Operclipygus pichinchensis, 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 : 216-218

Operclipygus pichinchensis sp. n. Figs 58 G–HMap 21

Type locality.

ECUADOR: Pichincha: Rio Palenque Research Center [0°35'S, 79°22'W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "ECUADOR LOS RÍOS CCRP [Centro Cientifico Rio Palenque] 7Jan1981 SSandoval" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-02337" (FMNH). Paratypes (11): same data as type, except as noted: 1: 27.xii.1980 (CHSM), 2: 1.i.1981 (CHSM, USFQ), 1: 4.i.1981 (CHSM), 4: 23.xii.1980 (FMNH, MSCC, AKTC), 1: 18.vi.1980 (CHSM), 1: 24.ii.1977, T. DeVries (CHSM); 1: Tinalandia, Santo Domingo 16km E, 0°16'53"S, 79°3'39"W, 750m, 26-27.iii.1999, FIT, R. Brooks & D. Brzoska (SEMC).

Other material.

PANAMA: Darién: 1: Cana Biological Station, 7°45'18"N, 77°41'6"W, 7-9.vi.1996, FIT, J. Ashe & R. Brooks (SEMC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.75-2.03 mm, width: 1.47-1.62 mm; body rufescent, elongate oval, widest behind humeri, rather strongly convex, particularly near anterior third of elytra; frons and upper third of epistoma depressed at middle; sides of frontal stria nearly parallel between eyes, sinuate over antennal bases, fragmented but subcontiguous across front; labrum about 2.5 × as wide as long, only very weakly emarginate apically; left mandible with weak, blunt basal tooth, right with small acute basal tooth; pronotal disk with very small punctiform prescutellar impression, ground punctation of disk very fine and sparse, with ~12 coarser punctures toward sides; marginal pronotal stria continuous behind head and along lateral margins, not descending onto hypomeron; lateral submarginal pronotal stria continuous with anterior portion across front, arching slightly anterad in pronotal corners, converging to middle of lateral margin, interrupted subbasally, with short basal fragment, pronotum weakly, narrowly depressed behind; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria present in apical half, inner subhumeral stria absent, striae 1-4 complete, 5th stria present in apical half, sutural stria present in apical two-thirds; venter with microsculpture on most of prosternum, mesoventrite, along anterior one-fourth and at sides of metaventrite, and on 1st abdominal ventrite; prosternal keel very weakly emarginate at base, carinal striae complete, narrowing between coxae, united in slightly bulbous anterior arch, secondary carinal striae present between procoxae and prosternal gland openings; mesoventrite with anterior margin straight, marginal stria interrupted at middle; mesometaventral stria strongly arched forward, nearly to mesoventral margin, continued at sides by lateral metaventral striae to outer third of metacoxa; 1st abdominal ventrite with inner lateral stria abbreviated, outer lateral stria present only as sparse basal fragments; propygidium and basal fourth of pygidium with weakly impressed transverse microsculpture, most of pygidium lacking microsculpture; propygidial punctures small, round, separated by about twice their diameters; pygidial punctures smaller, sparser, against sparse, fine ground punctation; marginal pygidial sulcus weak, present on apical third at most, may be fragmented to absent. Male genitalia very similar to those of Operclipygus hamistrius (see Figs 57 A–D, I), differing as follows: T8 with sides subparallel; S8 shorter, with apices bluntly subacuminate, ventral creases conspicuous; tegmen like that of Operclipygus arquus (see Fig. 57K) shorter, widest distinctly basad middle, with sides rounded, not as strongly narrowed to apex.

Remarks.

This species appears closely related to a species from Central American highlands, Operclipygus rufescens , which also generally has the anterior and lateral portions of the submarginal pronotal striae connected and continuous across front (Fig. 58G), but differs in having this stria more distantly spaced from the margin, as well as having it interrupted at the sides. It also has the marginal pygidial stria very short, fine, and frequently fragmented (likely variably) toward the apex, and the pygidial punctation slightly coarser (Fig. 58H). A single female from Panama: Darién shares all these characters and is tentatively assigned to this species.

Etymology.

This species’ name refers to the region of western Ecuador it is known from.