Dyscolus placitus Moret, 2020

Moret, Pierre & Murienne, Jérôme, 2020, Integrative taxonomy of the genus Dyscolus (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Platynini) in Ecuadorian Andes, European Journal of Taxonomy 646, pp. 1-55 : 36-37

Dyscolus placitus Moret sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:02B83689-1D33-4C9B-85D2-8D6316CBD0FE

Figs 38, 41 (above)

Dyscolus hirsutus Moret, 2005: 151 , pro parte.

Etymology

Latin adjective meaning ‘nice, pleasant’.

Type material

Holotype

ECUADOR • ♂; Napo Province, Guamaní, Paso de la Virgen, Waypoint 283 ; 0°21′0.6″ S, 78°11′52.4″ W; 3890 m a.s.l.; 11 Mar. 2017; P. Moret and M. Gobbi leg.; MNHN.

Paratypes (2 ♂♂, 1 ♀)

ECUADOR • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; CPM • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; QCAZ 256725 • 1 ♂ (red label: “ Dyscolus (Hydrodyscolus) hirsutus Moret , Paratype”); Napo Province, Paso de Papallacta (Guamaní), 3810 m a.s.l.; 13 May 1982; H. Frania and F. Sperling leg.; under stones and logs near stream; UASM .

Diagnostic description

Habitus: Fig. 38 . Wingless. Body length: 8.8–9.6 mm. Dorsal surface of the body entirely dark brown; ventral surface mostly dark brown, with reddish areas on the sides of the abdominal sclerites and on most parts of the coxae and trochanters; legs, antennae and mouthparts reddish brown. Elytral microsculpture made of slightly oblong sculpticells. Head convex, collar constriction strong, eyes moderately bulging, genae flat in dorsal view, mandibles moderately long and acute; submentum with two or three pairs of setae, mentum with one pair of setae. Pronotum cordiform, hind angles right angled, blunt; two pairs of lateral setae. Elytra elongate-oval, narrow, without subapical sinuation, rounded at apex; humeri almost entirely effaced. Striae well impressed, intervals feebly convex. Third interval with 3–6 setae, fifth interval with 0–3 setae, seventh interval with 0 or 1 seta; 17 to 20 umbilicate setae along the lateral margin. Last visible abdominal ventrite with one pair (♂) or two pairs (♀) of setae along its apical margin. Legs slender; fourth metatarsomere without subapical dorsolateral setae, apical lobes parallel, the outer lobe 1.5 times longer than the inner lobe. Male genitalia: Fig. 41 . Apex of the median lobe bent downwards; endophallus without sclerotized structure. Female genitalia: unstudied.

Comparisons

Dyscolus hirsutus , now geographically restricted to the El Altar volcano, differs from D. placitus Moret sp. nov. by the following characters: upper surface bicolorous with the head and the elytra dark brown, the pronotum reddish; ventral surface (including the epipleura) entirely reddish, except for the head which is dark brown; mandibles with a long and very acute tip; eyes more bulging; hind angles of the pronotum broadly rounded; humeri more effaced; seventh interval with 1 or 2 setae; apex of the median lobe broader, apically rounded (slightly hooked in D. placitus Moret sp. nov.). The differences with D. arauzae Moret sp. nov. and D. piscator Moret sp. nov. are set forth in the diagnoses of these species.

Habitat

Hygrophilous in the upper montane forest, at around 3800–3900 m a.s.l. The specimens collected in 2017 were found in the understory of a Polylepis forest, beneath soaked mosses on the ground.

Geographic distribution

Microendemic species, restricted to the Guamaní area in the Eastern Cordillera.

Figures

Figs 36–41. Dyscolus spp., habitus (36–38) and aedeagus, median lobe in lateral view (39–40) and apex of the median lobe (41). 36. Dyscolus arauzae Moret sp. nov., male holotype (QCAZ). 37. D. piscator Moret sp. nov., male holotype (QACZ). 38. D. placitus Moret sp. nov., male holotype (MNHN). 39. D. arauzae Moret sp. nov. 40. D. piscator Moret sp. nov. 41. D. placitus Moret sp. nov. (above) and D. piscator Moret sp. nov. (below).