Phelister congruens, Caterino & Tishechkin, 2020

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2020, Recognition and revision of the Phelister blairi group (Histeridae, Histerinae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 1001, pp. 1-154 : 1

41. Phelister congruens sp. nov. Figs 25C, D , 26C, D , Map 15

Type material.

Holotype male: " Peru: Dept. Loreto, 1.5 km N Teniente Lopez - 2°35.66'S, 76°06.92'W [-2.5943, -76.1153], 18 July 1993, 210-240 m, Richard Leschen #119 ex:flight intercept trap" / "SEMC0903645 KUNHM-ENT" (SEMC). Paratypes (13): Colombia: Vaupes, Parco Nac. Mosiro-Itajura (Caparu), Centro Ambiental (-1.0667, -69.5167), 60 m, 1/20/03-1/30/03, FIT, D. Arias & M. Sharkey, EXO-03437 (AKTC, 1ex.); Peru: Loreto, Iquitos - Nauta rd., km 58, Rio Itaya (-4.2563, -73.4675), 120 m, 5/5/09-5/9/09, Window trap next to entrance into Eciton burchelli statary bivouac in a hollow tree, A.V. Petrov (AKTC, 2ex.); Ecuador: Orellana, Est. Cientifica Yasuní (-0.6744, -76.6472), 215 m, 9/5/99-9/10/99, FIT, primary forest, E. Riley (LSAM, 2ex.); Orellana, Est. Cientifica Yasuní (-0.6744, -76.6472), 7/12/08-7/24/08, FIT, A. Tishechkin (AKTC, 5 ex.); Orellana, Est. Cientifica Yasuní (-0.675, -76.4), 7/12/08-7/19/08, FIT, A. Tishechkin (AKTC & LSAM, 2ex.); Orellana, P.N. Yasuní, Via Maxus at Puente Piraña (-0.6583, -76.4333), 7/14/08-7/20/08, FIT, A. Tishechkin, EXO-03356 (AKTC, 1ex.).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.38-1.77 mm (avg. 1.56 mm); width: 1.22-1.58 mm (avg. 1.37 mm). Body elongate oval, convex, rufescent, with very conspicuous ground punctation, and no secondary punctation throughout; frons depressed along midline; supraorbital stria present, ends free; frontal stria complete; epistoma broad, with edges raised; labrum emarginate; left mandible with short, blunt basal tooth, that of right mandible small, acute; prescutellar impression semicircular, ~ twice as wide as scutellum; median pronotal gland openings obscured by ground punctation, but apparently present ~ 3/4 behind anterior pronotal margin, within a small elongate impunctate area, not distinctly annulate; marginal pronotal stria complete along lateral and anterior margins; submarginal stria absent; elytron with single, complete epipleural stria; outer subhumeral stria fine, present at base and apex, interrupted at middle, inner subhumeral absent; dorsal striae 1-5 complete, 5th arched to sutural, the sutural stria obsolete in basal one-sixth; propygidium with secondary punctures separated by ~ 1.5 × their diameters; pygidium with only few small secondary punctures along base; prosternal keel subtruncate at base, striae united at base and apex, secondary striae present along basal 1/2 of keel; prosternal keel and meso- & metaventral disks of male bearing very short scale-like setae; prosternal lobe short, with complete marginal stria; mesoventrite not, or only weakly produced, with complete marginal stria continued laterally by postmesocoxal stria to middle of lateral portion of metaventrite; mesometaventral stria arcuate across middle, reaching middle of mesoventrite, continued at sides by lateral metaventral stria; lateral metaventral stria extending from mesometaventral suture to near middle of metacoxa; metaventrite of male not depressed; 1st abdominal ventrite with complete inner displaced mediad, and partial outer lateral striae along inner margin of metacoxa; protibia with outer margin weakly dentate but strongly spinose, with five or six marginal spines, apical corner with shallow emargination (mediad apical spine); protarsi of male with ventral setae not flattened; mesotibia with rather long, fine marginal spines in apical 1/2, those of metatibia very fine to obsolete. Male: basal piece elongate, slightly> 1/3 length of tegmen; tegmen with sides unevenly subparallel in basal 3/4, abruptly narrowed to hooked apices; medioventral process present, projecting at basal 1/3 of tegmen, divided at middle; median lobe ~1/2 tegmen length, basal apodemes abruptly narrowed.

Etymology.

This species name is meant to contrast with the above ( P. incongruens ), given the similar, congruous, punctation of its pronotum and elytra.

Distribution.

This species is only known from a fairly small area in Amazonian Colombia, Ecuador and northeastern Peru.

Remarks.

This species can be readily identified by its consistently dense ground punctation, and lack of interspersed secondary punctures, at least on the pronotum and elytra, as well as the complete lack of submarginal pronotal stria. Its sexual dimorphism is also unique, with the male ventrites not depressed, but bearing very short scale-like setae. There is a surprising degree of size variation among individuals of this species, including among specimens from single localities. However, we can find no other significant characters in which they differ.

Figures

Map 15. Collecting records for Phelister congruens (white circles), P. praesignis (square), P. umens (stars), and P. almeidae (black circles).

Figure 25. A, B Phelister incongruens: A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D P. congruens: C dorsal habitus D ventral habitus E, F P. praesignis: E dorsal habitus F ventral habitus.

Figure 26. Male genitalia A, B Phelister incongruens: A aedeagus, dorsal B aedeagus, lateral C, D P. congruens: C aedeagus, dorsal D aedeagus, lateral E, F P. praesignis: E aedeagus, dorsal F aedeagus, lateral.