Baconia excelsa, 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 : 69-70

Baconia excelsa sp. n. Figs 16E17 D–F, H, K–LMap 5

Type locality.

ECUADOR: Orellana: Tiputini Biodiversity Station [0.635°S, 76.150°W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "ECUADOR: Depto.Orellana: Tiputini Biodiversity Station, 0°37'55"S, 76°08'39"W, 220-250m, 6 February 1999 T.L.Erwin et. al. collectors" / "insecticidal fogging of mostly bare green leaves, some with covering of lichenous or bryophytic plants Lot 2075 Trans. 8 Sta. 6" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00432" (USNM). Paratypes (2): 1: ECUADOR: Orellana: Res. Ethnica Waorani, 1 km S Onkone Gare Camp, Trans. Ent., 0°39'10"S, 76°26'W, 220 m, 26.vi.1996, fogging, T. Erwin (USNM), 1: 30.ix.1996, fogging, T. Erwin (USNM).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.6-1.7mm, width: 1.3-1.4mm; body elongate oval, weakly depressed, glabrous; head and pronotum metallic greenish-blue, elytra and pygidia blue, venter rufopiceous; frons weakly elevated over antennal bases, depressed at middle, ground punctation rather coarse, with numerous coarser punctures at middle and near vertex, frontal stria present along inner margin of eye, curving inward at front, interrupted over antennal bases and at middle; antennal scape short, club rounded; epistoma truncate apically; labrum about 4 ×wider than long, weakly emarginate apically; both mandibles with acute basal tooth; pronotal sides weakly arcuate to near apex, somewhat abruptly bent inward in apical fifth, marginal stria complete along lateral and anterior margins, lateral submarginal stria represented by semiregular series of deeply impressed punctures, continuous with sublinear depression in anterior corner, ground punctation of pronotal disk fine, with slightly coarser sparsely present nearly throughout, though less conspicuous at middle; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria absent, inner subhumeral stria present in basal fourth and as median fragment, dorsal striae 1-5 more or less complete, progressively abbreviated from apex, 5th stria obsolete in about apical third, sutural stria present in apical two-thirds, elytral disk with few coarse punctures in apical third; prosternum weakly convex, keel shallowly emarginate at base, carinal striae complete, divergent anterad and posterad; prosternal lobe about two-thirds keel length, apical margin narrowly rounded, marginal stria obsolete at sides; mesoventrite weakly projecting at middle, marginal stria complete; mesometaventral stria arched forward, crenulate, narrowly detached at sides, inner lateral metaventral stria curving from near mesocoxa posterolaterad toward outer third of metacoxa, sinuate medially, outer lateral metaventral stria may be vaguely indicated by short series of connected punctures, metaventral disk impunctate at middle; abdominal ventrite 1 with single, complete lateral stria, middle portion of disk lacking coarse punctures, series of fine punctures more or less conspicuous along apical margin; protibia 4-5 dentate, basal denticles 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, mostly separated by about 0.5 –1× their diameters; propygidial gland openings evident about one-third from anterior margin, and almost one-third from each lateral margin; pygidium with ground punctation fine, conspicuous in apical half, secondary punctation limited to basal half. Male genitalia (Figs 17 D–F, H, K–L): T8 slightly longer than broad, sides subparallel, basal emargination broadly rounded, apical emargination inconspicuous, ventrolateral apodemes separated by about one-half maximum T8 width, extending about one-half distad beneath, strongly narrowed in apical half; S8 longer than T8, divided, inner margins approximate at base, strongly divergent apically, bearing fine, rather inconspicuous fringe of setae along apical one-fifth, outer margins subparallel to weakly divergent, apical guides well developed from just beyond base, narrowly rounded apically; T9 with basal apodemes thin, about one-half total length, T9 apices narrowly rounded, glabrous, ventrolateral apodemes weakly projecting beneath; S9 stem thin at middle, widened in basal half, head wide but weak, with weakly curved apicolateral points, strongly desclerotized along midline; tegmen narrow, with sides subparallel throughout, dorsobasal edge arcuate, tegmen in lateral aspect more or less straight, weakly curved ventrad at apex; median lobe about one-half tegmen length; basal piece about one-sixth tegmen length.

Remarks.

Baconia excelsa can be distinguished by its pattern of elytral striation (Fig. 16E), with striae 1-5 present to the base, but with 3-5 variably abbreviated from their apices, and the sutural stria deeply impressed in the apical two-thirds (also slightly abbreviated from the apex). Unusual characters also include the series of lateral submarginal pronotal punctures, not forming a distinct stria, but lying within a slightly linear depression.

Etymology.

This species’ name means high or lofty, as in the canopy from which it was collected.