Selenophorus opalinus LeConte

Shpeley, Danny, Hunting, Wesley & Ball, George E., 2017, A taxonomic review of the Selenophori group (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Harpalini) in the West Indies, with descriptions of new species and notes about classification and biogeography, ZooKeys 690, pp. 1-195 : 70

Selenophorus opalinus LeConte Figs 40B, 43 D–F, 44B, 48

Selenophorus iripennis LeConte, 1848: 389 [not Say]. Secondary homonym of Selenophorus iripennis Say, 1823 = Amblygnathus iripennis (Say); see Ball and Maddison 1987: 206. TYPE MATERIAL: 8 syntypes in LeConte Collection (MCZC). LECTOTYPE, labelled: // orange disc]// //242// //Type/ 5922 [red paper]// //H. (S.) opalinus/ Lec/ iripennis Lec [handwritten]//.

Harpalus opalinus LeConte, 1863: 13. Replacement name for Harpalus iripennis (LeConte, 1848).

Selenophorus opalinus ; TYPE MATERIAL: see above.- Gemminger and Harold 1868: 266.- Putzeys 1878a: 62.- Csiki 1932: 1199.- Lindroth 1968: 824.- Ball 1992: 84, 85.- Peck and Thomas 1998: 22.- Lorenz 1998: 356.- Lorenz 2005: 377.- Bousquet 2012: 1144.

Type area.

Original citation “Carolina” and New York. Restricted to “Carolina” by Lindroth (1968: 824).

Diagnosis.

This species is readily separated from the only two members of the opalinus species group with which it may be sympatric. Specimens of S. fabricii have the elytral striae widened preapically, and specimens of S. propinquus have the tibiae darkened preapically. Specimens of S. opalinus have the striae the same width from the base of the elytron to the apex and the tibiae are unicolorous, not darkened apically.

Descriptive notes.

Data for SBL in Table 1. Habitus as in Fig. 40B. Clypeus and labrum with anterior margin of each shallowly concave. Antennae, mouthparts and legs testaceous to rufo-testaceous. Dorsal and ventral surfaces rufo-brunneous to piceous. Elytra with moderate to brilliant iridescence, varying with angles to light source. Ventral surface with moderate iridescence. Head, pronotum and elytra shiny, without microlines visible at 100 ×. Pronotum with posteriolateral angles rounded; posteriolateral impressions and laterally near the bead finely punctate, each puncture bearing a short, fine seta. Base of elytra, intervals 8 and 9 and apical portion of elytra with short, fine pubescence. Elytral striae impunctate, except the standard setigerous punctures in striae 2, 5 and 7. Intervals with fine micro-punctures. Males with two terminal setae and females with four terminal setae near the posterior margin on sternum VII.

Male genitalia. Fig. 43 D–F. Apical portion of phallic median lobe symmetrically broadly rounded in dorsal/ventral aspect, extreme apex curved ventrad; endophallus without spines or darkened microtrichial fields; without lamina; ostium anopic. Ventral surface of distal 1/3 of shaft with two sharp ridges to apex.

Ovipositor and female reproductive tract. Fig. 44B. Gonocoxite 2 moderately thick, moderately falcate. Bursa copulatrix moderately long; moderately long spermatheca (sp), with basal swelling, originating near base of common oviduct; moderately long spermathecal gland duct (spgd) originating just above basal swelling of spermatheca. Spermathecal gland (spg) long, sausage-like, bulbous swelling of duct basad gland.

Geographical distribution.

Fig. 48. This mainland species is recorded in the West Indies only from South Bimini Island of the Bahamas.

Chorological affinities and relationships.

The range of this species is overlapped only by the range of S. fabricii within the opalinus species group. Relationships of S. opalinus are not postulated beyond species group membership.

Material examined.

In addition to type material, we have seen a total of 23 specimens (8 males, 15 females). See Appendix for details.