Terataki caterinoi Chatzimanolis

Chatzimanolis, Stylianos, 2013, Te ra ta k i, a new genus of Staphylinini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae) from South America, Zootaxa 3750 (3), pp. 251-264 : 259-260

Terataki caterinoi Chatzimanolis , new species

( Figs. 5 , 9 )

Type material. Holotype, here designated: female, with labels as follows: “ Brazil: Paraná: 24.5663S, 50.2570W, Parque Est. Guartela, 12–15.xii.2011, Caterino & Tishechkin” / “Chatzimanolis DNA Voucher, Extraction: SC- 248, Extraction date v.23.2013” / “ Holotype Terataki caterinoi Chatzimanolis des. Chatzimanolis 2013” (UFRB). Deposited in Universidade Federal do Paraná, in Curitiba (UFPR).

Diagnosis. Terataki caterinoi can be distinguished from all other species of Terataki based on the following characteristics: a) at least 2mm longer than any other species; b) uniform metallic green coloration of head, pronotum, elytra and most of abdomen; c) with one row of small-sized punctures on each half of the pronotum (two sets of small-sized punctures in Te. badiipennis and Te. erithracus ; two sets of large punctures in Te. liliputanum ) and d) fewer micropunctures (head and pronotum almost appearing glabrous) on the head and pronotum than any other species.

Description. Body length 18 mm.

Coloration of head, pronotum, mesoscutellum and elytra bright metallic green with yellowish orange overtones. Ventral surface of head and prothorax metallic dark green. Antenna brown with antennomeres 1–3 metallic green-brown. Abdomen metallic green with intersegmental membranes orange; tergite VIII black except orange on anterolateral corners; sternite VIII orange anteriorly and black posteriorly. Legs dark metallic greenbrown, except distal tarsomeres lighter brown.

Head subquadrate, width: length ratio = 1.08; head hexagonal in shape, widest at temples. Surface of epicranium with transverse microsculpture, micropunctures and with few small punctures scattered near margins of head. Antennomeres 1–3 longer than wide; antennomeres 4–5 subquadrate; antennomeres 6–10 transverse; 5–7 gradually increasing in width; antennomere 8 slightly shorter than antennomere 7; antennomeres 8–10 similar in size; antennomeres 7–10 asymmetrical (slightly off center). Antennomeres 1–4 with several rows of macrosetae; antennomeres 5–11 with microtrichiae.

Pronotum subquadrate, width: length ratio = 1.07; with transverse microsculpture and rows of micropunctures; small punctures present around the margin of pronotum and in one row of punctures on each half of pronotum around the midline; each row with multiple punctures; distance between punctures in each row varies. Mesoscutellum with transverse microsculpture and large almost confluent punctures.

Elytra subequal in length to pronotum with medium-sized uniform punctation; distance between punctures subequal to 1.5 times width of punctures; elytra with dense polygon-shaped microsculpture and transverse lines.

Abdomen. Tergite II without curved (arch-like) ridge; tergites III–V with anterior basal carina but with no curved ridge. Abdominal tergites with faint transverse surface microsculpture; with large punctation; distance between punctures subequal to half width of punctures except punctation less dense medially; punctures transversely elongate on tergites IV–VII. Sternum with uniform dense punctation, distance between punctures subequal to width of puncture; sternum covered with dense transverse microsculpture.

Secondary sexual structures. Males not known. Females with no obvious secondary sexual structures.

Distribution. Known from the type locality in the state of Paraná in Brazil.

Habitat. Michael Caterino, who along with and Alexey Tishechkin collected the specimen, described the habitat as a transition zone from moist Atlantic forest to a more seasonal Cerrado, with the former lower down in the canyon, and the plateaus more Cerrado-like.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Dr. Michael S. Caterino, who along with A. Tishechkin collected the specimen in Brazil.

Remarks. I am typically hesitant to describe new species only from female specimens. In the past (Chatzimanolis 2004; Chatzimanolis 2012) I have only done it when the specimens can be clearly differentiated from other species and are found in threatened habitats. This is also the case here, and therefore I feel comfortable describing a new species from a female specimen.

Figures

FIGURES 3 – 6. Head of Terataki Chatzimanolis. 3. Te. badiipennis (Nordmann). 4. Te. liliputanum (Bernhauer). 5. Te. caterinoi Chatzimanolis. 6. Te. erithracus (Nordmann). Scale bar = 1.5 mm.

FIGURES 7 – 10. Pronotum of Te ratak i Chatzimanolis. 7. Te. badiipennis (Nordmann). 8. Te. liliputanum (Bernhauer). 9. Te. caterinoi Chatzimanolis. 10. Te. erithracus (Nordmann). Scale bar = 1.0 mm.