Operclipygus florifaunensis, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Operclipygus Marseul (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 271, pp. 1-401 : 324-326

Operclipygus florifaunensis sp. n. Figs 88 A–B89A–EMap 31

Type locality.

BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz: 5 km SSE Buena Vista, Flora y Fauna Hotel [17°29.925'S, 63°39.128'W]

Type material.

Holotype male: "BOLIVIA: Dpto. Santa Cruz. 5km SSE Buena Vista, Flora y Fauna Hotel 17°29.925'S, 63°39.128'W. 440m F.I.T. 15-24 Dec 2003. S. & J. Peck" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00587" (CMNC). Paratypes (17): BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz: 2: 3.7km SSE Buena Vista, Flora y Fauna Hotel, 17°29.9'S, 63°33.2'W, 400-440m, 2-9.xi.2002, FIT, R. Leschen (AKTC, LSAM), 2: 7-12.v.2004, FIT, A.R. Cline (AKTC, LSAM); 9: 5km SSE Buena Vista, Flora y Fauna Hotel, 17°29.925'S, 63°39.128'W, 440m, 15-24.xii.2003, FIT, S. & J. Peck (CMNC, AKTC, MSCC, FMNH); 1: 4-5km SSE Buena Vista, Hotel Flora y Fauna, 17°29'S, 63°33'W, 29.iv-6.v.2004, FIT, A.R. Cline (AKTC); 1: Potrerillos de Guenda, 17°40'49"S, 63°27'36"W, 47.iv.1998, H. & A. Howden (CMNC). BRAZIL: Mato Grosso: 1: Cuiabá, Fazenda Mutuca, 15.3145°S, 55.9703°W, 6-9.xii.2011, FIT, gallery forest, M.S. Caterino & A.K. Tishechkin, DNA Extract MSC-2252 (SBMNH), 1: 24.i.2009, FIT, F.H. Gava & J.R. Rocha (CEMT).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.84-2.18 mm, width: 1.53-1.81 mm; body rufo-piceous, elongate oval, widest near humeri, generally impunctate except in well-defined areas; head with frons broad, weakly depressed at middle, lateral arms of frontal striae diverging strongly anterad, central portion of frontal stria complete, out wardly arcuate, faintly sinuate at middle; supraorbital stria variably present, usually just at middle, detached from frontal stria; labrum small, about two-thirds as wide as long, rounded apically; pronotum lacking prescutellar impression, disk smooth with ground punctation fine and inconspicuous, with small number (<10) coarser punctures near sides; lateral marginal pronotal stria complete at sides and on to anterior margin but interrupted for width of head; lateral submarginal pronotal stria complete at sides, rather distant from margin, curving inward at front, ending freely behind eye, almost meeting anterior submarginal stria which has its ends curved posterad for a very short distance; median pronotal gland openings beyond ends of recurved stria, about 6 puncture widths from anterior margin; elytron with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria complete, inner subhumeral stria absent, striae 1-3 complete, striae 4-5 subequal, present in apical half, sutural stria present in apical two-thirds; prosternum with keel produced posteriorly, with carinal striae running to one-fifth from presternal suture, united in a narrow anterior arch, barely interrupted at base; prosternal lobe rather narrow, marginal stria complete; mesoventrite emarginate, marginal stria interrupted at middle; mesometaventral stria arched forward to near mesoventral margin, sinuate near mesocoxa, continued by lateral metaventral stria posterolaterad toward outer corner of metacoxa, slightly abbreviated at apex; postmesocoxal stria recurved to mesepimeron; 1st abdominal ventrite generally with two complete lateral striae, outer occasionally fragmented; propygidium with conspicuous, fine ground punctation and uniformly covered with large, deep punctures separated by about one-third their widths; pygidium with very dense ground punctation and slightly larger punctures separated irregularly by 1 –2× their diameters; marginal pygidial stria deeply and coarsely impressed, complete. Male genitalia (Figs 89 A–E): accessory sclerites absent; basal membrane attachment line of T8 tangential to basal emargination; S8 with lateral flanges abruptly developed at apex, with strong inner apical corners; S9 narrow, with deep apical emargination, small apical flanges, and with desclerotized basal and distal ends; T10 undivided; tegmen lacking medioventral process; median lobe wide and very short, with basal apodemes curved and tapering.

Remarks.

Although rather unremarkable externally, this species has highly autapomorphic male genitalia (Fig. 89), lacking accessory sclerites, with an undivided T10, and lacking any medioventral process on the tegmen. The deep propygidial punctures (Fig. 88B) and large punctures on the 3rd and 4th abdominal ventrites are reminiscent of Operclipygus lama , and preliminary analyses do suggest a sister group relationship between the two species. However, they are easily separated by the more elongate body form of Operclipygus florifaunensis (Fig. 88Avs. 85F) along with its more deeply impressed pygidial stria (Fig. 88B).

Etymology.

This species’ name recognizes the Flora y Fauna Hotel, a popular and productive ecotourism site in the Andean foothills of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and the type locality of this species.