Valeriaaschero nigrita Erwin

Erwin, Terry L., 2004, The beetle family Carabidae of Costa Rica and Panamá: Descriptions of four new genera and six new species with notes on their way of life (Insecta: Coleoptera), Zootaxa 537, pp. 1-18 : 16-17

Valeriaaschero nigrita Erwin , new species

(Figs. 11, 12, 13)

Holotype. Male. COSTA RICA: Puntarenas, Peninsula de Osa, Rancho Quemado, 200 m, 8° 40' 44" N, 83° 34' 00" W, LS292500,511000, September (F.A. Quesada)( INBio: CRI 001408247).

Derivation of specific name. Members of this species resemble the preceding species except in coloration, hence the Latin adjective, niger, from which nigrita is derived, suggests the color of their dark elytra and infuscated pronotum.

Common name. Valeria’s somber arboreal carabid.

Diagnosis. With the attributes of the genus and top of head bright rufous contrasting markedly with dark genae, testaceous antennae, and elytra shiny piceous.

Description. (Fig. 11). Size medium: ABL = 6.3 mm, SBL = 5.7 mm, TW = 2.4 mm. Color: Pronotum shiny piceous with rufous lateral explanations; elytra shiny piceous; head with entire top bright rufous; appendages and venter partially infuscated, partially dark rufous. Luster: Very shiny throughout. Microsculpture: Effaced from dorsal surfaces. Head: Slightly wider than pronotum across eyes; frontal furrows markedly impressed to posterior margin of eyes; frons with convex callous at middle; eyes large, markedly produced; ultimate labial palpomere securiform; antennae of moderate length, reaching just posterior of humerus. Prothorax: Narrow, quadrate, markedly convex, margins moderately explanate, sinuate before moderately produced acute hind angles. Pterothorax: Normal for Agrina, fully winged. Legs: Normal for Agrina. Abdomen: Normal for Agrina; glaborous, except normal ambulatory setae on sterna 3–5 and males with two pair of ambulatory setae on sternum 6, female unknown. Male genitalia: Aedeagus — phallus tubular, catopic, apex moderately long and narrow, endophallus without armature, parameres small, right more so than left ( Fig. 12 ).

Dispersal potential. These beetles are fully winged and likely are good dispersers, as are most arboreal beetles.

Way of life. These beetles belong in a subtribal level clade in which all the species are arboreal, however the single know specimen’s method of capture was not recorded. Geographic distribution. ( Fig. 13 ). Known only from Costa Rica.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Aedeagus, dorsal, ventral, left lateral aspects of Valeriaaschero nigrita Erwinnew species

FIGURE 13. Geographical distribution map of the new taxa in Costa Rica and Panamá: Tachysbembix sirena Erwin new species (solid circle —), Tachysbembix wendyporrasae Erwin new species (open circle —), Pseudophorticus puncticollis Erwin new species (open box —), Guatemalteca virgen Erwin new species (diamond —), Valeriaaschero flora Erwin new species (star —), V aleriaaschero nigrita Erwin new species (triangle —). Note star () in Panamá (see text).