Operclipygus communis, 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 : 142-144

Operclipygus communis sp. n. Figs 37 C–D 38E, G–HMap 14

Type locality.

ECUADOR: Orellana: Yasuní Research Station [0°40.5'S, 76°24'W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "Ecuador: Napo, mid.Rio Tiputini, Yasuní Res. Stn. 0°40.5'S, 76°24'W, FIT#4. 20-29 Jun 1999. AKT#028 A.Tishechkin" / "LSAM 0013198" / " Operclipygus sp. #10, Hist 003 Yasuní NP Inventory, A.K.Tishechkin det. 2010" (FMNH). Paratypes (53): 4: same data as type (LSAM); same data as type, except as noted: 1: 22-28.vi.1999 (LSAM), 5: 23-30.vi.1999 (LSAM, MSCC, AKTCC, FMNH), 9: 28. vi– 5.vii.1999 (LSAM, CHND), 1: 4-17.vii.1999 (LSAM), 1: 5 -11.vii.1999 (LSAM), 2: 7-13.vii.1999 (LSAM), 2: 25. vii– 4.viii.1999 (LSAM); 4: Yasuní Res. Stn., 00°40'28"S, 76°38'50"W, 215m, 5-10.ix.1999, FIT, primary forest, E.G. Riley (LSAM); 18: Parque Nac. Yasuní, Via Maxus at Puente Piraña, 0°39.5'S, 76°26'W, 14-20.vii.2008, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (AKTC, MSCC, USFQ), 4: 20-24.vii.2008, FIT, A.K. Tishechkin (AKTC); 1: Res. Ethnica Waorani, 1km S Onkone Gare Camp, Trans. Ent., 0°39'10"S, 76°26'W, 220m, 23.i.1994, fogging, T.L. Erwin (USNM); 2: Tiputini Biodiversity Station, 0.6376°S, 76.1499°W, 2-9.vi.2011, FIT, M.S. Caterino & A.K. Tishechkin (USFQ, AKTC), 1: 5-25.ix.2000, D.J. Inward & K.A. Jackson (BMNH).

Other material.

PERU: Loreto: 1: Campamento San Jacinto, 2°18.75'S, 75°51.77'W, 175-215m, 7.vii.1993, FIT, R. Leschen (SEMC), 1: 5.vii.1993, FIT, R. Leschen (SEMC); 1: Teniente Lopez, 2°35.66'S, 76°06W, 210-240m, 24.vii.1993, FIT, R. Leschen (SEMC); 2: Iquitos, 90m, 8.v.1992, pitfall, J. Danoff-Berg (SEMC); 1: Iquitos, Jenaro Herrera, x-xi.1988, FIT, G. Couturier (CHND).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.68-1.81 mm, width: 1.37-1.47 mm; body rufescent, elongate oval; frontal stria complete, weakly displaced dorsad, divergent, rounded at sides, transverse across front, continuous with complete suborbital stria; epistoma not depressed in front of frontal stria, rather flat, weakly emarginate apically; labrum with upper edge of apical margin emarginate, but with small acute median tooth produced beneath; left mandible with bluntly bifid basal tooth, right mandible with subacute tooth; prescutellar impression linear, narrow, almost twice as long as scutellum; few (~12) coarser lateral pronotal punctures present; lateral submarginal pronotal stria abbreviated posteriorly; anterior submarginal pronotal stria recurved posterad about one-sixth pronotal length; median pronotal gland openings laterad base of anterior submarginal stria, about 4 puncture widths from anterior margin; elytra with outer subhumeral stria present in apical half, inner subhumeral stria absent, striae 1-4 complete (4th sometimes barely abbreviated or fragmented at base), 5th stria present in apical half or less, frequently fragmented, sutural stria present in apical three-fourths; prosternal keel weakly produced posteriorly, carinal striae united well short of presternal suture, united at base; mesoventral margin narrowly emarginate, marginal stria complete; mesometaventral stria narrowly arched forward to middle of mesoventral disk; lateral metaventral stria extending to near outer corner of metacoxa, frequently bent outward at apex; 1st abdominal ventrite with two complete subparallel lateral striae; propygidium with very small, shallow punctures separated by slightly more than their diameters; pygidium with fine dense ground punctation, very slightly coarser punctures sparsely interspersed; marginal pygidial stria complete, fine but deep. Male genitalia (Figs 38E, G–H): accessory sclerites present, very small; T8 elongate, sides only slightly convergent in basal three-fourths, apex rounded, basal emargination deep, subangulate, nearly reaching basal membrane attachment line, apical emargination sinuate, with distinct bilateral sclerotizations on either side of narrow median part, ventrolateral apodemes most strongly developed near base, narrowing to apex; T9 (as in Operclipygus hospes ) widest one-third from base, with subacute angle at this point, weakly narrowed to base, sinuately narrowed to apex, apices subtruncate, rather broad; T10 with halves separate along midline; S9 with thin sclerotization along midline, with sides sinuate, base rounded, lateral flanges wide, with distal corners prominent, apex with small median emargination and prominent, separate apical flanges; tegmen elongate, narrow, subcylindrical, parallel-sided in middle half, rather abruptly narrowed near base, thence parallel to base, apex subacute, curved downward in apical fourth, with subapical ventral cleft, medioventral process long, its apex narrowly truncate, projecting beneath about one-third from base; basal piece about one-fourth tegmen length; median lobe about one-fourth tegmen length, filamentous portions of proximal apodemes short and inconspicuous.

Remarks.

As mentioned above, this and the following two species form a distinctive subgroup based on male genitalia. While their aedeagi shows the truncate medioventral process and subapical cleft of the preceding species, the T8 has very small accessory sclerites, distinctive subapical sclerotizations (Figs 38 E–F), and a well sclerotized spiculum gastrale. No obvious external characters unite them.

The strongly abbreviated lateral pronotal stria (Fig. 37C), subequal in length with the recurved anterior submarginal stria, along with the unusually small, sparse punctures of the propygidium (Fig. 37D), the complete frontal and supraorbital striae enclosing a rather evenly oval frons, and the very fine, complete marginal pygidial sulcus will allow recognition of Operclipygus communis . There is some variation in propygidial punctation among Peruvian specimens, so we exclude these from the type series.

Etymology.

This species’ name refers to its relative abundance at its type locality, among the most common Operclipygus in the Yasuní National Park area.