Ceratoxenus akerata Moreno & Zilberman, 2024

Moreno, Carlos & Zilberman, Bruno, 2024, Revalidation of the termitophilous genus Ceratoxenus Mann and description of two new species from the Neotropical region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Corotocini), Zootaxa 5474 (1), pp. 35-49 : 40-41

Ceratoxenus akerata Moreno & Zilberman sp. nov.

( Figs. 3A–D , 6C, F )

Diagnosis: The species is recognized by the less developed and widely spaced lateral projections at frons along with a acutely projected medial process between the lateral projections; slightly acute and elevated gena, forming a longitudinal carina behind eyes; pronotum with anterior impression about the same length, and noticeably narrower than posterior, and with anterior margin arcuate.

Head. Gena slightly elevated behind eyes; head surface finely punctuate; lateral projections at frons less developed and more widely spaced; medial process acutely projected, not overtaking the level of frontal elevations ( Fig. 3 A,C ; Fig. 6 C,F ). Long bristles absent on vertex. Antenna with antennomere 1 cylindrical, with almost same length of antennomeres 2–4 combined; 2–5 longer than wide, subequal in length; 6–8 shorter than previous, longer than wide, all subequal in length; 9–10 slightly shorter than previous subquadrate; 11 conical. Secondary maxilar palpomere slightly rounded and at apex. Postmentum occupying more than half of total head length, longer than wide, slightly longer than gula, entirely covered by long bristles.

Thorax. Pronotum broader on posterior region; pronotum light-brown with lateral margins darker; anterior impression about the same length and noticeably narrower than posterior, and with anterior margin arcuated, bearing long bristles marginally; lateral margins parallel with long bristles sparsely distributed ( Figs. 3C , 6F ). Elytra elongate, wider on posterior region; light-brown, outer margin darker. Legs with pro- and mesocoxae transverse; metacoxa triangular. Tibia slightly longer than femur, covered with long and thick bristles along entire length; outer margins of tibia slightly convex, and inner margin straight; pro-, meso-, and metatarsi increasing in length.

Abdomen. As described to genus. Female unknown.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE. Male. PANAMA. “Barro C’do I. [ Barro Colorado Island ], C. Z. [Canal Zone]”; “19:VIII:35, A. Emerson [col.], #1479”; “ Xenopelta cornuta ”; “ Seevers det.”; “ Ceratoxenus akerata Moreno & Zilberman, 2024 ”; “HOLOTYPE”; “ MZSP 21237 ”.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from Greek, the junction of “ἀ-” (a-, “without”), and “ κέρατα ” (kérata, horns). Thus, “akerata ” means “without horns” in allusion to the less developed frontal projections in the species. Noun in apposition.

Remarks. Ceratoxenus akerata sp. nov. differs from C. tricornis and C. inflatus by the less developed lateral projections of head and pronotal impressions about the same length; from C. tricornis (in parenthesis) by the presence of carinete gena (uncarinete) and medial process slightly acutely projected (strongly acutely projected); and from C. inflatus (in parenthesis) by the smaller and widely spaced lateral projections at frons (larger and closely spaced), medial process acutely projected (rounded), and acutely projected carinate. gena (roundely projected).

Biology. Host unknown.

Distribution. Panama —Barro Colorado Island. This species marks a new record to the genus Ceratoxenus for Panama.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Ceratoxenus akerata Moreno and Zilberman sp. nov. Holotype. Habitus lateral (A), ventral (B), dorsal (C), and labels (D).

FIGURE 6. Comparative external morphology of head and thorax among Ceratoxenus species: C. tricornis Mann, 1923 (A, D), C. inflatus sp. nov. (C, E), and C. akerata sp. nov. (C, F). White arrows point to the lateral horns, yellow arrows point to the gena with a distinctive carina in C. inflatus and C. akerata, and uncarinated in C. tricornis, while cyan arrows point to the medial projection between lateral horns.