Protoconnus inexpectatus, Jałoszyński, 2018

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2018, Revision of the Neotropical genus Protoconnus Franz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4392 (1), pp. 41-82 : 78-79

Protoconnus inexpectatus sp. n.

( Figs 85 , 88–89 , 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 / inexpectatus m. / P. JAŁOSZYŃSKI, 2018 / HOLOTYPUS " [red, printed] ( ZMUC). Paratype: 1 ♂, same data as for the holotype, with a standard yellow " Paratypus " label (cPJ).

Diagnosis. BL 1.03–1.04 mm; body slender, elytra 1.73–1.80 times as broad as pronotum, which is as long as broad; frons in male between supraantennal tubercles narrow and flat; vertex convex, its posterior margin rounded; pronotal base with distinct pits and groove; lateral pronotal carinae distinct in posterior third; humeral carinae indistinct, rounded; aedeagus in ventral view with oval basal capsule and conspicuously broad distal region, which is slightly narrower than basal capsule, apical margin weakly convex.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 85 ) strongly convex, brown, covered with setae distinctly lighter than cuticle; BL 1.03–1.04 mm.

Head broadest at very large, strongly convex and coarsely faceted eyes, HL 0.16–0.18 mm, HW 0.23 mm; tempora in lateral view barely marked; vertex strongly convex, posterior margin rounded; frons between supraantennal tubercles narrow, flat. Punctures on frons and vertex inconspicuous; setae short, sparse and suberect. Antennae slender, AnL 0.50 mm, as long as half BL, club distinctly delimited; antennomere I 2.5 × as long as broad, II twice as long as broad, III–X each slightly to strongly transverse, XI much longer than X, as long as broad.

Pronotum as long as broad, subtrapezoidal, with parallel sides in posterior 2/3; PL 0.25–0.28 mm, PW 0.25– 0.28 mm Anterior margin nearly straight, lateral margins weakly rounded in anterior third and straight in posterior half, posterior margin shallowly bisinuate; lateral carinae distinct in posterior third; 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 0.58–0.63 mm, EW 0.45–0.48 mm, EI 1.21–1.39; humeral carinae indistinct and rounded. Punctures and setae similar to those on pronotum.

Legs moderately long and slender, unmodified.

Aedeagus ( Figs 88–89 ) stout; AeL 0.18 mm; in ventral view basal capsule about as long as distal region, oval; distal region laterally delimited from sides of basal capsule by stepwise broadening, with shallow constriction and slightly broadened apex, slightly narrower than basal capsule, with apical margin indistinctly rounded, in lateral view distal half evenly curved dorsad; in lateral view area above parameral bases forming a short subtriangular projection; parameres slightly divergent distad, each with one short apical and one long subapical seta.

Female unknown.

Distribution. Eastern Costa Rica ( Fig. 101 ).

Etymology. The name refers to an unexpectedly broad aedeagus found in males that externally do not differ from 'typical' Protoconnus species.

Remarks. Although P. inexpectatus has the aedeagus similarly broad as that of P. volcanbaru , it clearly differs in external characters, especially proportions of the antennae and other body parts (cf. Figs 84, 85 ).

Figures

FIGURE 101. Distribution of nominal Protoconnus species.

FIGURES 84–85. Dorsal habitus of Protoconnus species. Protoconnus volcanbaru sp. n. (84); P. inexpectatus sp. n. (85).

FIGURES 86–89. Aedeagi of Protoconnus species. Protoconnus volcanbaru sp. n. (86–87); P. inexpectatus sp. n. (88–89).