Pseudomicrocara inflexipenis, Libonatti, María Laura & Ruta, Rafał, 2013

Libonatti, María Laura & Ruta, Rafał, 2013, Review of the Argentinean species of Pseudomicrocara Armstrong (Coleoptera: Scirtidae), Zootaxa 3718 (2), pp. 137-157 : 179-180

Pseudomicrocara inflexipenis sp. nov.

( Figs. 4 , 16–18 , 30 , 40–42 , 49 , 78–83 )

Type material. Holotype, male (MLP): Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, Río Manso medio, 41° 21’ 16” S 71° 42’ 27.3” W, 764 m, 11–30.xii.2006, Malaise, leg. Analía Garré & Fernanda Montes de Oca.

Paratypes. 1 ex. (NHM, male): same data as holotype. 3 exx. (NHM, males): Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, Lago Hess, 20.xi–23.xii.2008, Malaise, leg. Analía Garré & Fernanda Montes de Oca. 1 ex. (MLP, female): Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, Mallín La Cortadera, 41° 05’ 13” S 71° 48’ 26” W, 769 m, 8.i–3.ii.2007, Malaise, leg. Analía Garré & Fernanda Montes de Oca.

Description. Habitus. Elongate-oval, elytral lateral margins rounded, maximum width just behind middle, TL/ EW: 1.73, EL/PL: 4.68.

Head 1.67 times as wide as interocular space; brownish testaceous; a pair of rounded foveae between eyes; clypeus 2.6 times as wide as long, 1.18 times as wide as labrum, clypeal margin straight. Punctation fine, punctures separated by 2.0 diameters. Head covered with yellowish setae. Labrum 1.83 times as wide as long, margins rounded, testaceous. Antennae filiform, segments 1–3 testaceous, segments 4–11 brown with apices testaceous, approximate ratio of antennal segments: 1.50: 1.00: 1.25: 2.50: 2.25: 2.50: 2.50: 2.50: 2.50: 2.75: 3.00, L/W ratio of antennal segments: 1.2, 1.6, 1.7, 3.3, 3, 3.3, 3.3, 3.3, 3.3, 3.7, 4.0. Segment 1 barrel-shaped, external margin straight, internal margin curved; segment 2 barrel-shaped; segment 3 subconical; segments 4–11 subcylindrical, slightly widened to the apex; segment 4 2.0 times as long as segment 3. Mandibles asymmetrical, right mandible with one tooth, left mandible without teeth, incisivus developed, molar region with spines, brownish testaceous basally, testaceous apically. Maxillary palpi elongate, testaceous.

Thorax. Pronotum 2.0 times as wide as long, trapezoidal, anterolateral angles rounded, widest at the base, testaceous. Punctation coarser than that on head, punctures separated by 1–2 diameters. Pronotum completely covered with yellowish setae. Hypomeron testaceous, outer branch of carina reaching front edge of procoxal cavity. Scutellum almost equilaterally triangular, apex pointed, testaceous, punctation similar to that on pronotum. Prosternum brownish testaceous, propleura, mesoventrite, mesopleura, metaventrite and metapleura testaceous with brown edges. Legs testaceous. Prosternal process laminar, thin, widened at the tip. Mesoventrite with a groove-shaped excavation. Mesoventral process elongate, thin, separating middle coxae, apex simple, rounded. Elytra testaceous with a brown stripe along suture, turning externally just before apex and continuing along external margin, narrowing until ending at mid length. Elytra completely covered with yellowish setae, punctation coarser than that on head, pronotum and scutellum, punctures separated by 0.5–1.0 diameter.

Abdomen. Brownish testaceous with lateral areas brown. Ventrites completely covered with short yellowish setae.

Male terminalia. Tergite 8 with a pair of subparallel sclerotized apodemes, without sclerotized cross-piece, posterior margin rounded, with setae. Tergite 9 with a pair of sclerotized apodemes slightly converging posteriorly, with a lightly sclerotized cross-piece, posterior margin bilobed, with setae. Sternite 8 V-shaped, relatively thin, anterior margin pointed, posterior apices with setae. Sternite 9 strongly bilobed, with a pair of sclerotized apodemes widening posteriorly, posterior margin with setae.

Male genitalia. Tegmen with basal margin emarginate, parameres broad at base, slightly narrowing to the apex, styli absent. Penis with basal piece relatively long, lateral margins almost straight, converging posteriorly, basal margin almost straight, trigonium triangular from base to middle, then continuing in an elongate projection with apex pointed, bent ventrally in an angle of 90–100°, parameroids very elongate, apex pointed.

Female genitalia. Prehensor very slightly sclerotized, only distinguished by an area composed of many rows of spinulae. Bursella with pores producing into cylindrical structures bearing several thin apical projections, resembling asterisks.

Sexual dimorphism. Female with patch of setae on ventrite 6, and a projection on ventrite 5.

Measurements. Males (n = 5): TL 3.44–4.01 (3.86), PL 0.66–0.85 (0.76), PW 1.31–1.58 (1.48), EL 2.82–3.55 (3.31), EW 1.85–2.32 (2.14). Female (n = 1): TL: 4.40, PL 0.89, PW 1.66, EL 3.82, EW 2.47

Etymology. This species is named inflexipenis from the Latin word inflexus, meaning bent, + penis, in reference to the bent or curved apex of the trigonium of the penis of males.

Distribution. This species has been collected in Río Negro Province. Locality data are as follows: Nahuel Huapi National Park, Medium Manso River; Nahuel Huapi National Park, Mallín La Cortadera; Nahuel Huapi National Park, Hess Lake.

Remarks. Pseudomicrocara inflexipenis could be confused with P. antarctica because they share similar coloration. However, we have found several differences: 1) head and pronotum relatively wider in P. antarctica ; 2) mandibles in P. antarctica slightly asymmetrical, one-toothed; mandibles in P. inflexipenis completely asymmetrical, right mandible having one tooth and left mandible lacking teeth; 3) female of P. antarctica lacking projection on posterior margin of ventrite 5; 4) completely different morphology of male genitalia.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Habitus illustrations of Argentinean species of Pseudomicrocara, dorsal view. 1) P. angusta sp. nov.; 2) P. antarctica; 3) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov.; 4) P. inflexipenis sp. nov.; 5) P. livida.; 6 – 7) P. obliquata; 8) P. patagonica. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 16 – 26. Mandibles and labium of Pseudomicrocara. 16 – 18) P. inflexipenis sp. nov.; 19 – 20) P. livida; 21 – 23) P. obliquata; 24 – 26) P. patagonica.

FIGURES 27 – 33. Pronota of Pseudomicrocara. 27) P. angusta sp. nov.; 28) P. antarctica; 29) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov.; 30) P. inflexipenis sp. nov.; 31) P. livida; 32) P. obliquata; 33) P. patagonica.

FIGURES 34 – 42. Sexual dimorphism in abdominal segments of Pseudomicrocara. 34) P. angusta sp. nov., female, abdomen; 35) P. angusta sp. nov., female, detail of patch of setae on ventrite 4; 36) P. antarctica, female, abdomen; 37) P. antarctica, female, detail of patch of setae on ventrite 4; 38) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov., female, abdomen; 39) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov., detail of patch of setae on ventrite 4; 40) P. inflexipenis sp. nov., female, abdomen; 41) P. inflexipenis sp. nov., detail of patch of setae on ventrite 4; 42) P. inflexipenis sp. nov., detail of posterior margin of ventrite 5.

FIGURES 43 – 51. Female genital morphology of Pseudomicrocara. 43 – 46) P. antarctica: 43) sternite 8, 44) tergite 8, 45) ovipositor + genital tract (ovaries excluded) (scale bar = 0.5 mm), 46) prehensor; 47) P. angusta sp. nov., prehensor; 48) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov., prehensor; 49) P. inflexipenis sp. nov., prehensor; 50) P. livida, prehensor; 51) P. patagonica, prehensor. Abbreviations: bsa: bursa, bsl: bursella, bslp: bursella pores, ovc: common oviduct, prh: prehensor.

FIGURES 78 – 83. Male terminalia and genitalia of P. inflexipenis sp. nov. 78) Sternite 8; 79) sternite 9; 80) tergite 8; 81) tergite 9; 82) tegmen; 83) penis. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.