Ora mediolineata ( Pic, 1928 ) Pic, 1928

Libonatti, María Laura, 2015, A revision of the genus Ora Clark, 1865 (Coleoptera: Scirtidae) in Argentina (part II) — redescriptions, updated distributions and a key to species, Zootaxa 3985 (1), pp. 69-97 : 82-85

Ora mediolineata ( Pic, 1928) comb. n.

( Figs. 13–17 , 79–92 )

Scirtes brevenotatus v. mediolineatus Pic, 1928: 9

Type material. Holotype: ♂ ( MNHN), “FÉVRIER” [white label, printed], “Républ. Argentine / CHACO DE SANTIAGO / DEL ESTERO. RIO DULCE ” [white label, printed], “ v. mediolineatus / Pic” [label handwritten by Pic], “ HOLOTYPUS / Scirtes brevenotatus / var. mediolineatus Pic, / 1928 ” [red label, printed].

Additional material studied. ARGENTINA: 1 ♀ (BR), “R EP. ARGENTINA / Gob. Chaco / XII 1894 / C. Bruch” [white label, printed]; 1 ♀ (BR), “R EP. ARGENTINA / Gob. Chaco / I. 1895 / C. Bruch” [white label, printed], “ Typus ” [green label, handwritten], “ Ora / brevenotata / var. Pic” [white label, handwritten by Bruch], “ Ora / brevenotata / Pic var.” [white label, handwritten by Pic]; 1 ♀ ( MACN), “PIQUETE S. FE / P – I – 27 / BRIDAROLLI S.J.” [white label, printed]; 1 ♀ (AC), prov. Buenos Aires, Punta Lara, feb 2004, malaise trap, leg. D. Carpintero; 1 ♀ ( MLLC), Chaco, ~ 200 m from PN Chaco, 18.i.2011, light trap, M. C. Michat; 3 ♂ ( MLLC), Corrientes, 28º 3’ 39” S 58º 9’ 32” W, 10.xii.2012, light trap, M. C. Michat & P. L. M. Torres; 3 ♂ ( MLLC), Corrientes, PN Mburucuyá, Aº Portillo, 28º 2’ 11” S 58º 6’ 33” W, 11.xii.2012, light trap, M. C. Michat & P. L. M. Torres; 1 ♀ ( MLLC), Corrientes, RN del Iberá, light trap, S. A. Mazzucconi.

Diagnosis. Body elliptical, broad, elytral color pattern composed of pale and dark vittae and an apical dark brown spot, elytra with three costulae ( Fig. 13 ); tegmen asymmetrical, with an apical left-handed digitiform outgrowth, a right-handed spiny region and minute setae throughout its length ( Figs. 85, 86 ); penis strongly asymmetrical, dorsal piece laminar with lateral margins straight, serrate and diverging posteriorly to the rounded apex, ventral piece with basal part almost straight and apical third curved ( Fig. 86 ); anterior part of bursal sclerite with a single large tooth, margin semicircularly notched; middle part with a pair of longer anterior teeth and a single shorter posterior tooth ( Fig. 92 ); prehensor chair-shaped ( Fig. 90 ).

Redescription. Measurements. Males (n = 7): TL 4.13–4.77 [4.36] (mean 4,31) mm, PL 0.73–0.88 [0.73] (mean 0.75) mm, PW 1.58–1.95 [1.85] (mean 1.79) mm, EL 3.47–4.14 [3.78] (mean 3.74), EW 2.51–2.97 [2.74] (mean 2.73) mm. Females (n = 5): TL 4.17–4.87 (mean 4.63) mm, PL 0.69–0.83 (mean 0.78) mm, PW 1.78–2.00 (mean 1.92) mm, EL 3.59–4.29 (mean 3.99), EW 2.59–3.21 (mean 2.86) mm.

Habitus. Eliptical, broad, maximum width at middle of elytra, closely covered with yellowish setae ( Figs. 13– 16 ).

Coloration. Head brown, clypeus and labrum brownish testaceous, mouthparts testaceous, antennomeres 2 and 3 light brown, antennomeres 1 and 4–11 brown. Pronotum brown, with margins, a medial longitudinal stripe and a pair of spots on the disc reddish testaceous. Scutellar shield brown, with margins reddish testaceous. Elytra with suture, lateral margin and several basal spots testaceous, disc with brown longitudinal stripes alternating with testaceous longitudinal stripes, apex dark brown. Ventral surface brownish testaceous, tibiae and the apical twothirds of hind femora brown.

Head. Rather wide, approximately 2.0x wider than interocular space, clypeal surface convex; punctation fine, dense, punctures separated by 0.5–1.0x diameter. Antennae filiform, with apical margins of antennomeres 4–10 not projected anteriorly, approximate ratio of antennomeres: 1.8: 1.0: 1.2: 1.8: 1.8: 2.0: 1.8: 1.8: 1.8, approximate L/W ratios of antennomeres: 2.0, 1.4, 2.0, 2.6, 2.6, 3.3, 2.6, 2.6, 2.6 (segments 10 and 11 missing in holotype). Mandibles with acute apex.

Thorax. Pronotum approximately 2.5x wider than long, anterolateral angles sharply projecting anteriorly, lateral margins rounded; punctation coarser than on head, punctures separated by 1.0–1.5x diameter. Scutellar shield with punctation similar to that on pronotum. Elytra depressed anterolaterally, humerus marked, lateral margins rounded, with three costulae, coincident with the testaceous stripes; punctation uniform, coarser than that on head, pronotum and scutellar shield, punctures separated by 1.0–2.0x diameter. Mesoventral process elongate, thin, apex truncate. Approximate length ratio of metatarsomere 1: dorsal metatibial spur: ventral metatibial spur: 3.3: 2.7: 1.0.

Abdomen. Completely covered with short yellowish setae except for a pair of glabrous regions on ventrites 2– 5 ( Figs. 79 , 87 ). Apex of ventrite 5 slightly concave.

Male terminalia and genitalia. Tergite 8 subtrapezoidal, posterior margin slightly arcuate, lateral margins straight, with apodemes converging posteriorly, a sclerotized cross-piece connecting apodemes, with setae near apical margin, long microtrichia along posterior margin and rows of minute microtrichia on lateral parts ( Fig. 81 ). Sternite 8 triangular, weakly sclerotized, more sclerotized along anterior margin ( Fig. 82 ). Tergite 9 more or less square-shaped, with a pair of apodemes converging posteriorly, posterior margin rounded, with tufts of microtrichia ( Fig. 83 ). Sternite 9 elongate, apically bilobed, with a pair of more o less parallel-sided sclerotized regions, almost meeting posteriorly, posterior margin with setae, central part with tufts of short microtrichia ( Fig. 84 ). Tegmen membranous, asymmetrical, with an apical left-handed digitiform outgrowth and a subapical spiny region protuding on the right-handed margin; microsculpture consisting of pores on the digitiform outgrowth, pores and minute setae throughout the medial part and rows of scale-like structures on the posterior part ( Fig. 85 ). Penis strongly asymmetrical, composed of two pieces: the dorsal piece with a long and broad laminar appendix, the lateral margins straight, diverging posteriorly, serrate, the apex rounded, the ventral surface furrowed, the dorsal surface crossed along by two narrow, pointed behind, strongly sclerotized strips; the ventral piece with a strongly sclerotized, relatively short and narrow appendix, with the basal part almost straight and the apical third curved ( Fig. 86 ).

Female genitalia. Anterior part of bursal sclerite with one tooth and semicircularly notched margin, middle part with a pair of anterior relatively long teeth and one posterior tooth ( Figs. 91, 92 ). Prehensor composed of two laminar sclerites, one on the ventral surface and the other on the dorsal surface, the dorsal sclerite bent 90°, forming a chair-like apical piece ( Figs. 89, 90 ).

Sexual dimorphism. Tergite 7 with posterior margin broadly rounded in males, parabolic in females, with a fringe of microtrichia along both posterolateral margins in males (absent in females), and with apodemes longer in females than in males ( Figs. 80 , 88 ).

Intraspecific variation. The elytral coloration varies as follows: 1) similar to that of the holotype, though with much darker brown stripes ( Fig. 14 ); 2) with some basal spots and very light longitudinal stripes ( Fig. 15 ); 3) almost completely yellowish except for the apical dark bown spot ( Fig. 16 ); and 4) almost completely brown with some testaceous basal spots ( Fig. 17 ).

Distribution. Argentina: Buenos Aires, Chaco, Corrientes, Santa Fe and Santiago del Estero Provinces.

Remarks. This species was originally described as a subspecies of Scirtes brevenotatus Pic, 1915 (ICZN, article 45.6). After examination of the holotype of both subspecies, several differences (see below) account for the recognition of mediolineatus at the species level. Moreover, in accordance with Champion (1918) who transferred Scirtes brevenotatus brevenotatus Pic, 1915 to Ora , Scirtes brevenotatus mediolineatus is herein transferred to the same genus. Ora mediolineata can be clearly distinguished from O. brevenotata on the basis of the following characters: the body size of O. mediolineata is smaller than that of O. brevenotata (TL 4.13–4.87 mm vs. 6.08 mm), three costulae present on each elytron (four costulae in O. brevenotata ) ( Libonatti 2014: fig. 81), tegmen with a subapical spiny region on the right-handed side (absent in O. brevenotata ) and a left-handed digitiform outgrowth (which is right-handed and less protruding in O. brevenotata ), tegmen with shorter setae distributed throughout its length (longer setae located only on the apical half in O. brevenotata ) ( Libonatti 2014: fig. 84), dorsal piece of penis laminar (not laminar in O. brevenotata ), lateral margins of penis spiny (not spiny in O. brevenotata ), apex of penis rounded (acutely pointed in O. brevenotata ) ( Libonatti 2014: fig. 82). On the other hand, O. mediolineata differs from O. sigmoidea and O. texana in the following features: tegmen with a spiny region on the right-handed margin (absent in the other two species), dorsal appendix of penis with the lateral margins straight, diverging posteriorly to the apex (in O. sigmoidea and O. texana the dorsal appendix is broadened in the middle, then the lateral margins converge posteriorly), apex of penis broadly rounded (obliquely truncate in O. sigmoidea , acutely rounded in O. texana ), ventral appendix of penis straight in its major part and slightly curved at apex (uniformly curved in O. sigmoidea ) ( Nyholm 1972: fig. 4A; Libonatti 2014: figs. 72, 73). Additionally, the anterior margin of the bursal sclerite of O. mediolineata exhibits a semicircular emargination (circular emargination in O. sigmoidea ), and the shape of the prehensor is remarkably distinct from that of O. sigmoidea ( Libonatti 2014: figs. 79, 80). Pic apparently noted the affinities between the female specimens in Bruch’s collection and O. brevenotata since the material in BR is labelled as a “variety” of that species.

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 25. Ora spp. from Argentina, habitus. 13 – 17, Ora mediolineata (Pic, 1928): 13, holotype, male; 14, female from RN del Iberá (Corrientes); 15 & 16, males from PN Mburucuyá; 17, female from PN Chaco; 18 & 19, O. platensis Brèthes, 1925: 18, holotype, male; 19, male from Reserva El Destino (Buenos Aires); 20 & 21, O. semibrunnea Pic, 1922: 20, holotype, male; 21, female from PN Pre-Delta (Entre Ríos); 22 – 25, O. wagneri (Pic, 1928): 22, holotype, male; 23, male from PN Chaco; 24 & 25, females from Estero Poí (Formosa).

FIGURES 79 – 86. Ora mediolineata (Pic), holotype, male. 79, abdomen, ventral aspect; 80, tergite 7; 81, tergite 8; 82, sternite 8; 83, tergite 9; 84, sternite 9; 85, tegmen, dorsal aspect; 86, aedeagus, ventral aspect.

FIGURES 87 – 92. Ora mediolineata (Pic), female. 87, abdomen, ventral aspect; 88, tergite 7; 89, genital organs (except ovaries), dorsal aspect; 90, prehensor, dorsal aspect; 91, bursal sclerite, dorsal aspect; 92, bursal sclerite, anterior aspect. Abbreviations: bsa: bursa, bscl: bursal sclerite, bsl: bursella, gla: accessory gland, prh: prehensor.