Baconia rossi, 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 : 61-62

Baconia rossi sp. n. Fig. 14CMap 3

Type locality.

MEXICO: Jalisco: 6 km S Tecalitlan [19.4°N, 103.3°W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "MEXICO: Jalisco: 6 km S Tecalitlan, 1219 m, 14-VIII-1978, Edward S. Ross, Cal.Acad.Sci.Coll." / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00497" (CASC). Paratypes (2): 1: same data as type (CASC), 1: same locality, 9.xi.1980, E. Ross (CASC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.1-2.3mm, width: 1.7-1.9mm; body elongate oval, subparallel-sided, moderately depressed, glabrous; dorsum uniformly metallic blue, venter rufopiceous; frons elevated over antennal bases, depressed at middle, ground punctation fine, with coarse punctures on epistoma, at middle and near vertex, frontal stria present along inner margin of eye, curving inward at front, interrupted at middle, rarely also interrupted over antennal bases, supraorbital stria absent; antennal scape short, club rounded; epistoma truncate apically; labrum about 4 ×wider than long, weakly bisinuate along apical margin; both mandibles with acute basal tooth; pronotal sides weakly convergent in basal half, arcuate to apex, marginal stria complete along lateral and anterior margins, lateral submarginal stria absent, ground punctation of pronotal disk fine, coarse secondary punctures extending across anterior margin and conspicuous in lateral thirds; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria absent, inner subhumeral stria largely complete, may be weakly interrupted in middle, dorsal striae 1-3 complete, 4th stria weakened or interrupted near base, present in apical half or more, 5th stria present in apical third, sutural stria slightly longer, elytral disk with few coarse punctures in apical fifth; prosternum moderately broad, weakly convex, keel truncate to very weakly emarginate at base, carinal striae complete, united or nearly united along basal margin, subparallel anterad; prosternal lobe about one-half keel length, apical margin broadly rounded, marginal stria weak, obsolete at sides; mesoventrite weakly sinuate at middle, marginal stria interrupted; mesometaventral stria absent represented by short, weak median fragment, inner lateral metaventral stria extending from near mesocoxa obliquely posterolaterad toward outer third of metacoxa, abbreviated apically, outer lateral metaventral stria absent, metaventral disk impunctate at middle; abdominal ventrite 1 with single, complete lateral stria, middle portion of disk lacking coarse punctures; protibia 4-dentate, the basal denticle weak, outer margin serrulate between teeth; mesotibia with two weak marginal spines; outer metatibial margin smooth; propygidium without transverse basal stria, discal punctures moderately large, ocellate, separated by about half their diameters, smaller posterad; propygidial gland openings evident about one-third from anterior margin, about one-fourth from each lateral margin; pygidium with ground punctation very fine but rather dense in apical half, secondary punctation evident mainly in basal third. Male genitalia essentially indistinguishable from that of Baconia godmani (though aedeagus was missing from type and not available for study).

Remarks.

This species is closely related to Baconia godmani , Baconia isthmia , and Baconia scintillans , as revealed by male genitalia, but it lacks the lateral submarginal pronotal stria of Baconia godmani , and differs from all three in its complete inner subhumeral stria. Additionally, in Baconia rossi the prosternal striae tend to be united basally or at least curved medially at the base (Fig. 14C), and the isolated fragment of the mesometaventral stria is very weak.

Etymology.

This species is named to honor Dr. Edward Ross, collector of the types and histerid aficionado going back many decades.