Nyctelia blapoides Fairmaire

Flores, Gustavo E., 2009, Revision of some types of the South American tribes Nycteliini, Praocini, and Scotobiini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), with new synonymies, Zootaxa 1985, pp. 21-33 : 30-31

Nyctelia blapoides Fairmaire

( Fig. 18 )

Nyctelia blapoides Fairmaire, 1905: 293 ; Gebien, 1910: 142 (cat.); Bruch, 1915: 265 (cat.); Gebien, 1937: 747 (cat.); Blackwelder, 1945: 518 (cat.); Kulzer, 1963: 43 (rev.); Flores 1997: 9 (list).

Redescription. Length 18–23 mm. Body black, antennae and legs black. Head. Clypeus with abundant, large punctures each with a central, short seta, separated by a distance much greater than diameter of one puncture, with two lateral depressions; clypeal suture shallow; frons with sparse small punctures, each with a central, short seta; antennae reaching 3/4 of lateral margin of pronotum. Thorax. Pronotum glabrous, surface with abundant large and small punctures separated by a distance much greater than diameter of one puncture, anterior margin conspicuous, with flange, lateral margin concave, edged, with a finer groove on internal surface, pronotum widest at mid-point, posterior angles not overlapping elytral humeri ( Fig. 18 ); proepisternum with sparse or abundant long setae; prosternal process vaulted, extended over mesosternum. Elytra oval, arched, without terminal apophysis, suture sunken only on anterior quarter or along its length, with two adjacent elevated, smooth, longitudinal areas along the length of elytra; with 7–9 shallow, almost straight, transverse grooves, oblique towards apex, forming an acute angle with suture, reaching elytral middle, intervals wide, convex ( Fig. 18 ); lateral margin thick, straight, with edge, crenulated, not marked by transverse grooves; dorsal surface with small, sparse protuberances only on the external half, on the intervals; pseudopleuron vaulted, with small protuberances on entire surface; epipleuron smooth, glabrous, conspicuously edged only on anterior half, anterior quarter four times as wide as posterior half. Legs. Profemora without a tuft of setae on dorsal surface, without row of setae on ventral surface; meso- and metafemora almost glabrous; meso- and metatibiae crenulated.

Type material. Lectotype (designated by Flores 2007): [Rca. Argentina / Gob. Rio Negro/ 7-II-1898 / C. Bruch] [Typus] [ Nyctelia / blapoides / Tipo Fairm. (handwritten by Bruch)] [ Nyctelia (cut, with remainings)/ blapoides / Fm. n. sp. (handwritten by Fairmaire)] [Lectotypus / Nyctelia / blapoides / Fairmaire, 1905 / Des. G. Flores 2006] ( MACN).

Other material examined. ARGENTINA: Chubut: Dto. Biedma: Cerro Avanzado, 17 Km S Puerto Madryn, 11-X-1997, D. Rojas Lanús, 14 ( IADIZA), 18-X-1997, D. Rojas Lanús, 2 ( IADIZA), 24-X-1997, D. Rojas Lanús, 3 ( IADIZA), 1-XI-1997, D. Rojas Lanús, 3 ( IADIZA), Sierra Grande, 10-III-1998, D. Rojas Lanús, 1 ( IADIZA); Dto. Paso de Indios: Los Adobes, 3-I-1998, D. Rojas Lanús, 2 ( IADIZA).

Distribution. Eastern Rio Negro and northeastern Chubut provinces of Argentina, in the biogeographic provinces Patagonia and Monte ( Cabrera & Willink 1980).

Figures

FIGURES 18 – 19. 18. Nyctelia blapoides, lectotype; 19. N. kulzeri, holotype.