Austrelmis argentinensis, Manzo, Veronica & Archangelsky, Miguel, 2015

Manzo, Veronica & Archangelsky, Miguel, 2015, Austrelmis Brown (Coleoptera: Byrrhoidea: Elmidae) from Argentina: five new species, Zootaxa 4058 (3), pp. 403-416 : 404-406

Austrelmis argentinensis sp. nov.

( Figs 1 a; 2 a–c)

Diagnosis. This new species may be distinguished from all the other known Austrelmis species by the following combination of characters: 1) pronotum with sublateral carinae deeply and completely divided at basal 2/3 by a broad oblique impression; 2) prosternum with short and basal lateral carinae; 3) metaventrite without lateral carinae; 4) disc of ventrite I with complete lateral carinae; 5) hind legs as long as or longer than length of body; 6) sixth and eighth elytral intervals carinate; 6) aedeagus long; penis elongate, apex rounded, fibula and corona present; basolateral apophyses short; parameres distinctly shorter than penis; phallobase longer than penis and closed.

Description. Holotype: male. Body elongated, moderately convex. Length: 2.10 mm; greatest width: 0.90 mm (at midlength of elytra).

Color: pronotum and elytral suture dark brown, ventral body and legs reddish brown; elytra reddish.

Plastron: covering genae, sides of prosternum, meso- and metaventrite, inner face of coxae, femora, epipleura and sides of all ventrites.

Head: partially retractable, surface microreticulated, rugose, with sparse golden setae; two longitudinal narrow impressions on lateral inner margins of eyes. Fronto–clypeal suture deep; clypeus broad, surface like that of head. Labrum subrectangular, transverse, anterolateral margins with long golden setae, surface microreticulate. Antennae 11-segmented, apical segment longest with cluster of apical setae.

Thorax. Pronotum: wider than long (length: 0.70 mm; width: 0.75 mm) at base ( Fig. 1 a); lateral margins subparallel and sinuate, with acute and long anterolateral angles, posterolateral angles acute and short. Base trisinuate, with two small suboval depressions on each side of scutellum. Sublateral carinae present, extending from base to anterior margin; carinae completely divided by a broad oblique impression. Disc without impressions, surface punctured, punctures smaller than the facets of eyes, separated by 1–2 times their diameter, surface between punctures microreticulated and rugose, with golden and long dispersed setae. Surface on basal third and lateral area of pronotum with large and deep punctures, separated by ½ their diameter. Hypomeron: surface microreticulated and rugose. Prosternum wider than diameter of procoxa; short basal carinae; prosternal process almost as wide as long, subquadrate; apex straight. Mesoventrite: with groove for reception of prosternal process. Metaventrite: surface smooth, with large punctures separated by 1–1½ times their diameter and short golden setae; with complete median longitudinal line; disc without lateral carinae.

Legs: elongate, those of metathorax longest; legs as long as length of body (forelegs 2.10 mm) or longer than body length (middle legs 2.20 mm, hind legs 2.30 mm). Tibiae densely setose. Pro- and metatibiae with a single apicolateral cleaning fringe on apical half; mesotibia with apicolateral and lateroventral cleaning fringe on 1/3 and 2/3 respectively. Tarsi 5-segmented, tarsomeres with golden setae, fifth tarsomere longest; tarsal claws long, not modified.

Elytra: length: 0.70mm; greatest width 0.90 mm (at midlength); with ten punctuate striae; striae formed by punctures smaller than the facet of eyes, separated by 3–4 times their diameter; intervals flat, with micropunctures; sixth interval with short basal carinae; eighth interval with complete carinae; elytral apex protruded. Scutellum subtriangular, surface with large and deep punctures.

Abdomen: ventrites weakly convex; surface with punctures like those on metaventrite; disc of ventrite I with complete lateral carinae; ventrite V with lateral margin produced as prominent tooth; apex rounded, apical margin with short golden setae.

Male genitalia: aedeagus ( Figs 2 a–b) long and moderately broad. Penis elongate, subtriangular, apex rounded; fibula and corona present; basolateral apophyses short. Parameres subtriangular, distinctly shorter than penis. Phallobase large, longer than penis, closed.

Female: externally similar to male except: 1) surface of metaventrite and all ventrites with small punctures separated by 2–3 times their diameter; setae very dispersed.

Female genitalia: as in Fig. 2 c.

Intraspecific variation: 1) elytral cuticle of the some examined specimens dark brown and with a humeral reddish spot; 2) some females with long and golden setae on apex of ventrite V.

Type series. Holotype (dissected and illustrated): Male. Argentina: Jujuy Province, Parque Nacional Calilegua, Aguas Negras River, 23°45ˈ 44 ̎S 64°50ˈ56̎W, 31-V-2000, V. Manzo leg. Paratypes: 52 males and 43 females, same data as holotype; 25 males and 26 females, Departamento El Bananal, Las Piedras River, 23°30’47 S 64°33’ 09 W, 580 m, 1-VI-2000, V. Manzo leg.; 22 males and 22 females, 11 km before PN Calilegua, Zora River, 23°45ˈ 04 ̎S 64°41ˈ27 ̎W, 410 m, 2-VI-2000, V. Manzo leg. Salta Province, 1male, Tala River, 17-IX-1998, E. Domínguez leg.; 2 males and 1 female, PN El Rey, La Sala stream, 24°43ˈ35̎S 64°39ˈ44̎W, 9 specimens, Los Noques stream, 24°47ˈ52̎S 64ˈ37̎W, 23-III-1999 H. Fernández and F. Romero leg., 15 specimens, La Sala stream (Intendencia, PN El Rey), 24°43ˈ 33̎S 64°38ˈ36̎W, 23-III-1999, H. Fernández and F. Romero leg.; 12 specimens, Rosario de la Frontera, tributary of Horcones River, 25°50ˈ 13̎64°56ˈ 14, 2-III-2000, V. Manzo, F. Romero and C. Molineri leg. Catamarca Province, 6 specimens, Pampichuelas stream, 28°40ˈ18 ̎S 66°04ˈ 44 ̎W, 980 m, 20-XII- 2000, H. Fernández, F. Romero and V. Manzo leg.; 7 males and 4 female, El Arbolito stream, 28°37ˈ13 ̎S 66°02ˈ05 W, 1040 m, 20-XII-2000, H. Fernández, F. Romero and V. Manzo leg.; 3 male and 3 female. Tucumán Province; 15 specimens, Departamento Taf Viejo, Raco, RP 341 (km 19), Palangana stream, 26°39ˈ59 S 65°24ˈ49 W, 1000 m, 28-XII-2000, C. Molineri leg.; 27 specimens, Liquimayo stream, 26°39ˈ5̎S 65°26ˈ42̎W, 29-XII-2000, C. Molineri leg.; La Hoyada River, 26°46ˈ15̎S 65°28ˈ4̎W 29-XII-2000, 53 specimens, Lules River basin, 26°21ˈ56̎S 65°54ˈ 12̎W, 2-VII-1999, H. Fernández, F. Romero y V. Manzo leg; 38 specimens, Lules River 26°51ˈ32̎S 65°25ˈ31̎W, 7-XII-1999, H. Fernández, F. Romero and V. Manzo leg., 58 specimens, Departamento Burruyacu, Artaza stream, 26°36ˈ13̎S 65°02ˈ 36, 30-VIII-2008, V. Manzo and F. Romero leg.; 66 specimens, Medina River , 26°32ˈ29 ̎S 65°01ˈ42 ̎W, 740 m, 8-V-2000, H. Fernández, F. Romero, V. Manzo and M. Orce leg.

Etymology. Named argentinensis for the country where the type specimens were collected.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pronota of Austrelmis species: a) A. argentinensis sp. nov.; b) A. catamarcensis sp. nov.; c) A. tafi sp. nov.; d) A. talampayensis sp. nov.; e) A. robustus sp. nov. Scale bars 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 2. Austrelmis argentinensis sp. nov. (holotype): a) male genitalia, dorsal view; b) male genitalia, lateral view; c) female genitalia, ventral view. Scale bars 0.2 mm.