Deltometopus ereptus Bonvouloir, 1871

Otto, Robert L., 2024, Three additions to the false click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateroidea: Eucnemidae) fauna in the Nearctic region, Insecta Mundi 2024 (47), pp. 1-14 : 9-12

Deltometopus ereptus Bonvouloir, 1871 , status restored

Fig. 16–22

Diagnosis. Well-developed keels present along the lateral sides of the frontoclypeal region will distinguish D. ereptus from D. amoenicornis and D. baranowskii .

Type. Male holotype was supposed to be in the Bonvouloir collection at the Paris Museum (MNHN). An image request was made to the museum a few years ago but they could not fulfill the request due to the unavailability of the specimen within their museum.

Specimens examined. Thirty-six specimens were available for study (including data provided for one Texas specimen through personal communication by J. Muona via email): UNITED STATES of AMERICA: FLORIDA: Alachua County: “ Florida, Alachua Co. / Gainesville , San / Felasco Hammock / September 29, 1997 / Vince Golia / ‘beating’” // “ Deltometopus / amoenicornis / male / (Say)” // “ Deltometopus / nr. ‘ ereptus ’ / Bonvouloir / Det. R.L. Otto / 2014” (1, ABSC) ; “ Florida: Alachua Co. / San Felasco H.P.S.P. / 29.7172, −82.4594 / October 2–17, 2021 / Lindgren funnel trap / Kyle E. Schnepp ” (1, KESC) ; “ Florida: Alachua Co. / San Felasco H.P.S.P. / 29.7172, −82.4594 / March 26–April 3, 2022 / V-flight intercept trap / Kyle E. Schnepp ” (3, KESC) ; “ Florida: Alachua Co. / San Felasco H.P.S.P. / 29.7172, −82.4594 / April 3–10, 2022 / V-flight intercept trap / Kyle E. Schnepp ” (4, KESC) ; “ Florida: Alachua Co. / San Felasco H.P.S.P. / 29.7172, −82.4594 / April 10–18, 2022 / V-flight intercept trap / Kyle E. Schnepp ” (4, KESC) ; “ Florida: Alachua Co. / San Felasco H.P.S.P. / 29.7172, −82.4594 / April 21–30, 2022 / V-flight intercept trap / Kyle E. Schnepp ” (3, KESC) ; “ Florida: Alachua Co. / San Felasco H.P.S.P. / 29.7172, −82.4594 / April 30–May 8, 2022 / V-flight intercept trap / Kyle E. Schnepp ” (2, KESC) ; “ Florida: Alachua Co. / San Felasco H.P.S.P. / 29.7172, −82.4594 / May 8–15, 2022 / V-flight intercept trap / Kyle E. Schnepp ” (1, KESC) ; “ Florida: Alachua Co. / San Felasco H.P.S.P. / 29.7172, −82.4594 / May 15–22, 2022 / V-flight intercept trap / Kyle E. Schnepp ” (2, KESC) ; “ Florida: Alachua Co. / San Felasco H.P.S.P. / 29.7172, −82.4594 / May 29–June 5, 2022 / V-flight intercept trap / Kyle E. Schnepp ” (1, KESC) ; “ Florida: Alachua Co. / San Felasco H.P.S.P. / 29.7172, −82.4594 / June 5–July 3, 2022 / V-flight intercept trap / Kyle E. Schnepp ” (1, KESC) ; “ Florida: Alachua Co. / San Felasco H.P.S.P. / 29.7172, −82.4594 / July 3–17, 2022 / V-flight intercept trap / Kyle E. Schnepp ” (2, KESC) ; “ Florida: Alachua Co. / San Felasco H.P.S.P. / 29.7172, −82.4594 / August 14–28, 2022 / V-flight intercept trap / Kyle E. Schnepp ” (1, KESC) ; Highlands County: “FL: Highlands Co. / Archbold Biol. Sta. / 11 Sept. 1996 / M. Deyrup ” // “Recently burned / gallberry / flatwoods / behind lab” // “Collection of the Global / Eucnemid Research Project / (Robert L. Otto)” (green framed white label) (1, GERP) ; “FL: Highlands Co. / Archbold Biological Station / Lake Annie Bayhead J Dunlap / 5/11/2010 Flight Trap / N27.21016 W81.34684 ” // “ Deltometopus / nr. ‘ ereptus ’ / Det. R.L. Otto / 2014” (1, ABSC) ; Pasco County: “ St. Leo / Pasco Co. , FLA / May 4, 1985 / M. Deyrup ” // “in / rotten / wood” (handwritten) // “ Deltometopus / nr. ‘ ereptus ’ / Det. R.L. Otto / 2014” (1, ABSC) ; Sumter County: “FL: Sumter Co. / Green Swamp WMA / May 2001 / Morris and Nigg / Malaise Trap ” // “Collection of the Global / Eucnemid Research Project / (Robert L. Otto)” (green framed white label) (1, GERP) ; GEORGIA: Chatham County: “ GEORGIA: Chatham Co. / 1.8 km N of Garden City / 32.13055, −81.15275, 3m / 11–25 Sep 2019, LFT / E. Kennedy ” (2, CMNH) ; “ GEORGIA: Chatham Co. / 3.3 km ESE of Savannah / 32.07521, −81.06649, 3m / 19 Apr–3 May 2022, LFT / E. Kennedy ” (1, CMNH) ; OKLAHOMA: Choctaw County: “ OKLAHOMA: Choctaw Co. / 7.5 mi. S Antlers / Indian Nations Turnpike / 34.121°N, 95.579°W / 31-V-2007, S.M. Clark ” // Deltometopus / nr. ereptus / Bonvouloir / Det. R.L. Otto / 2016” (1, BYUC) ; TEXAS: Brazos County: “ Texas / College Station / April 21, 1932 ” // “ H.J. Reinhard / collector” // “ Deltometopus ereptus Bonv. / J. Knull det. 1957” (1, FMNH) ; VIRGINIA: Rockbridge County: “ VIRGINIA: Rockbridge Co. / 2.6 km NE of Buena Vista / 37.75223, -79.33457 / 14 Aug–16 Sep 2014, LFT / D. Heltzel ” (1, CMNH) .

Redescription. Length, 3.0– 4.5 mm. Width, 1.0– 1.2 mm. Body subcylindrical, elongate; uniformly black; antennae dark reddish brown to infuscate reddish black; legs including tarsi dark reddish brown; head, pronotum and elytra clothed with short, recumbent yellowish setae ( Fig. 16–17 ). Head: Subspherical; integument closely punctate, somewhat shiny; frons convex, with median, triangle-shaped, shallow fovea above frontoclypeal region; apical margin of frontoclypeal region evenly rounded, about 2.0 times wider than base; keels prominent along the lateral margins of the frontoclypeal region from the antennal insertions down to the apical margin; mandibles stout, bidentate, densely punctate. Antenna ( Fig. 18–19 ): Sexually dimorphic. ♂♂: Pectinate from antennomeres IV–VIII, attaining nearly 1/3 the length of the body; flagellomere I longer than wide, nearly as long as the combined lengths of II and III; flagellomeres II and III strongly serrate; flagellomeres IV–VIII longer than wide; ramus arising on middle of flagellomere IV; rami arising near apical end of flagellomeres V–VIII; flagellomere IX simple, elongate. ♀♀: Simply serrate, attaining nearly 1/3 of the length of the body; flagellomere I longer than wide; flagellomeres II–VIII each quadrate, simply serrate; flagellomere IX elongate, slightly longer than VIII. Pronotum: Integument shiny, densely punctate; longer than wide, with moderate, sharp, divergent hind angles; lateral sides bell-shaped, basally narrow, sides sinuous and narrowing craniad; disc convex often with short, shallow median groove in females, without in males; base sinuous. Scutellar shield: Quadrate, sub-triangular, setose, punctate and distally rounded. Elytra: Distinctly striate; striae punctate; interstices elevated; humeri somewhat depressed basally; integument shiny, closely punctate to transversely rugose throughout. Legs: First tarsomere slightly shorter than the combined lengths of the remaining four on mesothoracic and metathoracic tarsi; tibiae rounded in cross section; metathoracic tarsomeres I–III simple; metathoracic tarsomere IV excavate-emarginate; metathoracic tarsomere V elongate; pretarsal claws simple. Venter ( Fig. 20–21 ): Closely punctate, with short, recumbent yellowish setae; hypomeron with basally wide, basally opened lateral antennal grooves; antennal grooves shallowly and closely punctate; metathoracic episterna apically wide; elytral epipleura punctate; metathoracic coxal plates medially about 2.0–2.5 times wider than laterally; last abdominal ventrite apically rounded. Aedeagus ( Fig. 22 ): Basal piece longer than wide, laterally parallel-sided, dorsally open, apically rounded; remaining parts elongate, laterally parallel-sided; parameres short, sinuous, apically rounded, without hook-like lateral teeth; secondary lateral lobes basally attached to parameres, elongate, apically pointed; median lobe elongate and broad, apically pointed, deeply and narrowly bifid, longer than parameres and secondary lateral lobes. Ratios between lengths of lateral/secondary lateral lobes to median lobe are 1.0: 1.2 in D. amoenicornis and 1.0: 1.5 in D. ereptus .

Distribution. This rarely encountered eucnemid species is known from a number of locales in the southern United States particularly in Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. Type locality of D. ereptus is Louisiana ( Bonvouloir 1871).

Biology. Five specimens were taken from Lindgren funnel traps placed in Florida, Georgia and Virginia. Twentyfour specimens were taken from a V-flight intercept trap placed in a state park in Alachua County, Florida. One specimen was taken from a Malaise trap placed in a wildlife management area in Sumter County, Florida. One specimen was taken from a recently burned gallberry flatwood near the backside of the lab at the Archbold Biological Station in Highlands County, Florida. One specimen was beaten from foliage in Florida. One specimen was taken from a flight trap in Florida. One specimen was taken from rotten wood in southern Florida. Immature stages remain unknown.

Figures

Figures 16–22. Deltometopus ereptus Bonvouloir. 16) Male, dorsal habitus. 17) Female, dorsal habitus. 18) Male, antenna. 19) Female, antenna. 20) Male, ventral habitus. 21) Female, ventral habitus. 22) Male, aedeagus. (Scale: 16–21 = 0.5 mm; 22 = no scale)