Aphelocerus formicoides, 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 : 87-88

Aphelocerus formicoides , new species Figures 45 , 47 , 87 , 149 ; map 23

HOLOTYPE: Male. Honduras. Dept. Yoro, 45 km S Tela , 800 m, May 25–27, 1978, E. Giesbert ( LACM). (Specimen pin mounted; support card; machine printed, sex label affixed to support card; locality label, white, hand printed; LACM repository label, white, hand printed; holotype label, red, machine and hand printed.)

PARATYPES: Twelve specimens. Six specimens from the same locality as the holotype ( FSCA, 2; WOPC, 3) ; 600 m ( FSCA, 1). Honduras: Atlantida: 12 km SW La Ceiba, 21­IV­1979, E Giesbert ( FSCA, 2; WOPC, 1). Mexico: Chiapas: 16 km S Malpaso 24­ V­1969, J. M. Campbell ( CNCI, 1). Belize: Cayo: Mtn. Pine Ridge, 525 m, 26­VI­1992, Pine Ridge, Chito Line at Little Vaqueros Creek, Broadleaved Hardwood Forest , beating/sweeping in slash area, J. Rifkind, P. Gum (JNRI, 1; WOPC, 1) .

DIAGNOSIS: These small beetles (4 mm) have a distinct transverse concavity behind the well­developed humeral umbo of the elytra (figs. 45, 47). Also, the elytral disc has seven shallow, longitudinal carinae behind the humeral umbo.

DESCRIPTION: Size: Length 3.6–5.0 mm; width 1.7–2.0 mm. Integument: Black. Vestiture: The pronotal setal tuft consists of a single row of pale setae; except for metepisternal tuft, no other indication of a tuft is present; integument of dorsum vested with admixture of dark and pale setae; anterior fascies of protibia vested with long dark setae; tarsi vested with dark and pale setae, remainder of legs, pterthorax, and abdomen vested with pale setae. Head: Genae and epicranium expanded, gena wrinkled behind eyes; interocular depressions and frontal umbo shallow; frons, epicranium, and gena finely punctated, eyes subspherical, moderately convex; width across eyes narrower than width across pronotum (29:30); antenna elongate (fig. 87), nearly as long as length of pronotum (33:36). Thorax: Pronotal disc globose, very finely punctate; pronotum elongate (30:36), narrower than width of elytra across humeri (30:34); elytra short and boldly convex (fig. 47), with seven shallow, longitudinal carinae behind humeral umbo, depth at humerus 10, greatest depth in posterior half 17; legs very prominent, metafemur extended beyond elytral apex. Abdomen: Posterior margin of pygidium evenly arcuate in both sexes. Male genitalia: As in figure 149.

VARIATION: The longitudinal carinae on the elytral disc vary in their strength.

NATURAL HISTORY: The available specimens were captured in May and June. Ed Giesbert collected six specimens at 800 m and one at 600 m near La Ceiba, Honduras. J. Rifkind and P. Gum collected two specimens by beating broadleaved hardwoods at 525 m.

DISTRIBUTION (map 23): This Central American species has been collected from southern Mexico, Honduras, and Belize.

ETYMOLOGY: The trivial name formicoides is a compound Latin adjective from the feminine formica (ant) and the suffix ­ oides (likeness). I refer to the ant like appearance of these beetles.

Figures

Figs. 43–46. Habitus views. 43. Aphelocerus panus, dorsal. 44. A. dispilis, dorsal. 45. A. formicoides, dorsal. 46. A. dispilis, lateral.

Figs. 47–61. Habitus view and antennas. 47. Aphelocerus formicoides (habitus, lateral view). 48– 61. Antennas. 48. A. ciliaris. 49. A. inconstans. 50. A. domus. 51. A. echinatus. 52. A. bispineus. 53. A. citimus. 54. A. leucomelas. 55. A. coalitus. 56. A. inbatus. 57. A. coactus. 58. A. nitidus. 59. A. lividus. 60. A. cornuatus. 61. A. acutus.

Figs. 85–120. Antennae, pygidia, and sixth visible abdominal sterna. 85–90. Antennae. 85. Aphelocerus affaniatis. 86. A. dispilis. 87. A. formicoides. 88. A. cheliferous. 89. A. panus. 90. A. calvus. 91– 120. Pygidium and/or sixth visible abdominal sternum. 91–94. A. ciliaris. 91–92. male (91, pygidium; 92, sixth visible abdominal sternum). 93–94. female (93, pygidium; 94, sixth visible dominal sternum). 95. A. coactus, female pygdium. 96. A. domus, female pygidium. 97–100. A. coalitus, male (97, pygidium; 98, sixth visible abdominal sternum), 99–100. Female (99, pygidium; 100, sixth visible abdominal sternum). 101. A. leucomelas, male pygidium. 102–104. A. coactus. 102–103. male (102, pygidium; 103, sixth visible abdominal sternum). 104, female, pygidium. 105–106. A. acutus, pygidea (105, male; 106, female). 107–109. A. lividus. 107, male (pygidium). 108–109, female (108, pygidium; 109, sixth visible abdominal sternum). 110–113. A. sagittarius. 110–111, male (110, pygidium; 111, sixth visible abdominal sternum). 113, female, pygidium. 114–115. A. humerus, female (114, pygidium; 115, sixth visible abdominal sternum). 116–117. A. naevius, female (116, pygidium; 117, sixth visible abdominal sternum). 118–119. A. triangulus, female (118, pygidium; 119, sixth visible abdominal sternum). 120. A. arenatus, male, pygidium.

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.