Tarphius furtadoi Borges & Serrano

Borges, Paulo A. V., Amorim, Isabel R., Terzopoulou, Sofia, Rigal, François, Emerson, Brent C. & Serrano, Artur R. M., 2017, Cryptic diversity in the Azorean beetle genus Tarphius Erichson, 1845 (Coleoptera: Zopheridae): An integrative taxonomic approach with description of four new species, Zootaxa 4236 (3), pp. 401-449 : 418-421

Tarphius furtadoi Borges & Serrano , new species

( Fig. 11 )

Tarphius tornvalli in Gillerfors (1986b , p. 21) (Pico Isl.)

Tarphius tornvalli in Borges (1990, p. 112) (Pico Isl.)

Tarphius tornvalli in Borges (1991, p. 2) (Pico Isl.)

Tarphius tornvalli and Tarphius azoricus in Borges et al. (2005b , p. 207) (Pico Isl.) Tarphius tornvalli and Tarphius azoricus in Oromí et al. (2010 , p. 232) (Pico Isl.) Tarphius tornvalli and Tarphius azoricus in Amorim et al. (2012, Fig. 2 ) (Pico Isl.) Tarphius azoricus in Borges et al. (2005b , p. 207) (São Jorge Isl.) Tarphius azoricus in Oromí et al. (2010 , p. 232) (São Jorge Isl.)

Tarphius azoricus in Amorim et al. (2012, Fig. 2 ) (São Jorge Isl.) Tarphius azoricus in Oromí et al. (2010 , p. 232) (Faial Isl.)

Tarphius azoricus in Amorim et al. (2012, Fig. 2 ) (Faial Isl.)

Type locality. The Azores, Pico Island, Lagoa do Caiado.

Type material. HOLOTYPE, male, deposited at DTPC, labeled: Lagoa do Caiado, Pico , Açores, 4–19/03/ 1990 (UTM 26S 390266, 4257172); Paulo A. V. Borges & Fernando Pereira leg..

PARATYPES, PICO ISLAND: 280 specimens—Chão Verde Superior (T01) (Natural Forest Reserve of Mistério da Prainha), IX.1999 (4 exx), VII.2010 (1 ex.) (UTM 26S 388838, 4259774); Lagoa do Caiado - Euphorbias (T02) (Natural Forest Reserve of Lagoa do Caiado), IX.1999 (36 exx) (UTM 26S 390266, 4257172); Chão Verde Inferior (T03) (Natural Forest Reserve of Mistério da Prainha) IX.1999 (39 exx) (UTM 26S 388946, 4260693); Picos do Caveiro (T08) (Natural Forest Reserve of Caveiro), IX.1999 (6 exx), VII.2010 (23 exx) (UTM 26S 395274, 4255409); Caveiro Base (T09) (Natural Forest Reserve of Caveiro), IX.1999 (19 exx), VII.2010 (23 exx) (UTM 26S 394341, 4255080); Chão Verde Inferior Cima (T14) (Natural Forest Reserve of Mistério da Prainha), VII.2000 (8 exx) (UTM 26S 389041, 4260364); Chão Verde Superior Perpendicular (T15) (Natural Forest Reserve of Mistério da Prainha), VII.2000 (2 exx) (UTM 26S 389035, 4259508); Lagoa do Caiado—Frente a Lagoa (T16) (Natural Forest Reserve of Lagoa do Caiado), VIII.2000 (21 exx) (UTM 26S 390537, 4257057); Lagoa do Caiado—Frente a Euphorbias (T17) (Natural Forest Reserve of Lagoa do Caiado), VIII.2000 (28 exx) (UTM 26S 390661, 4257058); Caveiro, Prado (T20) (Natural Forest Reserve of Caveiro), VIII.2000 (1 ex) (UTM 26S 394533, 4255179); Caveiro, Morro (T21) (Natural Forest Reserve of Caveiro), VIII.2000 (47 exx) (UTM 26S 394055, 4255376); Caveiro, Meio da Reserva (T22) (Natural Forest Reserve of Caveiro), VIII.2000 (22 exx) (UTM 26S 396643, 4255074) (collected with pitfall traps; Paulo A. V. Borges et al. leg.).

FAIAL ISLAND: 142 specimens—Cabeço dos Trinta , IX.2009 (3 exx) (UTM 26S 348327, 4271670), Fernando Pereira, leg. ; Cabeço do Fogo (T03) ( Natural Forest Reserve of Cabeço do Fogo ), IX.2010 (1 ex) (UTM 26S 346239, 4272261); Caldeira do Faial (T10) (Natural Forest Reserve of Caldeira do Faial), IX.2010 (10 exx) (UTM 26S 351110, 4271917); Caldeira do Faial (TB26) (Natural Forest Reserve of Caldeira do Faial), IX.2010 (128 exx) (UTM 26S 350857, 4272272), (collected with pitfall traps; Paulo A. V. Borges et al. leg.).

SÃO JORGE ISLAND: 52 specimens—Ribeira Seca , VIII.2003 (32 exx) (UTM 26S 415675, 4273358) (collected by hand; Isabel R. Amorim & Paulo A. V. Borges leg.) ; Pico Pinheiro Inferior (T13) ( Natural Forest Reserve of Pico Pinheiro ), VIII.2004 (14 exx) (UTM 26S 409256, 4278677); Topo Euphorbia (T16) (Natural Forest Reserve of Topo), VIII.2004 (1 ex) (UTM 26S 422871, 4271075); Pico Pinheiro Erical (T09) (Natural Forest Reserve of Pico Pinheiro), IX.2010 (5 exx) (UTM 26S 408602, 4277888) (collected with pitfall traps; Paulo A. V. Borges et al. leg.).

Deposited at FCULC, SNM and DTPC.

Etymology. The species is named after the Azorean naturalist Francisco Arruda Furtado (1854–1887) who was one of the first Portuguese followers of the Darwin's theory of evolution.

Diagnosis ( Fig. 11 ). Small to medium species (2.60–4.24 mm; mean: 3.23± 0.41 mm); body dorsal surface uniform reddish to reddish-brown, antennae, mouth-parts and legs yellowish-brown; body arched (convex); pronotum small and narrower than elytra, transverse, On average 1.45 times as broad as long (1.29x to 1.62x), disc with dense, large rounded granules, each one with a yellowish long, thin, erect rigid long and sub-obtuse seta, with lateral sides slightly rounded and maximum width at middle ( Fig. 4 C). Differs from the most related species in some morphometrics (see Appendix S5), namely:

- differs from T. tornvalli in having smaller W elytra/pronotum and L elytra/pronotum ratios, and larger W/L elytra and W/L pronotum ratios; and

- differs from T. relictus sp. nov. by its larger size and in having smaller L elytra/ Lpronotum, W/L elytra and W/ L pronotum ratios.

Description. Body length of holotype: 3.18 mm; small to medium size (length 2.60–4.24 mm; mean: 3.23± 0.41 mm); width 1.42 mm – 2.17 mm (mean: 1.71± 0.20 mm), body convex and subquadrate-ovate, reddish or reddish-brown, setose, with rigid setae and large granules.

Head: Genae parallel; anterior clypeal margin straight; vertices protrude under the anterior margin of pronotum; surface brown or reddish brown, lighter in clypeus, with dense medium granules, except in clypeus which is more or less smooth, each one with one semi-erect fine hair-like seta slightly directed anteriorly; eyes clearly protruding, glabrous; antennae with segment II smaller than III, segment III 1.3x longer than IV, IV and V equal length, segments VII–IX as long as wide, compact club 2-segmented (segments X and XI); mouth-parts with mandibles brown, the other pieces lighter showing the general morphological pattern of the genus.

Pronotum: Transverse, on average 1.45 times as broad as long, but quite variable (1.29x to 1.62x); surface dark brown, lateral parts reddish, widened in the middle; in general, shape of pronotum as rounded as T. tornvalli (cf. Figs 7 and 11 ) anterior margin deeply bisinuate, anterior angles strongly protruding and acuminate; hind margin largely bisinuate, in middle broadly produced rearwards; lateral margins arcuate with two irregular rows of long, fine and acuminate setae (20–25 each one) ( Fig. 12 ), slightly or without sinuation just before the posterior angles which are prominent; disc with a clear median longitudinal sulcus, half latero-posterior region with a slight nodule; a distinct transverse channel just before the extreme base between the two lateral notches; lateral surface variable in terms of flatness; dorsal upper surface with dense distinct large rounded granules, gradually diminishing in diameter to the sides, each one with one rigid erect sub-obtuse yellowish or golden seta ( Fig. 12 ); ratios width pronotum/width elytra 0.91±0.03 and length pronotum/length elytra 0.58±0.05 (see Appendix S6).

Elytra: On average 0.92 times as broad as long, quite variable (0.84x to 1.09x); in general 1.10 times (mean) broader than pronotum, but less variable than in T. tornvalli (1.03x to 1.18x); disc reddish-brown, reddish laterally, convex, rugosely seriate-punctate, and wrinkled transversally on dorsal surface which is covered with dense granules each one with an erect rigid long and sub-obtuse yellowish or golden seta, with lateral sides slightly rounded and maximum width at middle ( Figs. 4 C and D); nodules or gibbosities very distinct with a pattern formula 2, 3, 2, 1, covered with setae more aggregate which confers a pom-pom appearance.

Ventral side. Prosternum as granulose as mesosternum and metasternum; grooves on anterior half of prosternal sides slightly present.

Legs. Tibia normal not expanded apically; tarsi 4-segmented, simple, first three tarsomeres of all legs and in both sexes covered ventrally with several very long hyaline fine setae.

Aedeagus: Similar to T. tornvalli (see Fig. 6 in Gillerfors 1985).

Bionomics. Most specimens were collected in pitfall traps ( Borges et al. 2005a), but also under the bark of endemic trees and under the bark of dead trunks of exotic trees ( Cryptomeria japonica ; Acacia sp.).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Bayesian inference tree for Tarphius beetles of the Azores based on 915 bp of nuclear DNA (Elongation Factor 1 alpha). Clade credibility values are shown for nodes with a posteror probability ± 0.95.

FIGURE 4. Details of setae in elytra for the species in complex “ tornvalli ”: T. tornvalli (restricted to São Miguel) (A); Tarphius relictus sp. nov. (restricted to Terceira) (B); and Tarphius furtadoi sp. nov. (restricted to São Jorge, Pico and Faial) with a specimen of São Jorge (C) and Faial (D). Scale 0.05 mm (Photos: Erno-Endre Gergely).

FIGURE 6. Details on the number of seta on the external row of the lateral margin of pronotum in the complex “ azoricuswollastoni-depressus ”: T. azoricus (restricted to São Miguel and Flores) (A); Tarphius wollastoni (restricted to Faial) (B); Tarphius gabrielae sp. nov. (restricted to Pico) (C); Tarphius floresensis sp. nov. (restricted to Flores) (D); and T. depressus (restricted to S. Maria) (E). Scales 0.25 mm (Photos: Erno-Endre Gergely).

FIGURE 11. Habitus of Tarphius furtadoi sp. nov.. Scale 0.5 mm. (Photo: Erno-Endre Gergely).

FIGURE 12. Detail on the number of seta on the external row of the lateral margin of pronotum in Tarphius furtadoi sp. nov.. Scale 0.25 mm (Photo: Erno-Endre Gergely).