Agra sp.

Arndt, Erik, Kirmse, Susan & Erwin, Terry L., 2001, Arboreal Beetles Of Neotropical Forests: Agra Fabricius, Larval Descriptions With Notes On Natural History And Behaviour (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini, Agrina), The Coleopterists Bulletin 55 (3), pp. 297-311 : 302-305

Agra sp. ( cajennensis ­group)

Size. Head width: 1.15 mm, length of body about 11 mm.

Habitus and colouration. Larva slender with markedly elongate head capsule and urogomphi; thorax widest part of body ( Fig. 1 ). Head capsule reddish brown, other sclerites yellowish, abdomen and urogomphi weakly sclerotized.

Head. Head capsule conical, widest near posterior margin, lateral margin not rounded, with 6 small stemmata present ( Fig. 2 ). Frontale large with epicranial suture not curved, scutiform, small egg bursters in form of microspines paired on posterior part of frontale. Nasale protruding, without teeth ( Fig. 4 ), FR10,11 absent, adnasale with multiplied setae FR8,9. Coronal suture slightly longer than antennomere IV, cervical and ocular groove lacking. Antenna 4­ segmented, short, barely extending half­length of mandible; antennomeres I, II wide, III and IV slender; antennomere II shortest, III longest; antennomere III with small subcylindrical sensorium. Mandible short, retinaculum lacking, penicillum present. Prementum ( Fig. 6 ) wide, with several additional setae, short ligula with one pair of setae (LA6), LA7 pore like, labial palpus 2­ segmented; ultimate segment enlarged, elongated and flattened medially with longish sensorial field at the inner margin, 2.2 × longer than penultimate ( Fig. 6 ). Maxilla (cf. Fig. 7 ) with cardo slender, stipes about 1.8 longer than wide; galea 2­segmented, segments long and slender, ultimate segment 1.3 × longer than penultimate; lacinia lacking; palpifer short and wide, with microspines dorsally; maxillary palpus short, 3­segmented, slender, relation of segments from base 2.9:1:1.3. Stipes with extended setal field gMX dorsomedially and several microspines dorsolaterally. Hypopharynx large, bulging. Gular suture complete.

Thorax. Ecdysial line of thoracic nota present, anterior keel of meso­ and metathorax present. Legs long and slender; relation of femur:tibia:tarsus about 1.2:1.1:1. Two claws present; claw with bifid basal tooth. Pulvillus (cf. Fig. 8 ) well developed.

Abdomen. Terga I–IX with anterior keel present, ecdysial line lacking; terga I–VIII with 1– 3 egg bursters anteriorly at middle ( Fig. 1A ). Pygopod wide and short with two apical groups of hooks; each group comprising about 18–20 hooks ( Fig. 10 ). Urogomphi moveably attached to abdominal tergum IX, markedly long, multisetose and multisegmented, comprising about 30 segments.

Microsculpture. Regular sculpture lacking, except pointed structures on dorsal side of stipes and maxillary palpomere I, as well as meshed microsculpture in apical half of tarsus.

Chaetotaxy. Irregular on most sclerites, with numerous additional setae (in the sense of Bousquet and Goulet 1984), e.g., on labial palpomere I, maxillary palpomeres I, II, antennomeres I–III in apical half; outer margin dorsally and laterally of mandible, prementum. Thorax with long primary setae and numerous minute additional setae. All segments of legs with additional setae, femur and trochanter with two rows of spines ventrally beside numerous minute additional setae. Minute additional setae on hypopleurite and epipleurite, sternites, and terga; long additional setae on parietale; numerous long and markedly short additional setae on urogomphi ( Fig. 9 ). Setal field gMX with about 50 setae divided into a dorsal row and more extended field on inner (median) side.

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus, L1, Agra sp. (cajennensis­group), dorsal aspect. 1a) Posteriocentral part of an abdominal tergum VII with egg burster­like spines; 1b) articles of urogomphus.

Figs. 2–3. Head capsule, L1, dorsal aspect. 2) Agra sp. (cajennensis­group). 3) Agra sp. (peruana­group).

Figs. 4–8. 4) Nasale and adnasale, dorsal aspect, L1, Agra sp. (cajennensis­group); 5) antenna, left, dorsal aspect, L1, Agra sp. (peruana­group); 6) labial palpus, dorsal aspect, L1. Agra sp. (cajennensis­group); 7) maxilla, right, dorsal aspect, L1. Agra sp. (peruana­group); 8) claws and pulvillus, dorso­oblique aspect, L1, Agra sp. (peruana­ group) (bifid tooth of claw not visible in dorso­oblique aspect).

Figs. 9–10. 9) Part of urogomphus, as indicated in Figure 1. of Agra sp. (peruana­ group); 10) pygopod, dorsal aspect, L1, Agra sp. (cajennensis­group).