, Brazil (P) (CEMT). I. Dorsal view. J. Detail of head. K–L. Median lobe. M. Tergite IX. N. Left paramere. O. Right paramere. P. Genitalia. Scale bars: A–B, I–J = 1 mm; C–H, K–P = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 25. Map of Brazil highlighting the Southeast and South Region and part of the Central-West Region, showing the type localities of Pelecium balli sp. nov., P. belloi sp. nov., P. buckupi sp. nov., P. chrissquirei sp. nov., P. fistulosus sp. nov., P. grossii sp. nov., P. straneoi sp. nov., P. zaguryi sp. nov. and P. zophos sp. nov.