Aphelocerus vietus, 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 : 58-59

Aphelocerus vietus , new species Figures: 140, 252, 253; map 27

HOLOTYPE: Male. Honduras: Tegucigalpa vic., El Sitio, 31009, May 24, 1993, J. Rifkind, P. Gum ( LACM). (Specimen point mounted, sex label affixed to support card, white, machine printed; locality label, white, machine printed; natural history label, white, machine printed; LACM repository label, white, machine printed; holotype label, red, machine printed; plastic vial with aedeagus and abdomen.)

PARATYPES: None.

DIAGNOSIS: The centrally directed carinae on the pronotal disc distinguish the members of this species from other Aphelocerus specimens.

DESCRIPTION: Size: Length 5.0 mm; width 2.0 mm. Integument: Black; antenna, mouthparts, and tarsi brunneus. Vestiture: Integument copiously vested with prominent light and dark setae; setal tufts prominent on mesoscutelum, basal third of sutural margin, and elytral disc; elytral discal tufts bipartite, setae of anterior patch directed anteriorly, posteriorly in distal setal patch; elytral apical region predominently vested with white setae. Head: Interocular depressions and frontal umbo only faintly visible; frons, epicranium, and gena finely punctated; eyes oblong, moderately convex; width across eyes equal to width across pronotum (70:70); antenna shorter than length of pronotum (70: 78). Thorax: Pronotum longer than wide (70: 78), disc with carinae directed to center of disc, subapical depression poorly defined, side margins feebly arcuate, considerably narrower than width across humeri (70:90); elytra moderately convex, apical slope gradual, depth at humerus 30, greatest depth in posterior half 40; metafemora not extended beyond elytral apex. Abdomen: Pygidium and fifth visible sternum notably slender, truncate (figs. 252, 253). Male genitalia: As in figure 140.

VARIATIONS: Not studied.

NATURAL HISTORY: The holotype was collected in May, at 945 m, in a tropical deciduous forest.

DISTRIBUTION (map 27): Known only from the type locality.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet vietus (shriveled) is a Latin adjectival. I refer to the scabrous surface of the pronotum.