Phelister geijskesi Kanaar, 1997

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2020, Recognition and revision of the Phelister blairi group (Histeridae, Histerinae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 1001, pp. 1-154 : 1

29. Phelister geijskesi Kanaar, 1997 Figs 17G, H , 18G, H , Map 12

Phelister geijskesi Kanaar, 1997: 280

Type material.

Holotype male (not studied): " Suriname, Lelydorp, /16-XII-1938, in detritus room of Atta sexdens nest. Leg. D. C. Geijskes"; several paratypes with same data as type examined by the authors.

Other material.

Brazil: Amapá, Serra do Navio (0.9833, -52), 1/28/90-2/2/90, FIT, EXO-03034 (CHND, 1ex.); Amapá, Serra do Navio (0.9833, -52), 5/1/91-5/14/91, FIT (CHND, 3ex.); Espírito Santo, Mun. Linhares, Faz. Lagoa do Macuco (-19.0639, -39.9786), 10 m, 1/27/00, FIT, primary lowland Atlantic forest, sandy soil, Génier & S. Ide, SM0809822 (SEMC, 1ex.); Pará, Altamira - Marabá: km 18 (-3.15, -52.05), May 1984, FIT (CHND, 2ex.); Pará, Tucuruí (-3.75, -49.667), 2/16/89-3/2/89, EXO-03033 (CHND, 1ex.); Pará, Tucuruí (-3.75, -49.667), February 1986, FIT, EXO-03032 (CHND, 1ex.); Guyana: Kurupukari (4.6667, -58.6667), September-November 1992, Malaise/FIT, EXO-03035 (NHMUK, 1ex.); Suriname: Marowijne Perica, 70 km E Paramaribo on East-West Road (5.6744, -54.6086), 5 m, 5/31/99-6/5/99, FIT, Z. Falin, B. DeDijn, SM0182745 (SEMC, 1ex.); Sipaliwini, CI-RAP Survey camp 1, upper Palumeu (2.477, -55.6294), 225 m, 3/10/10-3/16/12, FIT, A.E.Z. Short (AKTC, 2ex.); Trinidad: 11 km SE Arima Arena For. Res. Rainforest (10.5, -61.3), 6/22/93-7/8/93, S. & J. Peck, EXO-03036 (AKTC, 1ex.)

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.73-2.01 mm (avg. 1.82 mm); width: 1.50-1.62 mm (avg. 1.54 mm). Body elongate oval, widest behind middle, rufescent, with moderately conspicuous ground punctation; frons convex, not depressed at middle; frontal stria present at sides, continuous with complete supraorbital, broadly interrupted at front; epistoma convex, not depressed; labrum distinctly emarginate; both mandibles with small basal tooth; pronotum with wide, short prescutellar impression, punctate within; pronotal disk with ground punctation only, lacking secondary lateral punctures; marginal pronotal stria complete along sides and front, submarginal stria absent; median pronotal gland openings annulate, ~ 2/3 back from anterior margin; elytron with single, complete epipleural stria; outer subhumeral stria complete, inner absent; dorsal striae 1-4 complete, 4th arched to suture; 5th slightly abbreviated at base, sutural stria obsolete in basal 1/3; all dorsal stria finely, weakly carinate; prosternal keel deeply emarginate, keel striae separate at base, sinuate, connected at apex; prosternal lobe long, subtruncate, with complete marginal stria; mesoventrite produced, with complete marginal stria continued at side by postmesocoxal stria which terminates before reaching mesepimeron; mesometaventral stria angulate at middle, reaching midpoint of mesoventrite, continued at sides by lateral metaventral stria to near middle of metacoxa; metaventrite depressed at middle in males; 1st abdominal ventrite punctate at middle, lacking lateral striae; protibia laterally rounded, with small teeth but very long lateral spines; male protarsus with expanded ventral setae; meso- and metatibiae rather narrow, with elongate but rather fine marginal spines, tarsi elongate. Male: basal piece 1/3 length of tegmen; tegmen with sides subparallel in basal 1/2, abruptly narrowed to ventrally hooked apices; medioventral process absent; median lobe ~ 1/3 tegmen length.

Distribution.

Though described only from Suriname, this species in fact has a wide distribution along the east coast of northern South America, even extending to the island of Trinidad.

Remarks.

This species stands out among those treated here in having the frons simply convex, not at all impressed medially. It is also distinctive in having the scutellar impression broadly oval, and punctate within, and in having the elytral striae weakly carinate (the outer edge of the stria is elevated, while the inner edge is flat). In some respects (including its Atta association) the species resembles Pseudister rufulus (Lewis) (and a few others we consider related to it, such as Phelister rubens Marseul), which shares a convex frons, deeply emarginate labrum, and spinose tibiae. However, analyses to date don’t support these as closely related. Instead P. geijskesi exhibits numerous features that ally it to the species above, including distinctly annulate pronotal gland openings ~ 2/3 removed from the anterior margin (those of Pseudister are non-annulate and close to the margin), depressed male mesoventrite, and anterior narrowing of the prosternal keel, in addition to genitalic features.

Figures

Map 12. Collecting records for Phelister geijskesi (circles), P. fraternus (squares), P. conjunctus (star), P. striatinotum (inverted triangles), and P. chabooae (upright triangle).

Figure 17. A, B Phelister morbidus: A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D P. annulatus: C dorsal habitus D ventral habitus E, F P. sphaericus: E dorsal habitus F ventral habitus G, H P. geijskesi: G dorsal habitus H ventral habitus.

Figure 18. Male genitalia A, B Phelister morbidus: A aedeagus, dorsal B aedeagus, lateral C, D P. annulatus: C aedeagus, dorsal D aedeagus, lateral E, F P. sphaericus: E aedeagus, dorsal F aedeagus, lateral G, H P. geijskesi: G aedeagus, dorsal H aedeagus, lateral.