Colyphus ska Rifkind & Barr

Rifkind, Jacques & Barr, William F., 2011, New species of Colyphus Spinola (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae) from Central America, with taxonomic and distributional notes on some others, Zootaxa 2821, pp. 55-61 : 56-58

Colyphus ska Rifkind & Barr , n. sp.

( Fig. 1)

Type specimens. Holotype male: Costa Rica, Puntarenas, Monteverde, 12–13 June, 2002, F. Hovore, coll. ( CSCA). Paratypes: COSTA RICA, PUNTARENAS PROVINCE: 1, Monteverde, 1500 m, 23–ii–1991. H. & A. Howden; 7, Monteverde, April 19–26, 1988, E. Giesbert, coll.; 2, Monteverde, May 23–27, 1987, E. Giesbert, coll.; 3, Monteverde, May 11–13, 1996, E. Giesbert, coll.; 1, Monteverde, 4000', 10.10 N, 83.43 W, 9–vii–1983, Warren Colby; 1, Monteverde, 17/18 May, 1984, F. Hovore, coll.;1, Monteverde, v–26—vi–3–84, E. Riley, D. Rider, & D. Le Doux; 2, Monteverde, 20–24 June, 1986, W. Hanson, G. Bohart; 4, Monteverde Forest Res., v–19– 21–1988, 1500 m, B. Ratcliffe & M. Jameson; 1, Res. Biol. Monteverde, Est. La Casona, 1520 m, Feb. 1992, N. Obando; 1, Res. Biol. Monteverde, 1520 m, Abr. 1991, N. Obando; 1, R. B. Monteverde, Est. La Casona, 1520 m, 5–12 Jul., 1994, K. Martinez; 2, Res. Biol. Monteverde, Est. La Casona, 1520 m, May 1991, N. Obando; 1, Monteverde, Est. La Casona, 1520 m, 24 Jul.—6 Ago., 1995, K. Martinez; 2, Monteverde, v–7–1985. A. J. Gilbert, blacklight; 1, Monteverde, v–23–1985, A. J. Gilbert, blacklight; 1, Monteverde, v–24–1985, A. J. Gilbert; 1, Monteverde, July 19–21, 1990, G. Snelling, coll.; 2, Monteverde, Cloud For. Res., 1450 m, v–18 /19–85, J. Doyen; 1, 2 km E Monteverde, 1450 m, v–18 /20–85, J. Powell, coll.; 1, Monteverde, Campbell's Bullpen, May 29, 1992, lighting, Lingafelter, Jameson, Ratcliffe; 2, Monteverde, July 19–21, 1990, G. Snelling; 3, Monteverde, 12–15–vi– 1996, F. Hovore, coll.; 1, Monteverde, cloud forest, iv–16–19–2000, J. & A. Rifkind, P. Gum, colls.; 1, Santa Elena, ca 1700 m, iv–18–19–2000, cloud forest, J. & A. Rifkind, P. Gum, colls., beating roadside slash; 1, Santa Elena, v–6–1985, A. J. Gilbert; SAN JOSÉ PROVINCE: 1, Zurqui de Moravia, 1600 m, iv–1992, col. Paul Hanson; 3, Zurqui de Moravia, 1600 m, 10° 03' N, 84° 01'W, P. Hanson, coll., v–1992, Malaise trap; 2, Zurqui de Moravia, 1600 m, 10° 03' N, 84° 01' W, iv– v–1993, Malaise trap, cloud forest. P. Hanson, coll.; 1, Zurqui de Moravia, 1600 m, cloud forest, May 22, 1994, beating melastomes, etc., J. Rifkind, P. Gum, colls.; 1, Coronado, viii–1923, F. Nevermann; 1, Coronado, 1400–1500 m, 15–viii–31, F. Nevermann, an Blüten von "plainillo"; 1, La Palma, 1500 m, 17–iii–31, Fidel Tristán, leg.; CARTAGO PROVINCE: 5, Irazu , W. Slope, 1500 m, 30–iv–26, F. Nevermann, colr. Paratypes are deposited in CASC, CMNC, CSCA, LACM, INBC, FSCA, EMEC, UCRC, UNSM, WFBM, JNRC, WOPC.

Diagnosis. Distinguishable from its congeners on the basis of color and elytral sculpturing. Colyphus ska appears most similar to another Costa Rican species, C. hansoni Rifkind, 1997 , with which it is sympatric in part of its range. The species are easily separable based on color pattern: C. hansoni is tricolorous (red, ivory and black), whereas the new species is strictly bicolorous (stramineous and black). Rifkind (1997) has discussed the relationship of these Colyphus species with the enigmatic Costa Rican species Enoclerus subviolaceus ( Gorham, 1882) . They share a similar facies, sexually dimorphic tarsal claws and prominent subbasal tumescences, but E. subviolaceus has the elytral surface dotted with pustular elevations, and the male lacks the sagittate condition of the apical region of the tegmen. We mention these distinctions in detail, because we have examined two specimens of E. subviolaceus ( Fig. 2 represents a specimen from Monteverde, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica) that bear an uncannily identical color pattern to many specimens of Colyphus ska .

Description (Holotype). Length: 9.70 mm. Form: medium sized, elongate. Color: integument black except antennomeres 1–2 in part testaceous, basal 1/2 of elytra covered by a broad stramineous band, complete to lateral margins, sinuate posteriorly, narrowly extended posteriorly along suture; each elytron marked with a small, reddish-brown macula on the umbone, on the post-humeral tubercle, and again before the middle; a narrow transverse irregular stramineous fascia present at elytral posterior 7/9, narrowly interrupted at lateral margins and at suture; elytral apices marked with a vague stramineous spot. Head: surface shining, finely, densely punctate; setation sparse, composed of mostly short, rather robust white setae, with a thin intermingling of longer, finer black setae; front distinctly bi-impressed; eyes moderately convex, emargination shorter than length of antennal scape; antenna not quite attaining base of pronotum; antennomeres 8–11 forming a rather loose, gradually expanded club, 11 elongate, inner margin subsinuate, with apex subacute. Gular process rectangulate. Pronotum: convex, about as wide as head measured across eyes, narrower than base of elytra; surface shining, shallowly and densely punctate, feebly, transversely rugulose at sides; vestiture consisting of a rather sparse covering of long, erect black setae with a thin admixture of long, erect white setae laterally, posteriorly on the disk, and on the collar; anterior transverse impression deeply incised across disk, broadly U-shaped at middle; lateral foveae indistinct, anterior margin transverse, sides constricted at anterior transverse impression, convexly expanded to maximum width just before middle, then arcuately narrowed to moderately prolonged, subparallel sides of basal collar; posterior pronotal slope acute. Scutellum rounded apically, surface set with pale setae. Elytra: more than 2x as long as wide, widest just posterior to middle, surface shining, rather densely and deeply punctate, punctures smaller and more shallow on apical 1/2; vestiture as follows: anterior stramineous area thinly covered with a mixture of mostly medium length, pale and black, suberect and erect setae; posterior black area a little more densely vested with mostly medium length, suberect setae, except subapical pale fascia and pale apices thinly set with reclinate whitish setae; disk subflattened above, subbasal tumescences pronounced, tuberculate, with crests smooth and slightly longitudinally expanded; umbones prominent, slightly roughened; sides subparallel at anterior 1/3, then slightly divergent to about apical 1/ 3, and thereafter arcuately convergent to dehiscent, subacute apices. Apical slope gradual. Legs: profemora considerably more expanded at middle than meso- and metafemora; tarsal pulvilli well developed; tarsal claws as follows: first and second pair with each claw bearing a rather long, recurved, chisel-shaped tooth; third pair with teeth stout and triangular. Mesosternum: posterior median process narrow, elongate, moderately elevated apically. Metasternum: convex; surface densely, minutely punctate and roughened, and moderately densely vested with reclinate silvery setae at sides, reflective and almost glabrous at middle; anterior medium process sulcate, elevated anteriorly. Abdomen: visible sternites 1–5 sparsely, irregularly punctate, sparsely set with scattered fine, short and long, silvery setae; sternite 5 with sides slightly convergent posteriorly and hind margin very feebly, broadly, arcuately emarginate; hind margin of sternite 6 deeply, rather narrowly, arcuately emarginate, with hind angles subacute; tergite 6 with apex broadly rounded, projecting well past hind margin of sternite 6. Genitalia: subapical region of the tegmen feebly sagittate.

Variation. Length ranges from 7.50 to 11.75mm. The extent and delineation of the elytral stramineous fasciae and dark maculae are rather variable across the type series, and one specimen has the dark elytral pigmentation radically reduced. In some individuals, the subapical stramineous band is reduced or entirely absent, with the darkened integument interrupted only by a fascia of pale setae. Unlike those of the male, the tarsal claws of the female all bear stout, triangular teeth. Sternite 5 in the female has sides roundly tapering to a rather broad subtruncate posterior margin; sternite 6 and tergite 6 with posterior margins conjointly rounded.

Etymology. The specific name (a noun in apposition) derives from the second ska wave (ca. 1978), also known as the "2 Tone" genre, a reference to the new species' bicolorous aspect.

Distribution. Known from the provinces of San José and Cartago, and the Monteverde region of Puntarenas province, in Costa Rica.

Biology. All specimens were collected at elevations above 1300m, mostly in cloud forest habitat. Specimens have been taken in Malaise traps, by beating living and cut vegetation, and at U.V. light. One individual was taken from a sapping tree. This is a relatively common, rather large sized clerid, with a moderately extensive geographical distribution: it is puzzling that it should have eluded discovery and description by the 19th and early 20th century coleopterists who made such great efforts to collect and name Costa Rican Cleridae .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Habitus of Enoclerus subviolaceus (Gorham, 1882), from Monteverde, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica.