Charisius salvini Champion

Campbell, J. M., 2014, New species and records of Charisius Champion from Mexico and Central America (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae, Alleculinae), ZooKeys 415, pp. 269-293 : 285-286

9. Charisius salvini Champion Figs 11, 16

Charisius salvini Champion (1888: p. 423, pl. 19, fig. 15); Campbell (1965: 52, Figs 5, 14).

Type.

Lectotype, male, Calderas, Guatemala ( Campbell 1965: 52). The specimen is in the BMNH.

Distribution and Records.

Charisius salvini was previously known from the highlands of southeastern and southcentral Guatemala. The species is now known to be widespread in Guatemala and is reported from El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua at elevations between 1340 and 1830 meters in elevation.

EL SALVADOR: Cerro Verde, 2000 m, 1.V. and 4.V.1971, HF Howden (CMNC, JMCC) 3.

GUATEMALA: Baja Verapaz: 5 km above Ixpaco, 4300 ft, 22.VI.1983, JMC (CNCI) 1; 9 km S San Jeronimo, 4500 ft, 25.VI.1966(JMCC)2; 7.8 mi W Chilasco, 1700 m, 24.V.1991, H & A Howden (CMNC) 1. Chimaltenango: 7 km N Laguna de Calderas, 14.V.1966, JMC (CNCI, JMCC) 5. Esquintla: 3 km E San Vicente Pacayá, 5500 ft, 14.V.1966, JMC (CNCI, JMCC) 5; 4 km N Palin, 4500 ft, 21.VI.1966, JMC (JMCC) 1. Guatemala: Cerro Alux, 24.VI.1993, RS Anderson (CMNC) 1; 14.5 km SE Guatemala, Puenta Parada, 1790 m, 13.VI.1991, A Howden (CMNC, JMCC) 3. Sacatepequez: Antigua, IX.1959, NLH Krauss (USNM) 1; Finca Florencia, 24.VI.1993, JMC (CNCI, JMCC) 4; 1 km W Sta Lucia Milpas Altas, 3.VI.1993, JMC (CNCI) 1. Suchitepéquez: 2 km N Finca Colima, Zunilito, 6000 ft, 6.V.1966, JMC (JMCC) 1. Quezaltenango: 12.9 km SW Zunil, 1340 m, 18.VI.1993, RS Anderson (CMNC) 1.

HONDURAS: Cortez: 25 km N Cofradia, PN Cusucol, 1550 m, 19. IX– 7.X.1994, S & J Peck (CMNC) 1. Francisco Morazán: 30 km E Tegucigalpa, Cerro Uyuca, 1800 m, 3.VI.1994, H & A Howden (CMNC) 1. Ocotepeque: 11 km E Ocotepeque, 1450 m, 16.VI.1994, R Anderson (CMNC) 1.

NICARAGUA: Cerro Chimborazo, 13°02'N, 85°56'W, 20.XI.1971, H Stockwell (CNCI) 1.

Remarks.

Specimens of Charisius salvini may be distinguished from those of all other species of Charisius by being uniformly reddish-brown dorsally with only the extreme apex of the elytra piceous to black and in having only the basal two segments of the male protarsus lobed ventrally. They also differ from all other species except the following in having the pronotum coarsely, moderately densely, evenly punctate and by the very distinctive shape of the male eighth sternal lobes and aedeagus (see Campbell 1965, Fig. 5).

I have provisionally assigned one male from Nicaragua to this species. It agrees well with all the characters of Charisius salvini except the male anterior tibiae are slightly sinuate on the inner margin and it has a piceous, transverse band acoss the apical third of the elytra. This record extends the known range of species of Charisius south to Nicaragua.

Most specimens were collected by beating clumps of dead branches and leaves in shrubs and low hanging trees. Adults were collected from coffee shade trees near the upper limits of coffee growing zones.