Notaepytus tarsalis (Lacordaire) Skelley, 2009

Skelley, Paul E., 2009, Pleasing fungus beetles of the West Indies (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae), Insecta Mundi 2009 (82), pp. 1-94 : 78-79

Notaepytus tarsalis (Lacordaire) , new combination

Figure 156-158

Ischyrus tarsalis Lacordaire 1842: 106 ~ Dejean 1836: 428; Dejean 1837: 452 [both Dejean citations are nomina nuda attributed to Mannerheim, from “S. Domingue”]; Crotch 1876: (57)433 [as synonym of E. tarsatus ]; Blackwelder 1945: 465.

Epytus tarsalis (Lacordaire) ~ Alvarenga 1994: 18; Perez-Gelabert 2008: 108.

Diagnosis. This species is diagnosed by: small and weakly defined apical orangish marks of the elytra only ( Fig. 156 ), a short metasternum, greatly reduced wings, weak strial punctation, and weakly dull dorsal surface.

Description. Length: 9.4 mm; width: 4.7 mm. Body elongate, somewhat robust; surface microreticulate, weakly dulled. Color dark-brown to black except as noted: antennal club, palpi, and tarsi red-brown; central pronotal disc with faint red-brown central mark; elytral apex with distinct orangish mark, no subapical mark.

Head interocular width = 4 x ocular width; vertex and epistome finely punctate, obscured in microreticulation; epistome anterior margin shallowly concave. Eye facets moderate in size. Antennomere III length = 4 x width, length = length of antennomeres IV+V combined; antennomeres IV-VIII gradually decreasing in length, each with length = 2.5-3.0 x width; antennomere IX triangular, length = width; antennomere XI subcircular. Terminal maxillary palpomere triangular, slightly asymmetrical, slightly wider than long. Terminal labial palpomere triangular, asymmetrical, width = 2 x length, expanded medially, width = 1.2 x terminal maxillary palpomere.

Pronotum transverse, distinctly narrowed anteriorly; anterior angles acute; anterior margin evenly arched across width; punctures on disc indistinct in microreticulation; small group of larger punctures at each side of base, puncture size = an ocular facet diameter. Scutellum pentagonal, length = 0.5 x width. Elytral striae punctures weakly impressed near base, obscured toward apex; intervals with punctures absent; base lacking marginal bead. Wings reduced to strips.

Prosternum convex, length = 2.5 x intercoxal width; sternal punctures fine and obscure; sternal lines continuous around coxal cavity; base truncate. Mesosternal lines slightly divergent anteriorly, not continuous around coxal cavity. Metasternum short, distance between meso- and metacoxae = 1.1 x intermesocoxal width; anterior lines strongly impressed, weak medially; not continuous around mesocoxal cavity, with short coxal line; lacking punctures. Abdomen with coxal lines not meeting medially; not continuous around metacoxal cavity, with short coxal line; punctures obscured. Male unknown.

Distribution. Found on Hispaniola ( Haiti).

Type Material. Lacordaire (1842: 106) stated Ischyrus tarsalis , “Il se trouve à Haïty.” and cited “Mannerheim in Dej. Cat., ed. 3. p. 452.” Lacordaire studied Dejean’s collection, often validating Dejean’s nomina nuda. Because of this close relationship, type material of Ischyrus tarsalis was sought in the Dejean collection. Lacordaire made no indication of how many specimens were studied. To fix the identity of the species to a single specimen and stabilize the nomenclature, the female specimen in the Dejean collection ( Fig. 156-158 ) with found over a label “ Ischyrus tarsalis Haity, Lac. Mann. Dej. ” is here designated as the lectotype of I. tarsalis . The specimen possesses the following label data: “/ [green paper] Mannerheim / [red paper] LECTOTYPE Ischyrus tarsalis Lacordaire , des. P. E. Skelley 2008 /” ( MRSN).

Remarks. Notaepytus tarsalis is most similar in color pattern and general body shape to N. neibaensis , but differs in pronotal shape and development of elytral strial punctures as stated in the key. Unfortunately, N. tarsalis i s only known by a unique female whose everted genitalia are broken. There are enough external characters available to distinguish N. tarsalis from N. neibaensis , thus they are considered herein as distinct species.

Nomenclaturally, there has been confusion between the names “ tarsalis ” and “ tarsatus ”, which is discussed further under N. tarsatus .

Figures

Figure 156-161. Lectotypes and labels. 156-158) Lectotype Ischyrus tarsalis Lacordaire, dorsal habitus with label, ventral habitus and head and pronotum. 159-161) Lectotype Oocyanus tarsatus Lacordaire dorsal habitus, ventral habitus and labels.