Termitozophilus parapilosus, Silva & Zilberman & Carvalho-Filho, 2022

Silva, Ruan Felipe Da, Zilberman, Bruno & Carvalho-Filho, Fernando Da Silva, 2022, Hidden Brazilian Amazon diversity: four new species, redescription and notes on natural history of Termitozophilus Silvestri, 1901 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zootaxa 5209 (5), pp. 501-534 : 512-516

Termitozophilus parapilosus sp. nov.

( Figs. 10–13 , 27B , 28 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂ ( MPEG): Brasil [= Brazil], Pará, Peixe-Boi / Fazenda Abalém [= Abalém Farm], 15.VII.2021 / R. F. Silva [collector], hospedeiro [= host]: Cornitermes pilosus .

PARATYPES. Same data as holotype, 1 ♀ in MPEG (in alcohol), 1 ♀ and 1 ♂ in MZSUP ( MZSP 21302 ) (dissected in slides) .

Diagnosis. Paratergites fused neither to each other nor to tergites and sternites; sclerotized parts of the abdomen mostly light brown, with a large white-colored membranous area exposed in dorsal view. Head with three pairs of bristles, one behind the eye, one on medial-posterior region, and one below medial-posterior area. Elytra subquadrate with a heavily scaled anteromesial border. Apex of sternite VIII with six bristles.

Description. Male—length ~ 1.4 mm ( Figs. 10A–B ); female—length ~ 1.7 mm ( Figs. 10C–F ).

Head subquadrate, about as wide as long, widest behind eye, almost narrowing posteriorly; eye about 1/3 of head length; three pairs of bristles on vertex, one bristles behind eye, one bristle on medial-posterior region, and one bristle below the medial-posterior region ( Fig. 11A ). Antenna: scape almost longer than remainder antennomeres, except antennomere XI; antennomere XI about three times longer than wide and more than twice longer than antennomere X; antennomeres II–VI elongate, gradually decreasing in length, antennomere VII–X moniliform.

Mouthparts. Labrum more than twice wider than long, with slight sinuous anterior margin; five main long bristles on each lateral half, arranged in two diagonal rows each with two bristles and one bristle on middle of labrum length ( Fig. 11C ); epipharynx covered with sensilla and numerous short bristles, two of which longer. Mandible apex narrow, bearing a tooth on mesal region; with many punctuations on basal 2/3 ( Fig. 11B ). Labium with ligula narrowed at base and with a median-apical emargination, resulting in two lobes; mentum and submentum distinct, both trapezoidal, with three bristles distributed on each lateral margin, as follows: apical, pre-apical, and proximal ( Fig. 11E ).

Thorax. Elytra subquadrate, almost longer than wide and almost wider at posterior region ( Fig. 12C ), covering mesonotum and metanotum; anteromesial border densely scaled in internal view ( Figs. 13A–B ); covered with long bristles. Hind wing membrane shed in post-imaginal stage, present as a stump ( Fig. 12B ).

Abdomen with short tergites and with secondary sclerotization not reaching inner paratergites; outer paratergites close to margin of sternites by the former secondary sclerotization; inner and outer paratergites not fused ( Fig. 27B ); first segment represented by a weak sclerotized tergite joined to metanotum ( Fig. 12B ); sternites III–V with pores sparsely distributed; tergite VII ( Fig. 12D ) subquadrate, wider than long, with two rows of bristles, two bristles on medial region and six bristles on apical region, anterior margin with conspicuous glandular area; tergite VIII ( Fig. 12G ) almost subquadrate, with two rows of bristles, each with six main long bristles on medial and posterior regions, and four moderated sized bristles on posterior margin; sternite VIII ( Fig. 12H ) subquadrate, with acute posterior margin; with a row of six medial bristles, a row of eight posterior bristles, and six moderated sized bristles on posterior margin; male sternite IX ( Fig. 12F ) elongate and tongue-shaped, with four bristles on posterior half; female sternite IX represented by a pair of hemisternites laterally attached to tergite IX ( Fig. 12I ); tergite X ( Fig. 12E ) not bilobed, with three long bristles on each side and with two bristles on medial region.

Etymology. The specific epithet “ parapilosus ” is a combination of “para”, of Greek origin, which means “close to” and “pilosus”, referring to the species T. pilosus sp. nov., due to the morphological similarity between these species.

Geographic distribution. Brazil (Pará).

Host termites. This species was found in epigeal (above-ground) nests of Cornitermes pilosus Holmgren. This is the first record of a termitophilous rove beetle in the nest of this termite species.

Discussion. Termitozophilus parapilosus sp. nov. is similar to T. pilosus sp. nov. and T. favachoi sp. nov. in having paratergites fused neither to each other nor to tergites and sternites ( Figs. 27A–E ). Termitozophilus parapilosus sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from T. pilosus sp. nov. in having six bristles on vertex ( Fig. 11A ) ( T. pilosus sp. nov. has four bristles). In addition, it has four bristles on posterior margin of tergite VIII ( Fig. 12G ) (six in T. pilosus sp. nov.) and six bristles on the posterior margin of sternite VIII ( Fig. 12H ) (four in T. pilosus sp. nov.). Termitozophilus parapilosus sp. nov. also has anteromesial border of elytra densely scaled in the internal view ( Figs. 13A–B ). See the discussion under T. favachoi sp. nov. for differences between these similar new species.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Termitozophilus parapilosus sp. nov. A) Habitus, male, lateral view. B) Habitus, male, dorsal view. C) Habitus, female, lateral view. D) Habitus, female, dorsal view. E) Abdomen, dorsal view. F) Abdomen, ventral view.

FIGURE 11. Termitozophilus parapilosus sp. nov. A) Head, dorsal view. B) Left and right mandibles, dorsal view. C) Labrum, dorsal view. D) Maxilla, dorsal view. E) Pré-mentum, mentum and sub-mentum, ventral view. Scales: A = 2 mm; B–D = 0,5 mm; E = 1,5 mm.

FIGURE 12. Termitozophilus parapilosus sp. nov. A) Meso-metaventrite, ventral view. B) Meso-metanotum and tergite I, dorsal view. C) Elytron, dorsal view. D) Tergite VII, dorsal view. E) Male tergites IX and X, dorsal view. F) Male sternite IX, ventral view. G) Tergite VIII, dorsal view. H) Sternite VIII, ventral view. I) Female tergites IX and X, dorsal view. J) Median lobe of aedeagus, lateral view. K) Aedeagus, paramere, lateral view. L) Spermatheca, lateral view. Scales: A–E, G–I = 2 mm; F = 1,5 mm; J–K = 0,1 mm; L = 0,5 mm.

FIGURE 13. Termitozophilus parapilosus sp. nov. A) Elytron, internal view. B) Detail of the anteromesial border of elytron, internal view. Scales: A = 100 µm; B = 20 µm.

FIGURE 27. Phylogenetic recapitulation hypothesis based on the condition of abdominal sclerites in Termitozophilus species.

FIGURE 28. Geographic distribution of species of Termitozophilus in the Brazilian Amazon region (Para).