Phelister sculpturatus Schmidt, 1893

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2020, Recognition and revision of the Phelister blairi group (Histeridae, Histerinae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 1001, pp. 1-154 : 1

16. Phelister sculpturatus Schmidt, 1893 Figs 11A, B , 12A, B , Map 7

Phelister sculpturatus Schmidt, 1893a: 12.

Type material.

Lectotype, of undetermined sex, hereby designated: “Mexique” / "coll. J. Schmidt" / “Type” / " Phelister sculpturatus Schm." / "Lectotype Phelister sculpturatus Schmidt, 1893, M.S.Caterino & A.K.Tishechkin des. 2010"; ZMHB.

Other material.

Brazil: Mato Grosso, Mpio. Cuiaba, Fazenda Mutuca (-15.3145, -55.9703), 11/15/08, FIT, F.H. Gava & J. R. Rocha, EXO-02973 (CEMT, 1ex.); Costa Rica: Cartago, P.N. Tapanti, Quebrada Segunda (9.76, -83.79), 1250 m, February 1993, G. Mora, INBIO CRI001 359423 (INBIO, 1ex.); Guanacaste, Cacao Biological Station (10.9272, -85.4519), 1050 m, 7/10/00-7/11/00, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, Z. Falin, SM0245385 (SEMC, 1ex.); Puntarenas, Est. Biol. Las Cruces (8.7857, -82.9697), 1330 m, 5/28/04-5/31/04, FIT, J. Ashe, Z. Falin, I. Hinojosa, SM0611403 (SEMC, 1ex.); Puntarenas, Est. Sirena, P.N. Corcovado (8.48, -83.59), 0-100 m, October, 1990, C. Saborio, INBIO CRI000 293821 (INBIO, 1ex.); Puntarenas, 11 km S.W. Est. Biol. Las Cruces (8.7786, -83.0306), 1450 m, 7/9/99, wet cloud forest litter, R. Anderson, EXO-02969 (CMNC, 1ex.); Puntarenas, Rancho Quemado, Peninsula de Osa (8.7, -83.6), 200 m, September 1992, M. Segura, INBIO CRI000 907726 (INBIO, 1ex.); Ecuador: Orellana, Est. Biodiv. Tiputini (-0.6333, -76.0383), 220 m, 9/5/00-9/25/00, D. Inward & K. Jackson, EXO-02972 (NHMUK, 1ex.); Orellana, Est. Biodiv. Tiputini (-0.6376, -76.1499), 6/4/11-6/9/11, FIT, M. Caterino & A. Tishechkin, EXO-00707 (MSCC, 1ex., DNA voucher); Orellana, Est. Cientifica Yasuní, mid. Rio Tiputini (-0.675, -76.4), 7/18-7/24/08, FIT, A. K. Tishechkin (AKTC, 1ex.); Guatemala: Suchitepéquez: Volcán Atitlán, Ref. El Quetzal, 1670 m, 14.55067°N, 91.19235°W, 13-13.vi.2015, Z.Falin & F.Carrillo, FIT, cloud forest (SEMC, 2ex.); Honduras: Olancho, La Union, La Muralla (15.1, -86.7), 9/1/94, R. Cordero, EXO-02970 (AKTC, 1ex.); Mexico: Veracruz, 3 km S Jalapa (19.5, -96.9), 1370 m, 5/26/91, FIT, J. Ashe, EXO-02971 (SEMC, 1ex.); Panama: Canal Zone, Barro Colo. Is. (9.2, -79.8), 1/30/55, Eciton burchelli refuse deposit, Colony '55 B1, Satary Day, C.W. Rettenmeyer (UCONN, 2ex.); Canal Zone, Barro Colorado I (9.2, -79.8), 5/9/56, E-156RD Berlese, C.W. & M.E. Rettenmeyer, EXO-02976 (UCONN, 1ex.); Canal Zone, Barro Colorado I. (9.2, -79.8), 3/28/56, Eciton burchelli Bivouac Site Colony E-132RD, C.W. Rettenmeyer, EXO-02975 (UCONN, 1ex.); Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Island (9.2, -79.8), 3/30/63, refuse deposit, Host: Eciton hamatum colony E-321, EXO-02977, UCONN (1ex.); Colon, P.N. San Lorenzo, Achiote (9.2167, -80.1067), 10 m, 5/13/08-5/28/08, FIT, A. Mercado, EXO-02980 (AKTC, 1ex.); Colon, San Lorenzo Forest (9.2833, -79.9667), 10/3/03-10/4/03, FIT, A. Tishechkin, EXO-02979 (AKTC, 1ex.); Colon, San Lorenzo Forest (9.2833, -79.9667), 10/24/03-10/25/03, FIT, A. Tishechkin, EXO-00376 (AKTC, 1ex.); Colon, San Lorenzo Forest (9.2833, -79.9667), 5/12/04-5/13/04, FIT, A. Tishechkin, EXO-02981 (AKTC, 1ex.); Panama, Barro Colorado Isd. (9.1833, -79.85), 7/8/94, FIT, D. Banks (SEMC, 2ex.); Darien, Darien National Park, Camp Pirre, Rancho Frio, 8°1'11"N, 77°43'57"W, 100 m, 6-13.ii.2014, L. G. Bezark (AKTC, 1ex.); Peru: Junín, 11 km NE Puerto Ocopa, Los Olivos (-11.05, -74.2587), 1200 m, 3/26/09-3/31/09, FIT, A. Tishechkin (AKTC, 2ex.); Loreto, Iquitos - Nauta rd. km 58, Rio Itaya (-4.2563, -73.4675), 120 m, 5/5/09-5/9/09, FIT, next to entrance into Eciton burchelli statary bivouac in a hollow treee (AKTC, 3ex.).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.73-2.09 mm (avg. 1.85 mm); width: 1.54-1.77 mm (avg. 1.64 mm). Body elongate oval, convex, dark rufescent, with densely intermingled ground and secondary punctation throughout; frons rather wide, depressed along midline; supraorbital stria present at middle, obsolete at sides; frontal stria complete; epistoma obliquely subcarinate along sides; labrum emarginate and subcarinate apically; mandibles each with small basal tooth; antennal club with elongate setose patch on dorsal surface; prescutellar impression wide, forming a short rounded triangle 2-3 × as wide as scutellum; median pronotal gland openings present ~ 2/3 back from anterior margin, distinctly annulate; pronotal punctation doubled throughout, but more sparsely so in middle third; marginal pronotal stria complete along sides and front; submarginal pronotal stria complete, raised, close to margin, barely turning anterior corner; elytron with two complete epipleural striae; outer subhumeral stria complete, inner subhumeral nearly complete, obsolete at base; dorsal striae 1-4 complete, the 4th arched to and usually connected to the sutural, 5th slightly abbreviated from base, sutural stria complete or nearly so; prosternal keel narrow, emarginate at base, striae separate at base, evenly converging to near apex, united anteriorly; prosternal lobe shortly, weakly reflexed, with marginal stria complete; mesoventrite produced, with complete marginal stria continued at sides by postmesocoxal stria, ending behind mesocoxa; mesometaventral stria angulate at middle, crenulate, reaching middle of mesoventrite, continued at sides by lateral metaventral stria nearly reaching outer 1/3 of metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with incomplete lateral stria along inner margin of metacoxa; protibia with outer margin strongly dentate, with ~ five marginal spines; protarsal setae of male not flattened; meso- and metatibiae slightly broadened, with a few spines along outer margins. Male: basal piece nearly 1/2 length of tegmen; tegmen narrow at base, expanded then subparallel over most of length, apices rounded, slightly separated; tegmen flattened, slightly curved in lateral view; medioventral process present, projecting at basal fourth; median lobe ~ 1/2 tegmen length, basal apodemes abruptly narrowed at bases.

Distribution.

This species ranges from southeastern Mexico, through Central America to south-central Brazil.

Remarks.

This widespread and variable species has much in common with P. praedatoris , especially in the nearly complete coverage of ground and secondary punctation. However, P. sculpturatus always has its inner elytral striae distinct amongst the punctures, is slightly more elongate in overall body form, and has the protibia less strongly dentate. The distributions of the two species don’t appear to overlap, with P. sculpturatus known only from cerrado and western Amazonia in South America (beyond its more typical range in Central America). Like P. praedatoris , it appears to be an army ant associate, having been collected a few times (in both Peru and Panama) in Eciton bivouacs, though most records come only from flight interception traps.

Figures

Map 7. Collecting records for Phelister parana (inverted triangles), P. asperatus (black stars), P. uniformis (white squares), P. miscellus (white hexagons) P. sculpturatus (black circles), P. inbio (white stars) and P. tunki (black upright triangle).

Figure 11. A, b Phelister sculpturatus: A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D P. tunki: C dorsal habitus D ventral habitus E, F P. praedatoris: E dorsal habitus F ventral habitus G, H P. ifficus: G dorsal habitus H ventral habitus.

Figure 12. Male genitalia A, B Phelister sculpturatus: A aedeagus, dorsal B aedeagus, lateral C, D P. praedatoris: C aedeagus, dorsal D aedeagus, lateral E, F P. ifficus: E aedeagus, dorsal F aedeagus, lateral.