Araeodontia picta Barr, 1952a

Burke, Alan & Zolnerowich, Gregory, 2017, A taxonomic revision of the subfamily Tillinae Leach sensu lato (Coleoptera, Cleridae) in the New World, ZooKeys 179, pp. 75-157 : 89-91

Araeodontia picta Barr, 1952a Fig. 1D

Paratypes.

Two females examined.

Type locality.

Mexico, Chihuahua, Valle de Olivos. Type depository: American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).

Distribution.

Mexico: Chihuahua.

Differential diagnosis.

Araeodontia picta is most similar to A. peninsularis . The two species can be reliably separated based on the maculae on the elytral disc. The anterior pair of testaceous maculae of A. picta are well separated from the anterior margin of the elytral disc and do not reach the epipleural fold (Fig. 1D); these spots are noticeably closer to the anterior portion of the elytral disc in A. peninsularis and are in partial or total contact with the epipleural fold (Fig. 1C).

Redescription.

Female. Form: Body relatively slender, feebly elongate, similar in shape to remaining Araeodontia species. Color: Head, pronotum, thorax, abdomen, mouthparts and legs testaceous to light brown, elytra brown to dark brown; mandibles black; two irregular testaceous maculae on each elytron, the first located on middle of elytral disc, the second adjacent to epipleural apex (Fig. 1D).

Head: Feebly vested by semierect, stiff setae mixed with semi-recumbent fine setae; surface weakly punctate; frons slightly bi-impressed; eyes large, bulging, coarsely faceted; antennae extending slightly beyond elytral humeri; third antennomere about 2 × the length of second antennomere; third antennomere shorter than fourth antennomere; antennomeres 4-10 somewhat robust, about the same length, feebly serrate; eleventh antennomere robust, acuminate, somewhat longer than previous antennomere.

Thorax: Pronotum punctate, more densely punctate than head; disc smooth; lateral sides rugulose; moderately vested with stiff, semi-erect seta interspersed with some fine, recumbent setae; broadest at middle; disc flat, inconspicuously impressed in front of middle, more strongly constricted behind middle, subbasal tumescence absent. Mesoventrite very finely vested, smooth, vestiture consisting of fine, semi-recumbent setae. Metaventrite smooth, convex, puncticulate, covered with fine, semi-recumbent and recumbent setae. Scutellum subquadrate, notched posteriorly.

Legs: Femora rugulose; finely punctate; vested with short, recumbent setae. Tibiae longitudinally rugose; more heavily punctate than femora; vestiture consisting of short, semi-recumbent setae intermixed with some semi-erect setae.

Elytra: Humeri indicated; sides subparallel, widest behind middle; base wider than pronotum; disc flattened apically; apices subtriangular, rather dehiscent; disc convex, vestiture on elytral disc consisting of stiff, semi-erect setae intermixed with numerous finer, semi-recumbent setae; sculpturing consisting of shallow punctations arranged in regular striae that gradually reduce in size on middle third and do not reach elytral apex; interstices smooth, about 4.0 × the width of punctation at elytral base.

Abdomen: Ventrites 1-4 rugulose, feebly vested with short, recumbent setae; indistinctly, finely punctate. First visible ventrite about twice the length of second ventrite, ventrites 2-4 subquadrate, short, smooth, weakly vested with fine, recumbent setae. Fifth visible ventrite subtriangular, convex, lateral margins oblique, posterior margin truncate. Sixth visible ventrite rugulose, surface slightly concave, punctate, lateral and posterior margins broadly rounded. Fifth tergite convex, lateral margins subparallel, posterior margin truncate. Sixth tergite rugulose, surface feebly convex, broader than long, lateral and posterior margins broadly rounded. Posterior margin of sixth tergite slightly extending beyond posterior margin of sixth visible ventrite.

Aedeagus: Not available.

Sexual dimorphism of this species is provided in the original description given by Barr (1952a): [male] densely punctate; sternites 1-4 with a smooth, hind margins narrowly membranous; fifth [ventrite] shallowly compressed medially, lateral margins oblique, slightly arcuate, hind margins narrowly broadly, semicircularly emarginate; sixth [ventrite] broader than long, lateral margins nearly parallel, hind angles nearly square, broadly rounded, [posterior] margin more or less broadly arcuate, deeply, nearly semicircularly notched at middle; sixth tergite broader and longer than sixth [ventrite], slightly broader than long, disk feebly convex, lateral margins slightly oblique, hind margin nearly semicircular in shape, ventral surface with a very distinct, broad, transverse, subapical, V-shaped carina.

Material examined.

PARATYPE: 1 female: 20 mi SW Camargo Chihuahua, Mex., 4500 ft., VII-13-1947, Cazier. PARATYPE: 1 female: 63 miles W. of Santa Barbara Chihuahua, Mexico, 5500 ft., VII-20-1947, W. Gertsch and C. D. Michener.

Additional material examined.

2 females: 63 mi. W of Santa Barbara, Chihuahua, Mexico, 5500 ft., VII-02-1947, Michener.

Remarks.

Barr (1952a), in his revisionary work of Araeodontia , described A. picta as a new species endemic to the southern portion of Chihuahua, Mexico. In the type material revised by him, he indicated the existence of a single male, in this case, the holotype. Remaining specimens in the type series are females. The species is particularly uncommon in most collections; consequently, it was impossible to obtain males for this revisionary work. For that reason, the female paratype was redescribed.