Aphelocerus patulus, OPITZ, 2005

OPITZ, WESTON, 2005, Classification, Natural History, And Evolution Of The Genus Aphelocerus Kirsch (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2005 (293), pp. 1-128 : 47-48

Aphelocerus patulus , new species Figures 38 , 71 , 141 , 254 ; map 21

HOLOTYPE: Male. Costa Rica, Puntarenas, Monteverde , Feb. 21, 1987, E. Giesbert ( LACM). (Specimen pin mounted; support card, white; locality label, hand printed, white; LACM repository label, white; holotype label, red, machine printed; plastic vial with abdomen and aedeagus.)

PARATYPES: Forty specimens. Eight specimens from the same locality as the holotype: 26­II­1987 ( FSCA, 1; WOPC, 3) ; 27­II­87 ( FSCA, 1); 11–14­IV­1981 ( FSCA, 1; WOPC, 2). Costa Rica: Puntarenas: 4 km NE San Luis de Guacimal , 1067 m, 26­II­1987, E. Giesbert ( WOPC, 1) ; Monteverde, 18­V­ 1985, 1300 m, J. T. Doyen ( EMEC, 1). Monteverde , 1400 m, 22­V­1979, H. & A. Howden ( WOPC, 1) ; 11–13­V­1996, 1500 m, E. Giesbert ( FSCA, 1; WOPC, 1) ; 23­II­1991, H. & A. Howden ( CMNC, 2; WOPC, 1) ; 24­ II­ 1991 ( CMNC, 1) ; 25­II­1991 ( CMNC, 1) ; 26­II­1991 ( CMNC, 1; WOPC, 2) ; 26­II­ 1991, K. Mc Lachian Hamilton ( CMNC, 1) ; Monteverde Cloud Forest , 22–24­IV­1985 ( WOPC, 1) ; 23–27­II­1991, B. Sinclaire, Malaise ( WOPC, 2) ; San Luis Monteverde, 1000–1350 m, I I­1994, Z. Fuentes ( INBC, 6; WOPC, 4) ; 1 km W Santa Elena, 11­VI­ 1986, on dead wood, F. T. Hovore ( WFBC, 1): Guanacaste: Estacion Cacao, SW side Volcan Cacao, 1000–1400 m, Malaise trap, 1988–1989 ( INBC, 4): San Jose: Cerro Tacuotari, Santa Ana, 1900–2000 m, H. Vargas, F. G. Zumbado, M. A. Zumbado, 11–25­III 1992 ( WOPC, 1) .

DIAGNOSIS: Specimens of this species are very similar to geographically distant specimens of A. inconstans (Gorham) from which they may be distinguished by the absence of the dense vestiture of white setae on the low­ er margins of the pronotum. Also, in A. patulus , n.sp., females the pygidium is more trigonal than it is in females of A. inconstans (Gorham) .

DESCRIPTION: Size: Length 5.0–6.0 mm; width 2.0– 2.5 mm. Integument: Piceous. Vestiture: Elytral middiscal setal tuft highly developed (fig. 38), extended from elytral suture to epipleural margin. Head: Width across eyes equal to width of pronotum (25: 25), finely punctate; interocular depression and frontal umbo shallow; eyes moderately convex; antenna as in figure 71. Thorax: Pronotum equal in width and length (25:25); narrower than width of elytron across humeri (25:35), finely punctate, side margins feebly arcuate, feebly incised by anterior transverse depressions; elytral depth at humerus 17, greater depth in posterior half 20. Abdomen: Pygidium posterior margin evenly arcuate in male, trigonal in female (fig. 254); sixth visible abdominal sternum not incised. Male genitalia: As in figure 141.

VARIATION: Except for size, I did not observe any noteworthy variation among the specimens examined.

NATURAL HISTORY: Specimens were collected in February, April, May, and June at altitudes ranging from 1067 to 2000 m. One specimen was collected on dead wood and several in a Malaise trap.

DISTRIBUTION (map 21): Known only from the Costa Rican forests of Guanacaste, San Jose, and Puntarenas.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet patulus (spread out) is a Latin adjective. It is used here to indicate the extended setal patches of the elytral middiscal setal tuft.

Figures

Figs. 37–40. Habitus views. 37. Aphelocerus extensivus, dorsal. 38. A. patulus, dorsal. 39–40. A. immarginatus (39, dorsal; 40, lateral).

Figs. 62–84. Antennae. 62. Aphelocerus sagittarius. 63. A. irroratus. 64. A. naevius. 65. A. triangulus. 66. A. extensivus. 67. A. humerus. 68. A. argus. 69. A. protenus. 70. A. arenatus. 71. A. patulus. 72. A. monteverde. 73. A. chondrus. 74. A. catie. 75. A. chiriqui. 76. A. immarginatus. 77. A. anticus. 78. A. yungas. 79. A. batesi. 80. A. bufustis. 81. A. acanthus. 82. A. sturnus. 83. A. myrmecoides. 84. A. scutellaris.

Figs. 139–153. Tegmina or phallus. 139. Aphelocerus immarginatus, tegmen. 140. A. vietus, tegmen. 141. A. patulus, tegmen. 142. A. yungas, tegmen. 143. A. naevius, tegmen. 144a. A. catie, tegmen. 144b. A. affaniatis, tegmen. 144c. A. echinatus, tegmen. 145. A. scutellaris. 146–147. A. cheliferous (146, tegmen; 147, phallus). 148. A. panus, tegmen. 149. A. formicoides, tegmen. 150. A. acanthus, tegmen. 151. A. bufustis, tegmen. 152. A. batesi, tegmen. 153a. A. calvus, tegmen. 153b. A. capillus, tegmen.

Figs. 248–255. Pronota, pygidium, sixth visible abdominal sternum, tarsal claws. 248. Aphelocerus. cohibilis, pronotum (dorsal view). 249. A. chondrus (dorsal view). 250. A. improcerus, pronotum (dorsal view). 251. A. protenus, pronotum (dorsal view). 252–253. A. vietus, male (252, pygidium; 253, sixth visible abdominal sternum). 254. A. patulus, female pygidium. 255a. A. leucomelas, tarsal claws. 255b. A. bispineus habitus. 255c. A. ciliaris habitus.