Baconia splendida, 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 : 78-80

Baconia splendida sp. n. Figs 18 E–FMap 6

Type locality.

ECUADOR: Orellana:Res. Ethnica Waorani [0.67°N, 76.43°W].

Type material.

Holotype female: "ECUADOR: Depto. Orellana:Res. Ethnica Waorani, 1km S Onkone Gare Camp, Trans. Ent., 0°39'10"S, 76°26'W, 220m, 22 January 1994, T.L. Erwin et al. collectors" / "Insecticidal fogging of mostly bare green leaves, some with covering of lichenous or bryophytic plants in terra firme forest. Project MAXUS Lot 624 Trans. 5 Sta. 2" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00435" (USNM).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.3mm, width: 1.9mm; body elongate oval, subparallel-sided, moderately strongly depressed, glabrous; head and pronotum metallic greenish-blue, elytra brightly metallic blue, pygidia intermediately (in color) greenish-blue, venter rufo-brunneus; frons weakly elevated over antennal bases, weakly depressed along midline, ground punctation rather conspicuous, with numerous coarser punctures on epistoma, within frontal depression, and toward vertex; frontal stria present along inner margin of eye and across front, but interrupted at middle, frontal- vertical margin sharp, supraorbital stria absent; antennal scape short, apex obliquely truncate, club elongate; epistoma apex truncate; labrum about 4 ×wider than long, weakly emarginate along apical margin; both mandibles with acute basal tooth; pronotal sides weakly convergent in basal three-fourths, arcuate to apex, depressed in anterior corners, marginal stria complete along lateral and anterior margins, slightly crenulate in front, lateral submarginal stria absent, ground punctation of pronotal disk fine, uniform, densely and almost uniformly interspersed with conspicuous secondary punctures, relatively impunctate only in basomedial area; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria absent, inner subhumeral stria complete, dorsal striae 1-5 complete, sutural stria present in apical half, elytral disk with few coarse punctures in apical fifth; prosternum weakly convex, keel weakly truncate at base, carinal striae complete, convergent between coxae, separate throughout; prosternal lobe about two-thirds keel length, apical margin bluntly rounded, marginal stria weak, obsolete at sides; mesoventrite weakly sinuate, marginal stria complete, mesometaventral stria arched forward at middle, weakly crenulate, detached at sides; lateral metaventral stria extending from near mesocoxa posterolaterad toward middle of metacoxa, outer lateral metaventral stria absent, metaventral disk impunctate at middle; abdominal ventrite 1 with single, complete lateral stria, middle portion of disk impunctate; protibia 4 dentate, rather deeply emarginate between middle pair of denticles, outer margin serrulate between; mesotibia with two weak marginal spines; outer metatibial margin smooth; propygidium without basal stria, discal punctures ocellate, large at middle, separated by less than their diameters, smaller and sparser to sides and apex; propygidial gland openings evident about one-third from anterior margin and one-fourth from lateral margins; pygidium with ground punctation fine and rather dense, secondary punctures interspersed throughout, becoming smaller toward apex. Male: not known.

Remarks.

This species is quite distinct in its complete elytral striae 1-5 (as well as the inner subhumeral), more or less uniformly punctate pronotum (Fig. 18E), and weakly depressed, strongly punctate frons and epistoma (Fig. 18F). The contrast between the greenish-blue head and pronotum and the deep blue elytra is particularly strong in this species.

Etymology.

This species is named for its splendid metallic coloration.