Baconia stephani, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Baconia Lewis (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 343, pp. 1-297 : 136-138

Baconia stephani sp. n. Figs 38 F–G39M–NMap 11

Type locality.

UNITED STATES: Oklahoma: Latimer Co. [exact locality uncertain].

Type material.

Holotype male: "OKLAHOMA: Latimer Co VIII-1988 Karl Stephan" (FMNH). Paratypes (10): same locality as type, 1: viii.1988, 1: ix.1984, 3: viii.1989, 2: viii.1990, 1: x.1990, 2: vii.1992 (TAMU, CHPWK, FMNH, MSCC, AKTC).

Other material.

1: USA: Louisiana: St. Tammany Par., Abita Creek Preserve, 30°31'25"N, 89°58'07"W, 6.vii.2000, FIT, C. Carlton & D. Prowell (LSAM): 1: 29.ix.2000, C. Carlton, D. Prowell (LSAM); 1: Florida: Alachua Co., Gainesville, Doyle Connor Bldg, P. Skelley, FIT, 19.iv-2.vii.1987, 1: 2-10.vii.1987, 1: 23. vii– 4.viii.1987 (CHPWK).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.2-1.4mm, width: 0.9-1.1mm; body narrowly elongate oval, subdepressed, glabrous; color rufobrunneous, rather coarsely punctate on most surfaces; head with frons very shallowly depressed at middle, slightly elevated over antennal bases, ground punctation conspicuous, secondary punctures moderately coarse but sparse, frontal stria present along inner margin of eyes, but may be reduced, fragmented, supraorbital stria absent; antennal scape short, club oblong, slightly ex panded apically; epistoma weakly convex along apical margin, faintly emarginate; labrum about 3 ×wider than long, apical margin straight to slightly emarginate; both mandibles with conspicuous, acute basal tooth; pronotum with sides weakly arcuate to apex, lateral marginal stria continuous with complete anterior marginal stria, lateral submarginal stria present in basal four-fifths, very close to marginal, pronotal disk weakly depressed in anterolateral corners, with coarse secondary punctures throughout; elytra with two epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria absent, short fragment of inner subhumeral stria present at base, dorsal striae 1-4 complete to base, progressively abbreviated apically, 5th dorsal stria slightly abbreviated at base, sutural stria abbreviated basally and apically, present only in middle one-third, elytral disk with coarse punctures in apical one-fourth, a few punctures extending anterad between striae; prosternal keel weakly depressed, very shallowly emarginate at base, carinal striae diverging anteriorly and posteriorly; prosternal lobe about two-thirds keel length, apical margin bluntly rounded, with marginal stria present only at middle; mesoventrite weakly produced at middle, with marginal stria almost entirely obsolete; mesometaventral stria arched forward, crenulate, continuous or weakly interrupted laterally from inner lateral metaventral stria, which extends obliquely posterad toward middle of metacoxa, outer lateral metaventral stria absent; metaventral disk moderately coarsely punctate at sides, with rather conspicuous ground punctation at middle; abdominal ventrite 1 with single inner lateral stria, ventrites 2-5 with sparse punctures at sides, finer across middle; protibia tridentate, the outer margin finely serrulate between denticles; mesotibia with two very weak marginal spines; outer metatibial margin with very fine subbasal denticle; propygidium lacking basal stria, with fine ground punctation and coarser, ocellate secondary punctures dense, larger basally; propygidial gland openings evident, located about one-third behind anterior margin, one-fourth from lateral corner, the immediately surrounding disk devoid of punctures; pygidium with fine, conspicuous ground punctation and a few coarser secondary punctures toward base. Male genitalia (Figs 39 M–N): T8 narrowly, rather deeply emarginate; ventrolateral apodemes with inner apices widely separated, projecting beyond ventral midpoint, obsolete apically, apical margin shallowly emarginate; S8 with halves fused along midline, basal emargination broad, deep, basal apodemes widely separated, sides sinuately narrowed, apices obliquely truncate, densely setose, widely separated by acute apical emargination; T9 with short basal apodemes, halves nearly meeting dorsobasally, ventrolateral apodemes bluntly produced beneath, nearly to midline, apices narrowly rounded, with single seta borne on subapical tubercle on each side; T10 narrow, finely emarginate apically; S9 with long narrow, weakly keeled stem, head approximately triangular, apices subacute, apical emargination broad, shallow, sinuate; tegmen with base rather broad, widening slightly to subacute midpoint, corresponding to ventrolateral process, apices narrowed, tegmen strongly curved dorsoventrally, mainly near base, with eversible subapical denticles; median lobe about one-third tegmen length, simple; basal piece about one-third tegmen length.

Remarks.

Among species in the Baconia aeneomicans group, Baconia stephani is sympatric only with Baconia aeneomicans itself, and the two are rather similar in general. However, Baconia stephani differs consistently in its nonmetallic coloration, more narrowly elongate body (Fig. 38F), and especially its more coarsely punctate pronotum and 1st abdominal ventrite (Fig. 38G). The genitalia of the two species are very similar, although the tegmen can be easily distinguished, with that of Baconia stephani strongly angulate at the middle of the outer edge (most distinct in lateral view; Fig. 39N) Although the specimens away from the type locality do not differ in any obvious characters (and male genitalia conform to the differences described here), we limit the type series to those specimens from eastern Oklahoma.

Etymology.

We name this species in honor of Karl Stephan, beetle collector extraordinaire.