Baconia illustris (Lewis, 1900)

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2013, A systematic revision of Baconia Lewis (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 343, pp. 1-297 : 85-86

Baconia illustris (Lewis, 1900) Fig. 21E

Phelister illustris Lewis, 1900: 226; Baconia illustris : Mazur 1984: 280.

Type locality.

BRAZIL [exact locality uncertain].

Type material.

Lectotype, sex undetermined, here designated (BMNH): “Brazil” / “Barton” / "Phelister illustris Lewis Type" / "G.Lewis Coll. B.M.1926-369" / "LECTOTYPE Phelister illustris Lewis, M.S.Caterino & A.K.Tishechkin des. 2010". This species was described from an unspecified number of specimens, and the lectotype designation fixes primary type status on the only known original specimen.

Diagnostic description.

Length: [not measured, ~2.5mm], width: [not measured, ~1.5mm]; body slightly elongate oval, rather strongly convex, glabrous; head slightly greenish-blue, pronotum and pygidia metallic violet-blue, elytra strongly violet, venter rufo-brunneus, but with distinct metallic tinge; frons weakly elevated over antennal bases, slightly depressed in middle, with few secondary punctures within fron tal depression, frontal stria present along inner margin of eye, bent mediad, obsolete across middle; labrum about 3 ×wider than long, apical margin straight; antennal scape short; pronotal sides weakly rounded, convergent, weakly depressed in anterior corners, marginal stria complete along lateral and anterior margins, slightly crenulate in front, lateral submarginal stria absent, ground punctation of pronotal disk conspicuous, increasingly interspersed with coarse secondary punctures in lateral thirds; elytra with two complete epipleural striae, outer subhumeral stria absent, inner subhumeral stria present only as short basal fragment, dorsal striae 1-3 complete, 4th stria nearly complete, becoming fragmented/obsolete in apical fourth, 5th stria absent, sutural stria complete, elytral disk with coarse punctures in apical fourth; prosternum convex, keel emarginate at base, carinal striae complete, divergent anterad and posterad, separate throughout; prosternal lobe about one-half keel length, apical margin bluntly rounded, marginal stria well impressed at middle, obsolete at sides; mesoventrite distinctly produced, marginal stria complete, mesometaventral stria absent, lateral metaventral stria extending obliquely posterolaterad toward middle of metacoxa, outer lateral metaventral stria present as short basal striole, metaventral disk impunctate at middle; abdominal ventrite 1 with single lateral stria slightly abbreviated, curved mediad at apex, middle portion of disk impunctate; protibia tridentate, with 2 additional minute basal denticles, outer margin serrulate between teeth; mesotibia with one marginal spine; outer metatibial margin smooth; propygidium without basal stria, discal punctures rather deep, separated by their diameters in basal half, much smaller and sparser in apical half; pygidium with ground punctation conspicuous, secondary punctures few and restricted to basal margin. Male genitalia: not known.

Remarks.

The color pattern, strongly rounded and convex body form (Fig. 21E), and complete sutural stria are adequate to recognize this species. This species’ type locality is too vague to pinpoint.