Phyllobaenus thomasi Leavengood, 2020

John M. Leavengood, Jr., 2020, Phyllobaenus thomasi and P. turnbowi, two new species from Mexico and Belize (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Hydnocerinae: Hydnocerini), Insecta Mundi 2020 (833), pp. 1-6 : 2-4

Phyllobaenus thomasi Leavengood , new species

( Fig. 1–4 )

Holotype. Male. MEXICO: Yucatán: 2km E Chichén Itzá , blacklight trap, 15-VI-1990, M. C. Thomas ( FSCA).

Paratypes. 13 specimens. BELIZE: British Honduras: Prov. Corozal 15 mi. S. Santa Elena , 1-VII-1966, U. Kans. Mex. Exped. ( SEMC, 1) ; Orange Walk: 5 mi. N. Orange Walk, 12-VIII-1979, CW & L O’Brien & G Marshall ( JNRC, 1) . MEXICO: Campeche: Carmen, 14-VII-1959, NLH Krauss ( NMNH, 1). Oaxaca: 27 miles southwest Salina Cruz , 14-VII-1987, Kovarik, Schaffner ( TAMU, 2). Quintana Roo: 24 km N Carrillo Puerto, 28-V-1984, R. Turnbow ( RHTC, 1). Yucatán: Chuminopolis, 7-VII-1952, J. & D. Pallister, C. R. Vose Fund, Explorers’ Club, A.M.N.H. Exped. ( AMNH, 1) ; Colonia Yucatan, 17-VIII-1952, J. & D. Pallister, C. R. Vose Fund, Explorers’ Club, A.M.N.H. Exped. ( AMNH, 1) ; Holactun , 14-VII-1974, Coll. by W. F. Chamberlain ( TAMU, 1) ; Libra Union , 14-VII-1974, Coll. by W. F. Chamberlain ( TAMU, 1) ; 26 km. SW. Merida , 30-VII-1990, C. W. & L. B. O’Brien ( JNRC, 1) ; Merida , 29-30-VII-1964, Paul J. Spangler ( FSCA, 1; NMNH, 1) .

Diagnosis. The color pattern of Phyllobaenus thomasi most closely resembles P. antillae (Wolcott) , P. schmidti (Pic) , P. semimarginatus (Pic) and P. postsuturalis (Pic) , from which it differs by having the sutural and lateral orange-testaceous elytral markings distinctly connecting at the elytral base. The other four species have pale borders, at least in part, of both the lateral and sutural margins of the elytra, but the lateral and sutural colored portions never converge and meet humerally.

Description. Holotype (male): Body length 4.13 mm. Head, scutellum, prothorax, lateral portions of meso- and metathorax, and an elongate central stripe on each elytron reaching from the apex to just before the humerus brownish-black; antennae, mouthparts, coxae, legs, ventral portions of meso- and metathorax, most of the abdomen, and the elytral region surrounding the central stripe pale testaceous; infuscations on antennal club, lateral portions of meso- and metathorax, and abdominal tergites ( Fig. 1 ). Head slightly wider than elytral humeri, with the prominent eyes protruding beyond the lateral pronotal angles; finely punctate; sparsely clothed with fine, long, erect, pale hairs interspersed with short semirecumbent hairs directed centrally between the eyes, and eyes sparsely clothed with only fine long erect pale hairs. Antennae 10-segmented, with funicular segments (i.e., III– IX) of typical form, VIII smaller than segments VII or IX; terminating in a large one-segmented club. Pronotum nearly impunctate; sparsely clothed with fine long erect pale hairs interspersed with short semirecumbent hairs; lateral pronotal angles somewhat anteriorly placed and as wide as eyes or elytral humeri. Elytra moderately and evenly punctate; sparsely clothed with fine, long, erect, pale hairs interspersed with short, semirecumbent hairs; somewhat dorsoventrally flattened, dehiscent at the apical third, and weakly tumid apically; at the point of elytral dehiscence (one-third from the elytral apex), internal plical margin forming an elongate subulate excavation with a distinct margin and acuminate ends; elytral apices serrulate, independently truncate with a briefly smooth inner margin; lateral elytral margins serrulate, growing slightly stronger apically, obsolete in anterior third of elytral margin (reduced to setigerous punctures), each serrulation with a posteriorly projecting seta. Ventral pro- and mesothorax sparsely clothed with fine, long, erect, pale hairs interspersed with short, semirecumbent hairs, metathorax similar but with long, ventral, erect, hairs; mesepisternum and metepisternum evenly covered in recumbent hairs. Legs somewhat shining, sparsely clothed with fine, long, erect, pale hairs of varying length; slender, with femora thicker than spindly tibiae; metafemora somewhat clavate and reaching well beyond elytral apex; tarsi with well-developed triangular ungues ( Fig. 3 ). Abdomen shining and sparsely clothed with fine, long, erect, pale hairs (longest at apical margin of each ventrite) interspersed with short, semirecumbent hairs which are shorter and more densely arranged on the fifth visible sternite; visible sternite V with apical margin broadly, evenly emarginate across entire width; sternite VI modified, with posterior margin concealed by sternite V ventrally, but produced dorsolaterally on each side into a curved, setose, clasper-like appendage terminating in a blunt end; apical visible tergite with a very weak emargination and particularly long, curved marginal setae. Paratype (female) with apical visible abdominal sternite divided into two free sclerites, each with long setae on the apical margins ( Fig. 2 ); apical visible tergite apically margined with long setae ( Fig. 4 ).

Distribution. Known from Belize and Mexico (Campeche, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo and Yucatán).

Etymology. This patronym honors my thesis advisor, Dr. Michael C. Thomas, who gave me my first museum job curating the recent accession of the Giesbert Collection into the Florida State Collection of Arthropods. Mike also ignited my interest in checkered beetles, which became the subject of my master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation.

Remarks. The distinctly dehiscent, marginally serrulate, apically subtruncate and dorsoventrally flattened elytral form in combination with distinct bifid tarsal ungues ally P. thomasi with P. antillae , P. lateralis , P. postsuturalis , P. schmidti , P. semimarginatus , P. subulatus and P. subvittatus . These species (and others of similar elytral and tarsal form) likely represent a natural group. Whereas the holotype and many paratypes possess uniformly pale legs, some paratypes possess partial to complete black bands on the apical metafemora. This is the only noteworthy variation in the type series.

One specimen not included in the type series has a locality label indicating it was collected in Perú (Loreto Prov.: 25 mi. NE Iquitos, Explorama Inn , 19-21-VII-1989, Amazon rainforest, G. B. Edwards; FSCA, 1). Given that all other specimens are from southern Mexico or Belize, I strongly suspect that this specimen was mislabeled .

Figures

Figures 1–11. Phyllobaenus thomasi female paratype. 1) Habitus, dorsal. 2) Abdomen, ventral. 3) Tarsal claw. 4) Abdomen, dorsal. Phyllobaenus turnbowi male paratype. 5) Abdomen, lateral. 6) Tarsal claw. 7) Terminalia, caudal. 8) Abdomen, dorsal. 9) Terminalia, dorsal. 10) Terminalia, ventral. 11) Terminalia, ventrolateral.