Paraxenopygus maurocyanos Chatzimanolis, Brunke and Navarrete-Heredia, sp. n.

(Figures 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 4G, 5D–F, 6)

http://www.zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: A8A1DA3D-C8DD-431D-8696- C5227F5CF26B

Type material

Holotype, here designated, male with labels: ‘ Colombia: Bolivar, Los Colorados Alto el Mirador, 9°54 ʹ N, 75°7 ʹ W [9.900°, −75.117°], 400 m, Malaise, 06/04/2001 21/04/ 2001 [6–21.iv.2001], E. Deulufeut leg. M.1602’/‘ UTCI000036060 ’/‘Staph phylogenomics DNA voucher extraction specimen, extraction: sc-53, specimen: UTCI000036060’/‘Holotype Paraxenopygus maurocyanos Chatzimanolis, Brunke and Navarrete-Heredia, des. Chatzimanolis, Brunke and Navarrete-Heredia 2024’. In the collection of SEMC .

Diagnosis

Paraxenopygus maurocyanos can be distinguished from all other species of Paraxenopygus by the combination of the following characteristics: head and pronotum dull grey-black with blue overtones (Figure 2B); pronotum with rows of setose punctures confused and nearly becoming evenly distributed (Figure 2B); abdominal tergites 3–4 with a faint curved line posterior to anterior transverse basal line (Figure 4H) and the distinct aedeagus (Figure 5D–F).

Description

Forebody length 6.2 mm. Head and pronotum dull grey-black with dark blue overtones; mesoscutellum dark brown to black; elytra orange-brown; antennae and legs brown except coxae dark brown to black; abdominal segments 3–6 dark brown to black, segments 7–8 orange-brown. Epicranium (Figure 2B) with small to medium punctures, distance between punctures as wide as 1–1.5 punctures. Antennomere 1–4 without tomentose pubescence (Figure 4G). Mandibles straight, except apically. Neck with sparse, small punctures. Pronotum width/length ratio = 1; pronotum with medium-sized punctures; pronotum with rows of punctures confused and nearly becoming evenly distributed (Figure 2B); superior marginal line of pronotal hypomeron joins inferior marginal line before neck. Elytra length/pronotal length ratio = 1.25; elytra with small punctures and many wrinkled irregularities between punctures. Metacoxal shield short and wide (Figure 3B); abdominal tergites 3–4 with a faint curved line posterior to anterior transverse basal line (Figure 4H). Sternite 7 in males with heart-shaped porose structure (Figure 4B); sternite 8 with shallow V-shaped emargination (Figure 4B). Aedeagus as in Figure 5D–F; in ventral view paramere converging towards rounded apex but slightly expanding near tip; paramere shorter and much narrower than median lobe; in lateral view paramere parallel-sided, rounded near tip; paramere with peg setae in two short rows as in Figure 5E. Median lobe in ventral view wide, converging to narrow rounded tip; in lateral view median lobe becoming narrower only near apex; median lobe with small subapical tooth. Endophallus in ventral view with heart-like shaped structure, in lateral view becoming narrow and pointed.

Distribution

Known only from the type locality in Colombia (Figure 6).

Habitat

Collected with a malaise trap in lowland tropical forest; presumably requires an ant host like the other Paraxenopygus species.

Etymology

The specific epithet is derived from the Greek words μαύρος (black) and ΚΥανός (dark blue) and refers to the colouration of head and pronotum.