Nyctelia recteplicata, Flores & Cheli, 2014

Flores, Gustavo E. & Cheli, Germán H., 2014, Two new species of Nyctelia Latreille (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from Argentinean Patagonia with zoogeographical and ecological remarks, Zootaxa 3765 (3), pp. 279-287 : 283-285

Nyctelia recteplicata sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 , 5–6 , 7 )

Diagnosis. Clypeus with two lateral depressions; pronotum widest at base, with two longitudinal depressions on lateral quarters occupying from anterior to posterior margins, with abundant big and small punctures all over the surface, the biggest one with a central, very short seta, more abundant on lateral quarters, separated by a distance equal to or lower than diameter of one puncture on lateral quarters and by a distance equal to diameter of two punctures on disc, internal surface of lateral margin without a shallow groove; elytron with small terminal apophysis semicircular, with 4-6 straight, deep, transverse grooves arranged oblique towards apex, forming an acute angle with suture, not reaching elytral middline of elytra.

Nyctelia recteplicata sp. nov. superficially resembles N. laticauda Burmeister and N. latiplicata Kulzer by having elytron with terminal apophysis semicircular and transverse grooves oblique towards apex, forming an acute angle with suture. N. recteplicata sp. nov. differs from these species by having pronotum with big punctures separated on lateral quarters by a distance equal to or lower than diameter of one puncture and on disc by a distance as long as diameter of two punctures ( Fig. 2 ) while N. laticauda and N. latiplicata have big punctures on the pronotum densely uniformly, separated by a distance equal to or lower than diameter of one puncture throughout the surface. In addition, N. recteplicata sp. nov. has pronotum with lateral margins oblique between head and humeral elytron ( Fig. 2 ) while in N. latiplicata the lateral margins of the pronotum are concave in the anterior half and parallel in posterior half ( Kulzer 1963: Plate IV, Fig. 5 ). In N. recteplicata sp. nov. the elytral grooves are straight ( Fig. 2 ), while sinuate in N. laticauda ( Flores 2007: Figs. 1–2 ). The non-type specimen illustrated by Kulzer 1963 (Plate 4, Fig. 8) for N. planicauda Fairmaire (synonymized by Flores 2007 with N. laticauda ) corresponds to N. recteplicata sp. nov.

Description. Length 18.0-22.0 mm. Body black, antennae, legs black to dark brown. Head. Clypeus with sparse big punctures each with a central, short seta, separated by a distance as diameter of 3-4 punctures, with two lateral depressions; clypeal suture shallow, with abundant small and dense punctures separated by a distance as long as diameter of 1-2 punctures; frons glabrous, with no punctures; antennae reaching middle of lateral margin of pronotum. Thorax. Pronotum wide (W/L ≥ 2.0), with two longitudinal apophyseal depressions on lateral quarters (defined by Iwan 2004 and Raś & Kamiński 2013 for Ectateus generic group, Tenebrionidae : Platynotini ), disc raised, higher than lateral margins; pronotum with abundant big and small punctures all over the surface, the biggest with a central, very short seta, more abundant on lateral quarters, separated on lateral quarters by a distance equal to or lower than diameter of one puncture and on disc by a distance equal to diameter of two punctures; anterior margin conspicuous with flange, lateral margin without groove on internal surface; pronotum widest at base, posterior margin biconcave, as wide as base of elytra ( Fig. 2 ); proepisternum among individuals with sparse or abundant long setae arising from punctures; prosternal process rounded, expanded distally, not extended over mesosternum. Elytra oval, arched, glabrous, shiny, entire surface rugose, with small terminal apophysis semicircular, suture sunken all along its length, with two adjacent elevated, smooth, longitudinal areas along the length of elytra; with 4–6 straight, deep, transverse grooves oblique towards apex, forming an acute angle with suture, not reaching elytral middle, the internal one sometimes parallel to suture on anterior half of elytron, intervals wide, convex ( Fig. 2 ); lateral margin thick, flat, straight, without edge and not crenulate, marked by small transverse striae; pseudopleuron rugose, lacking protuberances or punctures, with two shallow longitudinal grooves (striae); with setae arising on punctures only from ventral surface of terminal apophysis; epipleuron smooth and glabrous, conspicuously edged only on anterior half, anterior quarter four times as wide as posterior half. Legs. Profemora without tuft of setae on dorsal surface and with no row of setae on ventral surface; meso, metafemora almost glabrous. Tibiae not crenulated.

Male genitalia. Basal piece of tegmen short (B/E ≤ 1.00); parameres of tegmen with apex narrow, proximal margin ventrally bisinuate, widest at base, with a tuft of setae on distal 1/6 of ventral surface ( Fig. 6 ); median lobe moderate (0.75 <L/T ≤ 1.00), with apical aperture small, apex rounded, half the width of parameres of tegmen, of equal width throughout ( Fig. 5 ).

Etymology. Named recteplicata from latin recte (=straight) and plicat (=folding) to indicate the straight, transverse intervals arranged oblique towards apex.

Type material. Holotype, male: [ Argentina: Chubut, Dto. Telsen / Cañada La Leona , 19 km N Gan Gan , 1071 m / 42º 15’ 15.12” S / 68º 15’ 29.12” W / 20-XI-2006, Coll: G. Cheli] [ Nyctelia / recteplicata n. sp. / HOLOTYPUS male/ Det. G. Flores and/ G. Cheli 2013] ( IADIZA). Allotype, female: [ Argentina: Chubut / Dto. Cushamen, Ruta Prov. 35/ 4 km N Gualjaina 543 m / 42.667031ºS, 70.490281º W / 17-I-2013 Coll: V. Werenkraut] ( IADIZA) and 13 paratypes (12 males and one female) with the same data as holotype (4 males and one female IADIZA, 2 CNP-CE, 1 FMNH, 1 HNHM, 1 IFML, 1 MLPA, 1 MNNC, 1 NHMB); two paratypes: [Cerro Mesa/ Chubut / I-1968, Coll: R. Palma] ( MACN) and [Co. Mesa/ I-1970] ( MACN); one paratype: [Rca, Argentina / Gob. Rio Negro/ 1900/ C. Bruch] [Bariloche] [Foto] ( MACN); three paratypes: [Paso Flores / (575 m. s.n.m.)/ Neuquén, Arg./ 17-X-1969 / Lg: M. Gentili] ( IADIZA); one paratype: [P. (pro Piedra) del Aguila, Neuquén/ 8-X-1958] [Leg: M. Gentili] ( IADIZA).

Distribution and habitat. Nyctelia recteplicata sp. nov. is widespread in northwest Patagonia ( Fig. 7 ), living in the provinces of Chubut, Rio Negro and Neuquén. This species shares its habitat with several other Nyctelia species ( N. laticauda Burmeister , N. porcata Burmeister , N. darwini Waterhouse , N. rotundipennis Fairmaire and N. unicostata Fairmaire ); and also other tenebrionid species such as Epipedonota nitida (Philippi & Philippi) , Platesthes pilosa Kulzer , Praocis fimbriata Burmeister , and Scotobius alaticollis Kulzer.

Ecological notes. This species lives in sandy habitats of Chubut, Río Negro and Neuquén provinces at altitudes ranging from 540-1135 m ( Fig. 7 ). These areas belong to Sierras y Mesetas Occidentales and Pastizales Subandinos biozones (del Valle et al. 1995; INTA 2006) and, biogeographically, these habitats correspond to Central Patagonia (Sierras y Mesetas Occidentales biozone) and Sub Andean Patagonia provinces (Pastizales Subandinos) ( Morrone 2002). Physiographically, Pastizales Subandinos corresponds to grass steppe with 50-70 % vegetation cover, mostly dominated by Pappostipa speciosa and Festuca pallescens associated with scrubland; while Sierras y Mesetas Occidentales are dominated by shrub-herbaceous steppe with 30-60 % vegetation cover, where the dominant floristic elements are, Pappostipa spp . Poa ligularis , Senecio filaginoides , Mulinum spinosum and Nassauvia spp . (Del Valle et al. 1995; INTA 2006).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Geographic distribution of Nyctelia sulcogranata sp. nov. (○) and N. recteplicata sp. nov. (∆) in central Patagonia, Argentina.

FIGURES 1−2. Habitus of Nyctelia sulcogranata sp. nov. (1) and N. recteplicata sp. nov. (2). Scale bars 4 mm.

FIGURES 3−6. Male genitalia of Nyctelia spp. in dorsal and ventral views. (3−4) N. sulcogranata sp. nov.; (5−6) N. recteplicata sp. nov. (bp—basal piece of tegmen, p—parameres of tegmen, ml—median lobe). Scale bars 1 mm.