Acropteroxys cervantesi Mora-Aguilar and Delgado, 2023

Mora-Aguilar, Eder F. & Delgado, Leonardo, 2023, A New Mexican Species of Acropteroxys Gorham, with New Mexican State Records and a Checklist of the Mexican Languriini (Coleoptera: Erotylidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 77 (1), pp. 159-166 : 160-162

Acropteroxys cervantesi Mora-Aguilar and Delgado , new species zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F0F5CA77-8FE9-4213-B038-EB444E4BD88D ( Figs. 1–9 )

Type Specimens. Holotype male, labeled:

“ MEXICO: Guerrero, Petatlán , 21-VI-2013, 17°33.0′N ,

101°17.3′W, Alt. 22 m, colecta nocturna, L. Cervantes, D. Brzoska cols.”. Paratypes, one male and one female: same data as holotype .

The holotype and female paratype are deposited in IEXA and the male paratype is deposited in FSCA .

Description. Holotype male: Length 9.4 mm; width 1.5 mm. Color of dorsum coppery brown with metallic green sheen, with venter lighter, head and pronotum darker, mentum, gula, central portion of the mandibles, coxae, base of femora and tibiae reddish brown, and antennal club dark metallic blue ( Figs. 1–2 ). Dorsal surface with minute and sparse setae, ventral surface moderately setose, ventral setae longer than dorsal setae, yellowish. Pronotum and elytra densely and coarsely punctate. Venter and legs microreticulated. Head: Clypeus rectangular, wider than long, with punctures separated by less than one puncture diameter, punctures of frons and vertex denser on the sides than on disc. Eyes rounded, globular, finely faceted. Mentum slightly pointed in the middle with apex rounded; gula with a transverse line of punctures near the apex.Antennal club composed of 5 antennomeres, antennomere 7 slightly widened ( Fig. 1 ). Pronotum: Longer than wide, sides subparallel, base slightly wider than apex, constricted on basal third; anterior angles rounded, posterior angles acute and slightly projected laterally; base and sides finely beaded; basal foveae absent. Disc of pronotum with punctures not coalescent, sides with punctures coalescent ( Figs. 1, 5 ). Elytra: Convergent in their outer margins, and slightly divergent in their inner margin at apex; apex rounded with minute denticles barely visible ( Fig. 1 ). Elytral striae well marked by rows of punctures, rows merged near the apex, elytral intervals with micropunctures, significantly smaller and finer than those of striae. Venter: Prosternum rugosely, transversely punctured; prosternal process excavated, sides divergent, posterior apical angles rounded; mesoventrite densely punctured, denser than pronotum, metaventrite sparsely punctured, punctures small on disc, denser and larger toward sides; abdominal ventrites punctured and with transverse, shallow rugosities ( Fig. 2 ). Last abdominal ventrite deeply emarginate ( Fig. 6 ). Legs: Profemur slightly enlarged at middle, longer than mesofemur, protibia narrow, subequal in length to profemur, basal protarsomere longer and slightly enlarged, lateral setae short. Metafemur longer than profemur, metatarsus narrow, basal two metatarsomeres not enlarged ( Fig. 2 ). Genitalia: Median lobe subcylindrical with a wide, asymmetrical dorsal slit, apex acute ( Figs. 8–9 ). Paratypes: One male, one female. Length 10.1–10.9 mm; width 1.6–1.8 mm. Male paratype not differing significantly from holotype. Female paratype differing from male in the following respects: eyes slightly smaller, antennomere 7 wider, and last abdominal ventrite slightly emarginate ( Figs. 3–4, 7 ).

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Dr. Luis Cervantes Peredo† (1962–2015), a great hemipterist, and one of the collectors of this species.

Diagnosis. Acropteroxys cervantesi is easily keyed out to this genus in Martins and Pereira (1965) and is distinguished from the other species of the genus by the following combination of characters: body shiny and unicolored, antennal club of 5 antennomeres, head and pronotum coarsely and densely punctured, and pronotum wider at base than apex. The new species resembles A. caudatus but is distinguished from this species by the body color unicolored dark brown with metallic sheen, base of pronotum wider than apex and constricted in basal third, pronotal disc with punctures not coalescent, and pronotal sides with punctures coalescent. In contrast, A. caudatus has a brown pronotum and reddish brown on the elytra, almost without metallic luster, a parallel-sided pronotum without a constriction, the pronotal disc with coalescent punctures, and the pronotal sides with punctures not coalescent.

Distribution. Acropteroxys cervantesi is only known from the type locality, located in the southwestern state of Guerrero in Mexico, and collected at night at lights. The locality and surrounding areas are tropical deciduous forests near sea level. The distribution of A. caudatus seems allopatric, since this species is distributed in mid-elevation forests of the state of Oaxaca (Yolox) and northern Guerrero (Chilpancingo) in Mexico, and Guatemala (Gorham 1887; Martins and Pereira 1965).

KEY TO THE SPECIES OF ACROPTEROXYS (modified from Vaurie 1948 and Martins and Pereira 1965)

1. Antennal club of five antennomeres; sides of pronotum more or less straight and parallel sided ............................................................... 2

1′. Antennal club of six antennomeres; sides of pronotum sinuate …. A. acuminatus Gorham

2. Head and pronotum coarsely and densely punctate; pronotum unicolored .............................. 3

2′. Head and pronotum sparsely and finely punctate; pronotum generally bicolored ................... 4

3. Pronotum parallel sided, basal third not constricted; pronotal disc with punctures coalescent, sides with punctures not coalescent

...................................... A. caudatus Gorham

3′. Pronotum subparallel sided, base slightly wider than apex, with constriction in basal third;

pronotal disc with punctures not coalescent,

sides with punctures coalescent .......................

....... A. cervantesi Mora-Aguilar and Delgado , new species

4. Most of pronotum red with piceous spot not reaching sides; elytral interstices with large,

deep punctures; body broad, robust .................

........................................ A. lecontei (Crotch)

4′. Pronotum variable, entirely piceous or red, or if with spot red not reaching base or apex; elytral interstices with small, shallow punctures; body narrower, slender ............. A. gracilis (Newman)

Figures

Figs. 1–9. Acropteroxys cervantesi, new species, holotype (male) and paratype (female). 1) Holotype, dorsal habitus; 2) Holotype, ventral habitus; 3) Paratype, dorsal habitus; 4) Paratype, ventral habitus; 5) Holotype, head and prothorax; 6) Holotype, terminal abdominal ventrites; 7) Paratype, terminal abdominal ventrites; 8) Holotype, median lobe of aedeagus in dorsal view; 9) Holotype, median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view.