Montesinus tatula, Grossi, Paschoal Coelho, 2016

Grossi, Paschoal Coelho, 2016, A new brachypterous genus of Brazilian stag beetle (Coleoptera: Lucanidae: Lucaninae) with description of three new species, Zootaxa 4078 (1), pp. 218-229 : 227-228

Montesinus tatula sp. nov.

( Figures 4 , 20 , 23 )

Material examined. Holotype female labeled as follows: White label, a) “ BRASIL, MG/ Corinto, I.1998 / Alt: 900 m / E. Antunes leg.”; Red label, b) “ Montesinus tatula n. sp. ♀/ HOLOTYPE / P. C. Grossi det. 2015”. Holotype deposited at CERPE.

Description of female holotype. Total length including mandibles 17.0 mm. Greatest pronotal width 6.5 mm. Color surface piceous, somewhat shiny, pronotum with some darkish-red marks, especially near anterior and posterior margins; ventrally with femora, coxae, mandibles, gula, gena and some parts of meso- and metasternum reddish. Mouthparts: Mandibles symmetrical, explanate, gradually incurved, apex acute; internally with a forwards triangularly shaped tooth; just below superior margin slightly concave; dorsally with an obsolete longitudinal depression; base sparsely punctate, punctures small; ventrally flat and sparsely punctate. Labrum trapezoidal, anterior margin with 2 transverse setose depressions; lateral borders with some scattered setae. Mentum suboval in shape, ventral surface very finely reticulate among punctures, densely punctate, punctures large to coarse, sometimes coalescent, and covered by long dark yellowish setae, more setae on lateral and anterior margins. Maxillae with lacinia almost as long as galea, with hooked and broad apex; hooklets absent; 3th palpomere very short and curved ( Fig. 20 ). Head: Shape transverse, wider than 1 elytron width, surface totally punctate, punctures small near anterior margin to coarse near vertex; vertex weakly convex. Ocular canthi roundly expanded. Gena slightly convex, sparsely punctate, punctures shallow; integument microreticulate. Gula convex and smooth on disc and posteriorly; anteriorly microreticulate and sparsely punctate, punctures semicircular and setose; anterior angles acute, projected forward and along the base of the mentum; near posterior lateral sides with a longitudinal sinuous suture. Prothorax: Pronotum transverse, narrow than elytra, surface finely grooved and finely punctate, punctures fine, larger near margins; border incomplete at anterior middle. Anterior angles obtuse; posterior ones rounded, but obsolete. Scutellum: Shape trapezoidal; integument microreticulate and sparsely punctate. Elytra: Longer than pronotum and head together; surface shiny and scratched and irregularly punctate; punctures fine to medium. Each elytron with 10 irregular subparallel grooves, 5 dorsal and 5 somewhat transverse at lateral sides, these ones smaller. Humeri truncate and setose. Legs: Protibia flattened, with 4 external well-developed teeth and 1 basal smaller, distal tooth forwardly projected and stronger than the others; second and third teeth subequal in size and shape ( Fig. 23 ); basal tooth of right tibia almost vestigial. Mesotibiae with 2 external teeth with the distal much larger, apex with 4 projected teeth, three ventral and one lateral. Metatibiae with 1 external tooth, apex sinuous, or with 4 rounded teeth. All tibiae setose. Tarsi setose and arolium with 2 bristles. Venter: Abdomen with all ventrites bordered; ventrites 1–4 finely punctate, ventrite 5 moderately punctate and setose distally.

Etymology. The specific name is an homage to my father Everardo J. Grossi, a medical doctor with a fondness of beetles and collector, and specialist on the subfamily Dynastinae (Scarabaeoidea) , who encouraged me all my life to work with Coleoptera . “ Tatula ”, gender masculine, means ‘daddy’ in Latin.

Remarks. The only known female, which is described here, was collected in a place far from Serra do Caparaó, within the Serra do Espinhaço complex. It is clearly distinct from the other two species in being shinier, having the maxillae with no hooklets, palpomeres of distinct shape, and elytral punctation of a different pattern.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Habitus of Montesinus species. 1 – 3. Montesinus monnei sp. nov., holotype male in dorsal (1) and lateral views (2), and allotype female in dorsal view (3); 4. M. tatula sp. nov., holotype female in dorsal view; 5. M. machadoi Grossi sp. nov., holotype female in dorsal view. Scale bars = 4 mm.

FIGURES 18 – 21. Left maxillae in dorsal view: 18 – 19. M. monnei sp. nov., male (18) and female (19); 20. M. tatula sp. nov.; 21. M. machadoi sp. nov. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 22 – 27. Details of morphology of Altitatiayus Weinreich and Montesinus gen. nov. 22 – 24. right female protibiae (punctures and setae omitted); 26 – 27. wings in dorsal view; 22. Montesinus monnei sp. nov.; 23. M. tatula sp. nov.; 24 – 25. M. machadoi sp. nov., 25. right wing; 26. Altitatiayus ruficollis (Lüderwaldt); 27. A. rotundatus (Boileau).