Phelister chabooae, 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

32. Phelister chabooae sp. nov. Fig. 19E, F , Map 12

Type material.

Holotype female: " Peru: Madre de Dios, CICRA Field Stn., ~ 2 km NW cafeteria res. plot. 12.55236°S, 70.10989°W, 295 m, Flight intrcept. 11-13.vi.2010, Chaboo Team PER-11-FIT-019" / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-03628" (SEMC).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 2.56 mm; width: 2.13 mm. Body elongate oval, slightly flattened, rufescent; ground punctation fine, with very few, larger secondary punctures; head with supraorbital stria weakly connected to frontal stria at sides; frontal stria complete, slightly recurved at middle; epistoma with sides and apical margin subcarinate; labrum with apex emarginate; left mandible lacking basal tooth, right mandible with very small basal tooth; pronotum broad, with secondary punctures more numerous toward prescutellar area, prescutellar impression small, poorly defined; median pronotal gland openings small, non-annulate, approximately 1/3 from anterior margin; lateral submarginal stria complete, strongly impressed; anterior margin weakly produced behind head; elytron with single, complete epipleural stria; outer subhumeral stria complete, crenulate; inner subhumeral stria absent; dorsal striae 1-5 and sutural stria complete, the 4th arched to base of sutural stria, all striae appearing as series of connected punctures, the punctures alternating sides of the connecting line; propygidium with sparse secondary punctures mostly in basal 1/2; pygidium narrowed to apex, bluntly acute, lacking secondary punctures; prosternal keel deeply emarginate at base, somewhat broad, striae subparallel, connected in front, posteriorly divergent; prosternal lobe deflexed, rounded, with complete marginal stria; mesoventrite with strong median projection; marginal mesoventral stria complete, continued by postmesocoxal stria to mesepimeron; mesometaventral stria angulate at middle, reaching anterior third of mesoventrite, continued by lateral metaventral stria to middle of metacoxa; metaventrite and anterior 1/2 of abdominal ventrite one with dense secondary punctures; abdominal ventrite one with incomplete lateral stria along inner edge of metacoxa; protibia weakly expanded, with outer edge rounded and strongly dentate, with ~ 8 marginal spines; protarsal ventral setae expanded, leaf-like; meso- and metatibiae not distinctly expanded, with numerous long marginal spines; meso- and metatarsi slender, with long ventral spines.

Etymology.

We name this species for Dr. Caroline Chaboo, in recognition of her exceptional work on documenting the beetle fauna of Peru.

Distribution.

This species is only known from the type locality in Madre de Dios, Peru.

Remarks.

This species may represent a connection between this group of Phelister and the recently described genus Crenulister ( Caterino and Tishechkin 2014). We have debated whether it belongs there, lacking a few characters of that genus (and lacking confirmation from male genitalia). It shares some characters, including the broadly rounded and moderately flattened body form, the strongly spinose tibiae, the more conspicuous secondary punctures along the posterior portion of the pronotal disk, the broadly crenulate elytral striae, and the spatulate tarsal setae (not restricted to males). However, it differs from most of them in lacking a pygidial stria, lacking an inner subhumeral elytral stria, and having the middle of the anterior pronotal margin rather distinctly produced over the head. For now, we describe this distinct species in Phelister , and recognize that the relationships between these genera requires further examination.

Figures

Map 12. Collecting records for Phelister geijskesi (circles), P. fraternus (squares), P. conjunctus (star), P. striatinotum (inverted triangles), and P. chabooae (upright triangle).

Figure 19. A, B Phelister fraternus: A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D P. conjunctus: C dorsal habitus D ventral habitus E, F P. chabooae: E dorsal habitus F ventral habitus G, H P. striatinotum: G dorsal habitus H ventral habitus.