Conocassis minor, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2014

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2014, New genera and species of Neotropical Exosternini (Coleoptera, Histeridae), ZooKeys 381, pp. 11-78 : 14-15

Conocassis minor sp. n. Figs 1A, 3A, C, E, 4 A–F, Map 1

Type locality.

BRAZIL: Distrito Federal, Reserve IBGE [15.95°S, 47.88°W].

Type material.

Holotype male: "BRASIL:Dist. Federal, Brasilia, Res. Ecol. de IBGE, 15°5.5'S, 47°53'W, Lin. 1, Pto. 3. Armad. janela, area queimada. 20.i.1998" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00099" (UFPR). Paratypes (2): same data as type (CHND, FMNH).

Other material: BRAZIL:Mato Grosso do Sul, cerradão fragment nr. Selviria, 20.3354°S, 51.4095°W, flight intercept trap [FIT], 30.xi-3.xii.2011, M.S. Caterino & A.K. Tishechkin, DNA extraction #MSC-2273, voucher EXO-00932 (MSCC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.6-1.7 mm, width: 1.1-1.2 mm; as in generic description, with the following specific characters: body rufescent; frontal stria extending only to base of epistoma; apical margin of epistoma deeply emarginate; side of pronotal process with two longitudinal creases, neither deeply invaginated; pronotal disk lacking basolateral carina; pronotal process more or less evenly rounded in lateral profile; pronotal disk very finely alutaceous behind median process; all elytral striae rather weakly carinate; median elytral interval shallowly depressed in basal half, texture of median interval finely granular throughout; no trace of 5th dorsal stria present in median interval; texture of outer intervals finely granulate basally, smoother apically; epipleural margin granulate but not strigose; presternal suture not impressed across middle, carinal striae only vaguely extended to sides; protibiae slightly narrowed in apical half, apex rounded; protibial spurs inconspicuous; abdominal ventrites 2-4 faintly and shallowly punctate at sides; propygidium moderately convex, slightly shorter than pygidium along midline; propygidial punctures elongate, only moderately deep, more so at sides, punctures faintly alutaceous within; pygidium finely strigose in basal third, finely punctate apically; male genitalia (Fig. 4 A–F) as for generic description except tegmen widest just distad midpoint, ventral curvature rather even in apical half.

Remarks.

This species is easily distinguished from the other three species in this genus. It is distinctly smaller and paler in color, and generally has the dorsal sculpturing less exaggerated (Fig. 1A). The elytral striae are rather simply carinate, and the lateral creases on the sides of the pronotal process are not at all invaginated as they are in the following three species.

Etymology.

This species name refers to the fact that it is the smallest known member of the genus.