Blapstinus opacus Mulsant and Rey, 1859

Ivie, Michael A. & Hart, Charles J., 2016, Redefinition ofDiastolinusMulsant and Rey, with a Review of West Indian Blapstinoid Genera (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Opatrini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 70 (3), pp. 447-481 : 447-481

Blapstinus opacus Mulsant and Rey, 1859

Blapstinus opacus Mulsant and Rey 1859: 122, 1860: 186 (type locality: “Guadeloupe”); Fleutiaux and Sallé 1889: 422 (“Guadeloupe”); Leng and Mutchler 1914: 461 (Guadeloupe); Gebien 1938: 405 [442] (“Guadeloupe”); Blackwelder 1945: 525 (Guadeloupe); Marcuzzi 1962: 36 (St. John, Anguilla, Tintamarre (STM), Île de la Fourche (STB), St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, “Guadeloupe”, Islote Aves [central Caribbean]), 1982: 257 (male genitalia, no locality given, but matches specimens from Petite Terre (GT)), 1987: 100 (female genitalia, “Guadeloupe”), 1998b: 156; Marcuzzi and D’ Aguilar 1971: 81 (St. John, Anguilla, Tintamarre (STM), Île de la Fourche (STB), St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, “Guadeloupe”, Islote Aves [central Caribbean]); Chalumeau 1982: 192 (La Désirade (GT), Petite-Terre (GT), Marie- Galante). Valentine and Ivie 2005: 279 (Guana (TOR)); Ivie et al. 2008: 253 (Montserrat); Peck 2011a: 33 (St. John, Guana (TOR), St. Croix, Anguilla, St. Martin, Tintamarre (STM), Fourmarre (STM), Saint Barthélemy, Île de la Fourche (STB), Barbuda, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, “Guadeloupe”, La Désirade (GT), Marie-Gallant, Montserrat, Islote Aves), 2016: 159 (St. John, Guana (TOR), St. Croix, Anguilla, St. Martin, Tintamarre (STM), Fourmarre (STM), Saint Barthélemy, Île de la Fourche (STB), Barbuda, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, “Guadeloupe”, La Désirade (GT), Marie-Gallant, Montserrat, Islote Aves); Peck et al. 2014: 84 (St. John, Guana (TOR), St. Croix, Anguilla, St. Martin, Tintamarre (STM), Fourmarre (STM), Saint Barthélemy, Île de la Fourche (STB), Barbuda, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, “Guadeloupe”, La Désirade (GT), Marie-Gallant, Montserrat, Islote Aves); Soldati and Touroult 2014: 98 (St. John, Guana (TOR), St. Croix, Anguilla, St. Martin, Tintamarre (STM), Fourmarre (STM), Saint Barthélemy, Île de la Fourche (STB), Barbuda, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, “Guadeloupe”, La Désirade (GT), Marie-Gallant, Montserrat, Islote Aves).

Clapstinus opacus ; Marcuzzi 1957: 129 ( Saint Barthélemy, Antigua, St. Eustatius, “Guadeloupe”, Dominica).

Blapstinus opacus opacus ; Marcuzzi 1977: 29 (St. John, St. Croix, Anguilla, Tintamarre (STM), Île de la Fourche (STB), Barbuda, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, “Guadeloupe”, Islote Aves [central Caribbean]), 1984: 81 (St. John, Anguilla, Tintamarre (STM), Saint Barthélemy, Île de la Fourche (STB), St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, “Guadeloupe”, La Désirade (GT), Marie Galante, Islote Aves [central Caribbean]).

Blapstinus opacus martinensis Marcuzzi 1977: 29 (type locality: St. Martin), 1984: 81 ( St. Martin). New synonymy.

Diastolinus bardubensis [sic] guadeloupensis Marcuzzi 2001: 250 (type locality Basse-Terre). Synonymy by Soldati and Touroult 2014: 98.

Diastolinus bardubensis [sic] martiniquensis Marcuzzi 2001: 250 (type locality: Martinique). New synonymy .

Diastolinus barbudensis [sic] martiniquensis; Soldati and Touroult 2014: 98.

Distribution. Puerto Rico * (WIBF), St. Thomas* (FMNH, WIBF), St. John, Guana (TOR), Prickly Pear Is.* (VG, NMNH, WIBF), Anegada * (WIBF), St. Croix, Buck Is.* (STX, WIBF), Anguilla, Sandy Island* (ANG, NMNH), St. Martin, Tintamarre (STM), Fourmarre (STM), Saint Barthélemy, Île de la Fourche (STB), Barbuda, Antigua, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Montserrat, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, La Désirade (GT), Petite-Terre (GT), Terre-de-Haut* (HNHM), Marie-Galante, Dominica, Martinique?, Islote Aves [central Caribbean].

Remarks. This species is probably a composite that may, upon further study, prove to be several species. It occurs over a large range of islands and banks from Puerto Rico to Dominica and is extremely variable morphologically. It has even been reported from Aves in the central Caribbean ( Marcuzzi 1977).

It is also the most exceptional member of the West Indian Blapstinus and converges strongly with Xerolinus . The metathoracic wings are totally lost, the seventh and eighth striae are of the Xerolinus type, and the metaventrite is reduced. However, the elytra are not truly fused and are often somewhat spread in preserved specimens. The condition of ventrite I behind the metacoxae is not modified with either a distinct groove, characteristic of Xerolinus , nor marked with large pits as in other West Indian genera. The genitalia are the elongate narrow type normally seen in Blapstinus . In fact, it seems possible it is a branch of Blapstinus puertoricensis (Marcuzzi) that has lost its flight wings, although the genitalia of the two are distinct. Further study of this widespread “species” is required.

Blapstinus opacus may key out above to Xerolinus if the elytra are closed, the male genitalia are not available, and the specimen is cardmounted. It can be reliably distinguished from that genus because of the narrow, subacute intercoxal process of the first ventrite. It lacks the characteristic groove behind the metacoxa, and it also lacks the large punctures on the ventrites characteristic of other genera.

Marcuzzi’ s D. bardubensis [sic] martiniquensis is provisionally placed here. Soldati and Touroult (2014) synonymized the other subspecies, D. bardubensis guadeloupensis with B. opacus , based on the latter being common there, a conclusion we heartily agree with. The description of D. bardubensis [sic] martiniquensis differs from that “subspecies” in no important ways and makes it clear that it has nothing to do with Nevisia bardudensis , and in fact, is not a Diastolinus in either the previous nor current definition. The triangular intercoxal process of the first ventrite excludes it from any other blapstinoid genus, and the expanded protarsus of the male holds it in the blapstinoids. The description best fits the B. opacus complex. The only problem with this placement is that this is the first and only record for B. opacus from Martinique. Until the types are found or comparative material from Martinique is examined, the synonymy remains provisional.