Nesocyrtosoma basilense Hopp and Ivie

Hopp, Katie J. & Ivie, Michael A., 2009, A Revision Of The West Indian Genus Nesocyrtosoma Marcuzzi (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 8) 63, pp. 1-138 : 41-42

Nesocyrtosoma basilense Hopp and Ivie , New Species

( Figs. 50 , 140–143 , 262 , 281 )

Type Material. HOLOTYPE: Male. Mt. Basil; N. Haiti; 4,700 ft; Sept. 9/ 1934; Darlington. ( MCZC) . PARATYPE (1 specimen, male): 1 MCZC specimen with same label data as holotype .

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished by its broad, ovate body form ( Fig. 140 ), anterior angles of pronotum more broadly rounded ( Fig. 142 ), intercoxal process of first ventrite broadly triangular at base ( Fig. 143 ), and broad mesoventrite.

Description (male). 8.5–10.0 mm long, 5.5–6.0 mm wide. Body elongate, moderately convex, broad, weakly tapered apex ( Figs. 140, 141 ). Shining dark ferrugineous; antennae, mouthparts, and tarsi ferrugineous. Head densely punctate dorsally, punctures smaller than a single eye facet, lightly impressed; extremely short golden seta emerging from each puncture. Antenna weakly clavate, nearly filiform; antennomeres 5–10 weakly widened forming a loose, elongate club; apical antennomere longitudinally ovate; antennomeres 5–11 with stellate sensoria. Mentum with acute median keel raised anteriorly to a point ( Figs. 10, 12 ). Ventral portion of eye reaching subgenal sulcus ( Fig. 9 ); postgena without distinct punctures. Dorsal surface of pronotum densely punctate; punctures separated by 0.5–1.0 diameters. Pronotal marginal bead complete laterally, anterior margin with marginal bead effaced medially, posterior margin without marginal bead; anterior angles of pronotum acute, moderately produced and apically narrowly rounded; lateral edge of pronotum weakly sinuate at base; pronotum evenly convex ( Fig. 142 ). Hypomeron without distinct punctures. Prosternal process apically rounded; indistinct marginal grooves opposite coxae not joined apically ( Fig. 143 ). Black, except under a microscope with light elytra appearing darkly ferrugineous with rows of black squares following elytral striae; elytral striae not impressed, present as small discontinuous punctures; elytral interstriae flat, densely punctate; scutellary striae 6–10 punctures long, nearly meeting the elytral suture; scutellum triangular, normal ( Figs. 140, 142 ). Mesoventrite broad antero-posteriorly, shallowly excavate, widely V-shaped, receiving prosternal process; metaventrite subequal in antero-postero length of mesocoxa ( Fig. 143 ). Metathoracic wing fully developed. Legs long, slender, punctate, apical portion of femur reaching beyond elytron; tibiae ventrally apically weakly curved; small, reduced ventral apical tooth on meso- and metatibia ( Fig. 50 ). Abdominal depressions on 4th and 5th ventrites reduced to indistinct slits ( Fig. 74 ); intercoxal process of first ventrite broadly apically triangular; ventral surface densely punctate; punctures weakly impressed ( Fig. 143 ).

Female. No females were available for study.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. This species is endemic to Hispaniola and is only known from the type locality of Mt. Basil in Artibonite Deptartment of Haiti ( Figs. 261 , 262 ).

Etymology. This species is named for Mount Basil, the mountain from which it is known.

Figures

Figs. 50–61. Male metatibia of the Purple species-group species. 50) Nesocyrtosoma basilense; 51) N. dolosum; 52) N. purpureum; 53) N. crenulatum; 54) N. otus; 55) N. darlingtoni; 56) N. mutabile; 57) N. larseni; 58) N. parallelum; 59) N. cristalense; 60) N. cuprosum; 61) N. elongatum.

Figs. 136–143. 136–139: Nesocyrtosoma altagracia. 136) Habitus, dorsal; 137) Habitus, lateral; 138) Pronotum; 139) Thoracic sterna. 140–143: Nesocyrtosoma basilense. 140) Habitus, dorsal; 141) Habitus, lateral; 142) Pronotum; 143) Thoracic sterna.

Figs. 262–264. Nesocyrtosoma species distribution maps. 262) Distributions of N. bestiola, N. ferruginea, N. merkli, N. altagracia, N. basilense, N. dolosum, N. darlingtoni, N. cristalense, and N. dentatum; 263) Distributions of N. virens, N. purpureum, N. crenulatum, N. otus, and N. elongatum; 264) Distributions of N. tumefactum, N. turquinense, N. scabrosum, N. simplex, N. parallelum, N. fernandoi, N. serratum, N. teresitae, and N. productum.

Figs. 281–292. Illustrations of male genitalia in dorsal and lateral view of the Purple species-group species. 281) Nesocyrtosoma basilense; 282) N. dolosum; 283) N. purpureum; 284) N. crenulatum; 285) N. otus; 286) N. darlingtoni; 287) N. mutabile; 288) N. larseni; 289) N. parallelum; 290) N. cristalense; 291) N. cuprosum; 292) N. elongatum.

Figs. 10–18. 10–13: Ventral portion of head. 10) Nesocyrtosoma guerreroi ocular depression; 11) Nesocyrtosoma bankense ocular depression; 12) Nesocyrtosoma virens distinct postgenal punctures; 13) Nesocyrtosoma otus median keel of mentum broad. 14–18: Antenna. 14) Nesocyrtosoma crenulatum with antennomeres 10 and 11 with stellate sensoria; 15) Nesocyrtosoma guerreroi with antenna clavate, apical six antennomeres enlarged to form club; 16) Nesocyrtosoma crenulatum with antenna moderately clavate, apical six antennomeres enlarged to form club; 17) Nesocyrtosoma inflatum with antenna weakly clavate, nearly filiform, apical six antennomeres enlarged to form club; 18) Strongylium atrum with filiform antenna.

Figs. 5–9. 5–7: Mandible of Nesocyrtosoma hispaniolae. 5) View from back; 6) View from side; 7) View from front. 8–9: Ventral portion of eye. 8) Nesocyrtosoma lacrima with ventral portion of eye not reaching the subgenal sulcus; 9) Nesocyrtosoma darlingtoni with ventral portion of eye reaching the subgenal sulcus.

Figs. 74–76. Abdominal characters. 74) Nesocyrtosoma inflatum with abdominal depressions on 4th and 5th ventrites reduced to indistinct slits (AbS 5 abdominal slits); 75) Nesocyrtosoma otus with abdominal depressions on 4th and 5th ventrites present as impressed pits (AbP 5 abdominal pits); 76) Nesocyrtosoma skelleyi with first visible abdominal ventrite with a nipple at the apex.

Fig. 261. Map of the departments of Haiti.