Ceracis navarretei Antunes-Carvalho & Lopes-Andrade

Antunes-Carvalho, Caio & Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano, 2011, Two new Neotropical species of Ceracis Mellie (Coleoptera, Ciidae) and redefinition of the cucullatus group, ZooKeys 132, pp. 51-64 : 56-59

Ceracis navarretei Antunes-Carvalho & Lopes-Andrade sp. n. Figs 1120

Type-locality.

Dos Amates, southern portion of the state of Veracruz, southern Mexico (17°24'N, 94°35'W).

Etymology.

The specific epithet is in honor of José Luis Navarrete Heredia, who made available to us the majority of the specimens included in the type series.

Diagnosis.

Body with very fine, sparse punctation. Each antenna with nine antennomeres. Pronotum mostly black; elytra and apex of pronotum reddish brown. Pronotal apex projected for- and upward, forming a curve, raised foursquare plate, weakly emarginated at the anterior edge. Elytra with lateral margins subparallel at the basal half, then gradually converging toward the apex. Aedeagus 4 × longer than wide (Fig. 17); tegmen with parallel sides at most of their lengths, lateral edges angulate at the beginning of the apical third (Fig. 17, arrows) and then converging in straight line toward the apex.

Description.

Male holotype (Figs 11-13), measurements in mm: TL 1.60; PL 0.72; PW 0.64; EL 0.88; EW 0.62; GD 0.56; TL/EW 2.58; PL/PW 1.13; EL/EW 1.42; EL/PL 1.22; GD/EW 0.90. Body subcylindrical, moderately convex; elytra and apex of pronotum reddish brown, remainder of pronotum black; ventral surface reddish brown; legs, mouthparts, basal antennomeres and funicle yellowish brown; antennal club dark brown. Head barely visible from above; dorsal surface flattened, subglabrous, bearing minute, sparsely decumbent fine setae, almost indiscernible; punctation sparse, consisting of shallow coarse punctures; frontoclypeal ridge produced forward, transversely concave, with its anterior margin slightly emarginate at middle, the anterior edge with a row of setae along it. Each eye with a widest diameter of 0.13 mm; some short slender yellowish setae emerging from the intersection between ommatidia. Each antenna with nine antennomeres (FL 0.09, CL 0.15, CL/FL 1.67); length of the antennomeres (in mm) as follows (from base to apex): 0.06, 0.04, 0.04, 0.02, 0.02, 0.02, 0.04, 0.04, 0.06; each antennomere of the club bearing several sparse slender setae, and four conspicuous sensillifers symmetrically positioned at its upper portion. Pronotum with subparallel sides, widest at middle; lateral margins narrow, being a bit thicker at the anterior portion; only the anterior and posterior corners can be seen from above, but the latter is weakly visible; anterior edge projected for- and upward, forming a curve, raised foursquare plate, slightly emarginated at apex (Figs 11, 14); raised plate transversely concave; anterolateral angles slightly produced, moderately obtuse; punctation fine, single, relatively uniform; distance between punctures from 2.5 to 3 puncture-widths; vestiture of yellowish decumbent seta; in between punctures shiny, microreticulate. Scutellum small, triangular, glabrous, with few fine punctures; basal width 0.11mm; length along the longitudinal midline 0.05 mm. Hind wings developed. Elytra with sides subparallel at basal half, then gradually converging to apex; only the most anterior corners visible from above; punctation single, confused, finer and denser than that of pronotum; vestiture consisting of minute, fine, decumbent yellowish setae; in between punctures smooth and shiny. Ventral sclerites microreticulate. Prosternum in front of coxae shallowly concave longitudinally and transversely convex; surface beside coxae weakly concave; prosternal process laminate, almost as long as coxae. Metaventrite moderately convex, bearing sparse slender setae; punctation shallow and sparse, almost indiscernible; discrimen indiscernible. Abdominal ventrites bearing sparse slender decumbent yellowish setae, longer than those on the dorsal surface; punctation shallow and sparse; lengths of abdominal ventrites (from base to apex, at the longitudinal midline) as follows (in mm): 0.19; 0.07; 0.07; 0.07; 0.08; abdominal length 0.50 mm, abdominal width (basal width of the first abdominal ventrite) 0.55 mm; first abdominal ventrite bearing a circular margined sex patch (Fig. 16, arrow), located postered of center, with a transverse diameter of 0.04 mm. Apex of each protibia expanded; outer apical angle rounded and bearing a row of spines.

Male terminalia. (Figs 17-20) Ninth segment (=genital ring) V-shaped. Fused ninth and tenth tergites (Fig. 20) with posterior margin reasonably straight, with small suberect bristles along it; sides diverging, each bearing a small protuberance at middle. Eighth sternite (Fig. 18) with posterior margin weakly emarginate at middle; posterior angles rounded and bearing some bristles; lateral margins diverging; anterior margin biconcave, sclerotized and forming a short median strut (Fig. 18, arrow). Eighth tergite (Fig. 19) with posterior margin rounded, bearing long and medium size bristles along it; lateral margins diverging; anterior margin concave. Aedeagus (Fig. 17) 4 × longer than wide; basal piece not observed, possibly membranous. Tegmen slightly longer than and twice as wide as penis; posterior portion subtriangular and then parallel sided at most of its length, either side angulate at the beginning of the apical third (Fig. 17, arrows) and converging in straight line toward apex. Penis elongate, subcylindrical; sides subparallel at the basal three-fourths, with apical one-fourth subtriangular and weakly sclerotized.

Females. Differing from males in the following features: frontoclypeal ridge rounded, not produced. Head with dorsal surface usually convex. Lateral margins of pronotum rounded; anterior margin rounded, not produced; pronotal and elytral punctation slightly finer than in males. Abdominal sex patch absent.

Variation.

Males, measurements in mm (n=22, including holotype): TL 1.22-1.74 (1.53 + 0.13); PL 0.46-0.78 (0.67 + 0.08); PW 0.50-0.68 (0.61 + 0.05); EL 0.76-0.96 (0.86 + 0.05); EW 0.50-0.68 (0.60 + 0.05); GD 0.40-0.60 (0.53 + 0.04). Ratios: PL/PW 0.92-1.27 (1.09 + 0.08); EL/EW 1.38-1.57 (1.44 + 0.05); EL/PL 1.14-1.65 (1.31 + 0.12); GD/EW 0.80-0.94 (0.88 + 0.04); TL/EW 2.43-2.73 (2.56 + 0.09). Color of pronotum varying from black to reddish brown, usually reddish; elytra dark reddish to reddish brown. Anterior edge of pronotum weakly developed in the smallest males and strongly projected in the largest ones. In some cases the anterior and posterior corners of the lateral margins of pronotum are not visible from above. Surface of pronotum weakly to distinctly microreticulate. Eighth sternite with anterior margin completely rounded to weakly produced at middle.

Females, measurements in mm (n=18): TL 1.16-1.50 (1.35 + 0.09); PL 0.44-0.58 (0.51 + 0.04); PW 0.44-0.60 (0.54 + 0.04); EL 0.72-0.92 (0.84 + 0.05); EW 0.46-0.62 (0.55 + 0.04); GD 0.42 + 0.54 (0.49 + 0.04). Ratios: PL/PW 0.88-1.00 (0.95 + 0.04); EL/EW 1.43-1.59 (1.51 + 0.05); EL/PL 1.54-1.79 (1.64 + 0.07); GD/EW 0.81-0.96 (0.89 + 0.05); TL/EW 2.31-2.57 (2.43 + 0.08).

Type series.

Male holotype (CZUG) "MEXICO: Veracruz Dos Amates 03.vi.1988 S.L. Álavez leg." " Ceracis navarretei Antunes-Carvalho & Lopes-Andrade HOLOTYPUS" [printed on red paper]. Paratypes: 19 males, 16 females (11 males and 12 females at CZUG, 8 males and 4 females at LAPC), same data as holotype; 2 females and 2 males (2 females and 1 male at ANIC, 1 male at LAPC) "MEXICO: Veracruz Dos Amates 28/2/1987 polypore 0114 J. Navarrete". All paratypes distinguished labeled " Ceracis navarretei Antunes-Carvalho & Lopes-Andrade PARATYPUS" [printed on yellow paper].

Natural history.

Dos Amates is surrounded by small villages, being a mosaic of forest remnants and deforested areas apparently far from major urban areas. We have no information on the host-fungus of this new species. We only know that a few specimens were collected in a polypore (see "Type series" above).