Ulocyphaleus Leschen, Escalona and Elgueta

Leschen, Richard A. B., Escalona, Hermes E. & Elgueta, Mario, 2016, Phylogeny of the Gondwanan beetle family Ulodidae (Tenebrionoidea), Zootaxa 4138 (3), pp. 441-473 : 452-453

Ulocyphaleus Leschen, Escalona and Elgueta , gen. n.

( Figs 1E–G , 5A , 6J , 8K–M )

Type species: Cyphaleus valdivianus Philippi & Philippi, 1864 , here designated.

Diagnosis. The Chilean genus Ulocyphaleus can be separated from all ulodids by its glabrous body, apart from the New Zealand genus Arthopus , which is smaller and lacks acute anterior pronotal angles.

Description. Body about 2.3 times as long as wide, dorsoventrally flattened with sides parallel. Surfaces smooth and glabrous (pronotum rugose) with scant vestiture, and lacking encrustations; unicolorus dark brown to dark olive green and metallic. Head prognathous. Antenna 11 segmented with loose 3-segmented club, extending beyond posterior edge of pronotum, length of antennomere 3 less than antennomeres 1 and 2 combined, sensory areas not demarked by carinae. Eye entire, interfacetal setae absent. Temples absent. Frons impressed and lacking anterolateral horns in male, frontoclypeal suture present. Incisor edge of right mandible simple. Last maxillary palpomere triangulate and expanded with width 1.2– 2x of preceding palpomeres; uncus present on lacinea. Prementum unsclerotized. Postmental groove absent; gular sutures long and extending to submentum, posterior tentorial pits welldeveloped. Subocular tubercle absent. Pronotum explanate, width narrower than elytra, widest near middle or at base (excluding angles in U. laetus ); anterior angles acute or rounded and produced; posterior angles acute or right. Pronotal disc uneven, paired basal pits absent and bead present. Prothoracic carinae sharp, weakly uneven or simple. Anterior portion of prosternum longer than width of procoxae; lacking pits. Notosternal sutures complete. Protrochanteral notch present. Internal extensions of procoxae short. Procoxal cavities moderately separated. Scutellar shield present and elevated. Elytral punctation seriate; scutellary striole present; punctures closed. Elytral surfaces smooth with 9 punctate striae, simple or with small tubercles ( U. laetus ); weakly convex to apex. Epipleuron well-developed with elytral carina simple. Mesoventrite with small margined prosternal rest; apical width of mesoventrite about equal to width mesoventral process. Discrimen present. Metacoxal separation narrow, mesometaventral junction subequal to mesocoxal width. Metendosternite with laminae and anterior tendons. Hind wings present. Abdominal flanges present and not digitate; glandular fields absent; apical groove of ventrite 5 absent. Tarsal formula 5-5-4; protarsomere 2 elongate; length of tarsomere 2 of middle leg shorter than 1 and 3 (missing in U. laetus ). Sternite VIII in male membranous; tergite VIII lightly sclerotized and broadly rounded. Segment IX in male with long spiculum gastrale and moderately sclerotized laterotergites; segment X membranous. Aedeagus ( Fig 8J–L ) with phallobase about 1.2 times as long as apicale; penis slightly shorter than phallobase and apicale combined, somewhat slender and parallel-sided, lacking well developed basal struts. Sternite VIII in female with long, articulated, slender, slightly curved anterior strut (spiculum ventrale). Ovipositor (based mainly on U. valdivianus ) 2 times longer than wide, lightly sclerotized; bursa large with a narrow spermathecal gland. Proctiger elongate and very narrow with subacute apex, almost as long as the length of the paraprocts and the gonocoxites combined, without distinct baculi. Paraprocts about 1.2 times longer than gonocoxites, with distinct longitudinal baculi. Each coxite transversely divided into short, broad, proximal lobe with transverse baculum and a longer distal lobe about 7 times longer than proximal lobe, narrowing apically to an acute laterally compressed apex and bearing slender subcylindrical gonostyli; gonostyli inserted subapically and into a lateral groove in U. valdivianus or to more subrounded blunt apex with highly reduced gonostyli inserted subapically in U. laetus .

Etymology. The generic name combines the prefix ulo- derived from Ulodidae with the suffix - cyphaleus with reference to the misplacement of this species in the tenebrionid genus Cyphaleus .

Comments. We describe this Chilean genus for ‘ Cyphaleus ’ valdivianus (formerly in Tenebrionidae ) and one new species known from a single damaged specimen.

Figures

FIGURES 1 A – H. A, Arthopus brouni Sharp, length 5.8 mm; B, C Brouniphylax exiquus (Broun), length 6.1 mm; D, Brouniphylax squamiger (Broun), length 3.8 mm; E, F, Ulocyphaleus laetus sp. n, lateral and dorsal, length 11.9 mm; G, Ulocyphaleus valdivianus (Philippi & Philippi), length 10.3 mm; H, Dipsaconia pyritosa Pascoe, length 7.0 mm.

FIGURES 5 A – J. A – D, Head and prothorax, ventral view: A, Ulocyphaleus valdivianus (Philippi & Philippi); B, Trachyderas costulatum Fairmaire & Germain; C, Syrphetodes marginatus Pascoe; D, Arthopus brouni Sharp. E, Trachyderastes dipsaconiae Kaszab, antenna detail; F – I, Ulobostrichus monteithi sp. n. F, antenna, G, elytral apex, H, body lateral view, I, body latero-ventral view; J, Meryx rugosa Latreille, wing.

FIGURES 6 A – O. A – C head dorsal: A, Syrphetodes marginatus Pascoe; B, Pteroderes tuberosus Germain; C, Ulocyphaleus valdivianus (Philippi & Philippi). D – G, head lateral: D, Meryx aequalis Blackburn; E, Pteroderes tuberosus Germain; F, Ganyme tuberculata Germain; G, Notocerastes blackburni Carter. H, Ulobostrichus monteithi sp. n., mid leg. I, Arthopus brouni Sharp, mid-claw. J – O, Maxillary palps: J, Ulocyphaleus valdivianus (Philippi & Philippi); K, Syrphetodes marginatus Pascoe; L, Ganyme sapphiro (Newman); M, Trachyderastes dipsaconiae Kaszab; N, Meryx rugosa Latreille, O, Pteroderes tuberosus Germain.

FIGURES 8 A – P. A – B, Exohadrus volutithorax (Broun), prothorax, dorsal and ventral; C, Ulodes hispidus Pascoe, pronotum; D, Trachyderastes dipsaconiae Kaszab, abdomen; E, Ulobostrichus monteithi sp. n., female reproductive track; F – I, Arthopus brouni Sharp, F – G, tegmen, H – I penis, lateral view and apex detail; J, Dipsaconia sp., K – M, Ulocyphaleus valdivianus (Philippi & Philippi), penis, ventral, dorsal and lateral; N – P, Ulobostrichus monteithi sp. n., N – O, genitalia (N, penis, lateral view; O, ventral view of tegmen); P, female genitalia.