Leptinopterus assimilis Grossi

Grossi, Paschoal Coelho, 2009, Description of two new species of Leptinopterus Hope (Coleoptera: Lucanidae: Lucaninae) with notes on the taxonomy and natural history of the genus, Zootaxa 2172, pp. 32-44 : 40-42

Leptinopterus assimilis Grossi new species

( Figs. 2, 4 , 5 , 18 , 19, 20)

Type material. Holotype male labeled (dissected): Brasil Paraná, Piraquara, Mananciais da Serra, 23-XI- 2005, 1000 m, P. L. Pastori col. Allotype female labeled: Data as holotype except for 24-29-X-2005, L. C. Rocha Filho col., Arm. Emergência. Two paratypes labeled: Same data as holotype and allotype except X- 2005, P. C. Grossi col. Both paratypes are fragments of males; one paratype consists of a head and the other is an almost complete body, lacking antennal funicle, tarsi, and abdomen (with the remaining parts all glued together).

Holotype and allotype ex EPGC deposited at Coleção de Entomologia Pe. J. S. Moure, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil ( DZUP). Paratypes at EPGC, Nova Friburgo, Brazil.

Holotype description. Body somewhat elongate, dorsally slightly convex. Length: 27.0 mm. Width (pronotum): 8.0 mm Color: Almost totally brown; mandibles, head and pronotum darker; margins, legs, and venter dark brown. Ve st it ur e: Dorsal surface of pronotum and elytra setose; setae light yellow, simple, denser on lateral edges. Head: Shape transverse, 1.4 times wider than long; anterior margin depressed, somewhat elongate and concave. Surface microgranulate, disc weakly concave; laterally slightly convex. Frons widely excavated; excavation as wide as third of head. Around excavation, posteriorly finely punctate; punctures fine. Anterior sides with a black spot on each side. Anterior angles round, somewhat projected above mandibles. Ocular canthi angled; angles straight, laterally slightly rounded, protruding into eyes until first third. Gena surface granulate, sparsely punctate; punctures fine, becoming large anteriorly. Antennae with scattered setae on each antennomere. Club with apical antennomere rounded, glabrous basally, from middle to apex tomentose; two proximal club antennomeres less tomentose, transversely elongated, not round. Mandibles elongate, two times longer than head, apparently symmetric, flattened; basal tooth bifid, the left one widely, above it a short conical tooth; apical fourth with an elongated clearly bifid tooth, above it with an acutely backward-turned tooth; apex acute, incurved. Labrum transverse, roundly expanded at middle and with transverse row of setae. Mentum transverse, trapezoidal; surface granulate, anteriorly punctate, setose; punctures moderate, coarse, setae exceeding anterior margin. Pronotum: Form transverse, 1.84 times wider than long; disc almost smooth, finely punctate; punctures fine; near sides surface granulate and setose; punctures moderate, large. Anterior margin weakly projected, almost round; border incomplete. Anterior angles round; lateral angles obtuse; posterior angles acute and somewhat backwards pointed. Each side with an elongate black spot near median angles. Scutellum: Shape round. Surface totally covered by long, light yellow setae. Elytra: Shape elongate, approximately 1.3 times longer than head and pronotum together, dorsally convex, setose and finely punctate; punctures fine becoming bigger anteriorly, setae denser at borders, longer than puncture diameter. Elytral suture dark brown. Legs: Protibiae with three external teeth, proximally serrate until base. Mesotibiae and metatibiae disarmed with external apex acutely pointed, more so on mesotibiae. Arolia with two simple bristles. Genitalia: Form simple. Genital capsule similar to those of other Lucaninae species. Aedeagus symmetric ( Figs. 18–19 ); everted internal sac as long as aedeagus; paired papillae flat. Median lobe ( Fig. 20 ) with a bifurcate projection at middle; laterally with four folds, the third deeper.

Allotype female description. As male in general aspects as vestiture and coloration. Length: 13.0 mm. Width: 7.3 mm. Color: Somewhat dark. Vestiture: Setae yellowish white. Head: Shape less transverse, nearly quadrate, 0.41 times wider than long. Surface totally punctate, anteriorly by deep coarse punctures with a strong ridged appearance among punctures; punctures setose. Near lateral and posterior margins with smaller punctures, moderate, large. Anterior and lateral margins black. Vertex slightly concave. Supra-antennal brow darkened, distinct and round. Anterior angles less projected and not above mandibles. Canthi weakly expanded, rounder and with straight external sides, protruding into eyes until first fifth. Mandibles smaller than head, wide, with apex truncate; internally with one bifid tooth on each; apical tooth acute and internally directed. Dorsal furrow shallow, moderately punctate; punctures moderate. Longitudinal carinae visible, internal carina incomplete just before apex; external carina complete, ending apically. Labrum elongate, somewhat triangular with coarse to coalescent setose punctures. Mentum transverse and totally coarsely punctate. Pronotum: Shape more rounded and more convex. Lateral borders crenulate. Surface with larger punctures laterally. Anterior angles acute; median angles nearly round. Elytra: Shape somewhat shorter, 1.53 times longer than both head and pronotum together. Legs: Protibiae wider and strongly externally dentate with 5 teeth. Mesotibiae with 1 large external tooth, above it another smaller tooth. Metatibiae with very small, median tooth, almost absent.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Greek a - meaning ‘not’ and from the Latin similis meaning ‘like’ in reference to the male mandibles, which are different from all the other species of the genus.

Remarks. The holotype male was found dead on the ground and is lacking some appendages such as the right antennal funicle, 4–5 tarsomeres of the right middle leg, and 2–5 tarsomeres of right fore leg. The only known female was collected accidentally with an emergence trap used to collect bees on the ground. The other specimens are two male fragments collected at the foot of a Baccharis sp. shrub, indicating that this species is probably attracted by the sap of this species of Asteraceae . Leptinopterus assimilis has a very characteristic mandibular shape in males not found in any other species of the genus with a tooth between the bifurcate subapical tooth and the apex. Only very large males of L. nitidus ( Fig. 8 ) approach this condition but with a much smaller tooth. The condition of a bifurcate tooth near the mandibular apex is also found in L. tibialis (Eschscholtz) ( Fig. 7 ), L. erythrocnemus (Burmeister) , L. femoratus (Olivier) ( Fig. 6 ), L. nitidus Lüderwaldt , and in L. affinis Parry , but in the three first species the mandibles are asymmetrical. The new species is most similar to L. affinis and L. nitidus , with which it shares the symmetry of mandibles, however L. assimilis has a setose body in both sexes while the other two species are almost glabrous. They are sympatric and have been collected in the same orographic region in southern Brazil.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Dorsal habitus of Leptinopterus species: 1 and 3) L. asketus, male and female; 2 and 4) L. assimilis, male and female.

FIGURES 5 – 8. Left mandible of male majors of four species of Leptinopterus: 5) L. assimilis; 6) L. femoratus; 7) L. tibialis; 8) L. nitidus.

FIGURES 15 – 20. Ventral and lateral views of the aedeagus of the new species and ventral view of median lobe: 15 and 16) Aedeagus of L. asketus; 18 and 19) Aedeagus of L. assimilis. (Figs. 15 and 18, setae and apex of internal sac omitted). Scale bar = 1 mm. 17) Ventral view of median lobe of L. asketus; 20) Ventral view of median lobe of L. assimilis. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.