Protoconnus maximus, Jałoszyński, 2018

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2018, Revision of the Neotropical genus Protoconnus Franz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4392 (1), pp. 41-82 : 69-70

Protoconnus maximus sp. n.

( Figs 53 , 70–71 , 101 )

Type material. Holotype: COSTA RICA (Puntarenas Province): ♂, two labels: " COSTA RICA: Divisoria de aguas, / Camino a Valle del Silencio, PILA, / 2545m, 9.091788, -82.977760, / 28 junio al 5 de julio 2012, / Col: Cuiquez. Mantillo. Lote#104821" [white, printed], " PROTOCONNUS / maximus m. / P. JAŁOSZYŃSKI, 2018 / HOLOTYPUS" [red, printed] (ZMUC). Paratypes (7 exx.): 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, same data as for the holotype; (ZMUC, cPJ; all paratypes with standard yellow "Paratypus" labels).

Diagnosis. BL 1.18–1.23 mm; body stout, elytra 1.64–1.78 times as broad as strongly transverse pronotum; frons in male between supraantennal tubercles narrow and flat; vertex weakly convex, its posterior margin rounded; pronotal base with small but distinct pits and distinct groove; lateral pronotal carinae distinct and sharp in posterior half; humeral carinae indistinct, rounded; aedeagus in ventral view with very broad basal capsule gradually narrowed distally, distal region broad, longer than basal capsule and with rapidly narrowed, elongate, parallel-sided and apically rounded apical portion, which is slender in lateral view; parameres short and in lateral view strongly recurved.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 53 ) strongly convex, dark brown, covered with setae distinctly lighter than cuticle; BL 1.19–1.23 mm (mean 1.20 mm).

Head broadest at large, strongly convex and coarsely faceted eyes, HL 0.20 mm, HW 0.25–0.26 mm (mean 0.25 mm); tempora as long as about half of the longest diameter of eye; vertex weakly convex, posterior margin rounded and laterally confluent with rounded tempora; frons between large supraantennal tubercles narrow but not impressed. Punctures on frons and vertex inconspicuous; setae short, sparse and suberect. Antennae slender, AnL 0.50–0.53 mm (mean 0.51 mm), shorter than half BL, club distinctly delimited; antennomeres I–II about twice as long as broad, III–VIII each about as long as broad, IX and X each strongly transverse, XI much longer than X, 1.2 × as long as broad.

Pronotum strongly transverse, nearly semicircular, broadest at base; PL 0.26–0.30 mm (mean 0.28 mm), PW 0.34–0.35 mm (mean 0.35 mm). Anterior and posterior margins weakly convex, lateral margins strongly rounded in anterior third and weakly so in posterior half; lateral carinae distinct and sharp in posterior half; transverse antebasal groove and five pits distinct. Punctures on pronotal disc fine and shallow but dense; setae sparse, short, suberect.

Elytra much more convex than pronotum, oval, broadest in front of middle; EL 0.70–0.75 mm (mean 0.73 mm), EW 0.58–0.60 mm (mean 0.59 mm), EI 1.21–1.30; humeral carinae indistinct and rounded. Punctures slightly more distinct than those on pronotum but still fine and superficial; setae moderately dense and long, suberect.

Legs moderately long and slender, unmodified.

Aedeagus ( Figs 70–71 ) moderately slender; AeL 0.25 mm; in ventral view basal capsule slightly shorter than distal region, strongly narrowed distad; distal region laterally confluent with sides of basal capsule, broad, subtriangular with apical portion rapidly narrowed, parallel-sided and narrowly rounded at apex, in lateral view distal half slightly curved dorsad; in lateral view area above parameral bases forming a large projection with bifid apex; parameres slightly divergent distad, in lateral view strongly recurved, each with one apical and one subapical seta of similar lengths.

Female similar to male but with distinctly smaller eyes; tempora about as long as eyes. BL 1.18–1.23 mm (mean 1.21 mm); HL 0.20 mm, HW 0.25 mm, AnL 0.50–0.53 mm (mean 0.52 mm); PL 0.28 mm, PW 0.35 mm; EL 0.70–0.75 mm (mean 0.73 mm), EW 0.58–0.60 mm (mean 0.59 mm), EI 1.22–1.25 mm (mean 1.24 mm).

Distribution. Eastern Costa Rica ( Fig. 101 ).

Etymology. The name maximus refers to the large body of this species.

Remarks. Protoconnus maximus has large adults that can be easily identified on the basis of their dark pigmentation and the unique shape of the aedeagus, which in ventral view has its apical portion strongly elongate and rounded at apex.

Figures

FIGURE 101. Distribution of nominal Protoconnus species.

FIGURES 48–53. Dorsal habitus of Protoconnus species. Protoconnus quillabambanus sp. n. (48); P. ecuadoranus sp. n. (49); P. napoanus sp. n. (50); P. impressifrons sp. n. (51); P. angustus sp. n. (52); P. maximus sp. n. (53).

FIGURES 68–75. Aedeagi of Protoconnus species. Protoconnus angustus sp. n. (68–69); P. maximus sp. n. (70–71); P. acutus sp. n. (72–73); P. minusculus sp. n. (74–75).