Saprositellus ariquemes Stebnicka, 2003

Stebnicka, Zdzisława Teresa, 2003, The Genus Saprositellus Balthasar, with Descriptions of Three New Neotropical Species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Odontolochini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 57 (4), pp. 451-457 : 453-455

Saprositellus ariquemes Stebnicka , new species

( Figs. 2 , 6–7 )

Description. Length 2.6–2.8 mm, greatest width 1.0 mm. Form ( Fig. 2 ) elongate oval, widest at apical third of elytra; color dark brown, legs reddish brown, surface microreticulate. Clypeus truncate anteriorly, edge on each side with 6–7 denticles, surface just above shining and here minutely transversely granulate; remaining surface of head with fine, very close, nearly contiguous punctures; frontal suture marked by slightly thickened line; gena small rounded. Pronotum strongly convex, side slightly arcuate, finely margined, lateral tooth acutely prominent, posterior angle excised, base sinuate, finely crenate with fine marginal line; pronotal disc with shallow longitudinal furrow and small fovea laterally, surface punctures everywhere very close, almost contiguous, rugose. Elytra distinctly arcuate, apex with minute setae visible under high magnification; base as wide as pronotal base, humeral denticle strong, directed upward; striae deep, slightly wider than intervals with deep, coarse punctures crenating inner margins of intervals, punctures separate each other by about 1/3 of their diameter; intervals carinate, microreticulate.

6) epipharynx; 7) male genitalia in lateral view; 8) S. peruanus n. sp., right posterior leg.

Ventral sclerites alutaceous, surface punctate, punctures gradually decreasing in size from mesosternum to penultimate sternite, generally separated by about one diameter; prosternal process widely triangular, punctate; mesosternum lower than metasternum, mestasternal midline shallow, lateral metasternal triangle marked by very shallow concavity; abdominal sternites finely fluted along sutures, punctate from side to side; disc of pygidium with fine punctures same size as those on penultimate sternite. Profemur wide, perimarginal groove deep, surface punctures same size as those of penultimate sternite; meso- and metafemora narrow, slender, posterior femoral lines strong, complete, posterior edge slightly sinuate; meso- and metatibiae as long as femora, slightly sinuate, minutely and scarcely setigerous; metatibia with fine external spine and seta-like apical spurs, tarsus short, segments subquadrate; basal tarsomere of metatarsus two times shorter than upper tibial spur and equal in length to second tarsomere. Epipharyngeal structures as in Figure 6 .

In the male, the penultimate abdominal sternite is shorter than in the female, and the disc of pygidium longer; genitalia as in Figure 7 .

Affinity. The new species is most similar to Saprositellus denticulatus , but differs from that species by having the pronotal punctures denser and pronotal base margined, the elytral humeral denticles significantly larger and the elytral striae wider, with coarser punctures.

Type Material. Holotype male ( FSCA), ‘‘ Brazil, Rondonia, 62 km SW Ariquemes nr Fzda Rancho Grande , 8–20.XI.1994, black light, J. Eger & C. O’Brien . Paratype female, same data as holotype’’ ( FSCA) . Paratype male ‘‘ Bolivia, Santa Cruz, Buena Vista 380 m elev., 7.27S, 63.39W, 20.II.1998, light trap, L. Stange’ ’ ( ISEA) .

Etymology. Derived from the name of type locality ‘‘Ariquemes.’’

Figures

Figs. 1–4. 1) Saprositellus denticulatus Balthasar, habitus; 2–4) left half of body; 2) S. ariquemes n. sp.; 3) S. santaritae n. sp. 4) S. peruanus n. sp.

Figs. 5–8. Saprositellus denticulatus Balthasar, right posterior leg; 6–7) S. ariquemes n. sp.;