Pluricosta onthophiloides, Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2014

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2014, New genera and species of Neotropical Exosternini (Coleoptera, Histeridae), ZooKeys 381, pp. 11-78 : 24-25

Pluricosta onthophiloides sp. n. Fig. 7, Map 1

Type locality.

PANAMA: Darién, Cana Biological Station [7.755°N, 77.685°W].

Type material.

Holotype female: "PANAMA: Darién, Cana Biological Station, Serranía de Pirre, 1250 m, 7°45'18"N, 77°41'6"W, 07-09 Jun 1996; J.Ashe, R.Brooks, PAN1AB96 110 ex: flight intercept trap" / "SM0034338 KUNHM-ENT" (SEMC).

Description.

Size range: Length 1.7 mm; width 1.5 mm; Body: body round, strongly convex, with strong elytral ridges, rufescent, glabrous. Head: frons slightly longer than wide, depressed along midline, smooth, with complete frontal stria more or less rounded across front; epistoma depressed along midline, weakly emarginate apically; labrum about 4 × as wide as median length, shallowly emarginate apically; mandibles with weakly arcuate incisor edges lacking basal teeth; antennal scape slightly wider near base, narrowed apically, with longitudinal carina along inner anterior edge; funicle shorter than scape, weakly widening apically, antennomere 8 short, cupuliform, not disc-like; antennal club slightly elongate oval, largely tomentose, with only indistinct subapical sensory patches. Pronotum: pronotum rather strongly convex, sides narrowed evenly from base to apex, only faintly sinuate at base and middle; marginal pronotal stria complete along lateral and apical margins; sublateral stria present along entire lateral margin, just curving mediad anteriorly, pronotal disk shallowly depressed along its inner edge; pronotal disk with two gland openings on each side, anterior opening simple, along anterior margin behind eye, posterior opening with secondary annulus, situated directly posterad anterior opening, just in front of midline; prescutellar impression absent; posterior margin of disk simple. Elytra: elytra dominated by several strong longitudinal ridges, epipleuron with single submarginal stria, continued along apical margin to apex of 2nd dorsal stria; outer subhumeral stria complete; other dorsal striae very fine, running near upper edge of elevated ridges, clearly visible only near apices; apices of 3rd-4th, and 5th-sutural striae joined along posterior margin. Prosternum: prosternal keel shallowly but subacutely emarginate at base, carinal striae obsolete basally, joined by anterior arch short of presternal suture; prosternal lobe less than half as long as keel, apically truncate, lacking marginal stria. Mesoventrite: mesoventrite narrowly produced at middle, with complete marginal stria, disk shallowly depressed behind. Metaventrite: mesometaventral stria well impressed, coincident with mesometaventral suture; postcoxal stria directed laterad toward middle of metepisternum, ending freely; lateral metaventral stria running obliquely toward outer third of metacoxa, slightly abbreviated apically. Abdomen: 1st abdominal ventrite with complete anterior marginal stria continued by postmetacoxal stria which curves laterad behind coxa, ending freely; ventrites 2-4 impunctate; propygidium only slightly shorter than pygidium along midline, smooth, with inconspicuous gland openings near anterolateral corners; pygidium similar in basal width and midline length, apex rounded, simple. Legs: each trochanter with single long seta; femora rather narrow, metafemur particularly elongate; protibia gradually widened to rounded apical half, lacking marginal teeth, with marginal spines inserted only along apical half of edge; protibial spurs present, slightly reduced; meso- and metatibiae thin, simple, with single longitudinal stria along inner edge, completely lacking teeth or spines along outer margin; all tarsi slightly compressed, with slightly spatulate ventral setae. Male: not known.

Remarks.

This species is known only from the female type specimen. Capture of a male would be very helpful to assessing its relationships.

Etymology.

The name of this species refers to its superficial resemblance to the histerid genus Onthophilus Leach, owing to the parallel ridges on the elytra.