Phelister okeefei, Caterino & Tishechkin, 2020

Caterino, Michael S. & Tishechkin, Alexey K., 2020, Recognition and revision of the Phelister blairi group (Histeridae, Histerinae, Exosternini), ZooKeys 1001, pp. 1-154 : 1

55. Phelister okeefei sp. nov. Figs 36C, D , 38A-F , Map 18

Type material.

Holotype male: " Costa Rica: Guanacaste, Guayabal [10.8, -85.2], vii.23.1996, S. O’Keefe” / "Caterino/Tishechkin Exosternini Voucher EXO-00546" (FMNH, 1ex.).

Diagnostic description.

Length: 1.85 mm; width: 1.58 mm. Body elongate oval, piceous, pronotum rather narrow, with conspicuous ground punctation; frons and epistoma weakly depressed, frontal stria complete, shallowly recurved at middle; labrum weakly emarginate, apical margin not at all carinate; both mandibles with basal tooth on incisor edge; prescutellar impression forming a small rounded triangle, ~ 2 × the length and width of scutellum; pronotal disk with numerous lateral secondary punctures in outer fourths; marginal pronotal stria complete along sides and front, not crenulate anteriorly; lateral pronotal margins slightly compressed, edges turned down, flattened; lateral submarginal pronotal stria absent; median pronotal gland openings 1/3 behind anterior margin, annulate; epipleuron with single, complete stria; outer subhumeral stria present in apical 1/3, inner absent; dorsal striae 1-4 complete, 4th slightly sinuate at base, 5th stria present in apical 1/3 plus a short detached basal arch, sutural stria present in apical 2/3; propygidium and pygidium each with small, sparse secondary punctures confined to basal halves; base of prosternal keel deeply emarginate, striae divergent, free at base and apex; prosternal lobe rounded, with complete marginal stria; mesoventral process strong, marginal stria complete; postmesocoxal stria short, ending behind mesocoxa; mesometaventral stria broadly arched forward to basal 1/3 of mesoventrite; lateral metaventral stria extended toward middle of metacoxa; metaventrite impunctate; 1st abdominal ventrite impunctate, with single, complete lateral stria; protibia somewhat broad, parallel-sided in apical 2/3, weakly dentate, with ~ six robust marginal spines; meso- and especially metatibiae slender, with few marginal spines. Male T8 with accessory sclerites present; S8 with conspicuous apical fringe; T10 divided; aedeagus thin, basal piece ~ 1/4 tegmen length; tegmen widened slightly to just beyond midpoint, abruptly narrowed, apices narrowly rounded, weakly divergent, curved ventrad; medioventral process absent; median lobe ~ 1/2 tegmen length.

Etymology.

We take pleasure in naming this species for the collector of the only known specimen of this species, scydmaenine staphylinid specialist, Dr. Sean O’Keefe (Morehead State University, USA).

Distribution.

This species is only known from Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Remarks.

This species is a bit of an outlier among those treated in this paper. It has a relatively large subtriangular prescutellar impression, and annulate pronotal gland openings ~ 1/3 behind the anterior margin. But its frons and epistoma are only very weakly impressed, its labrum is only weakly emarginate, and the left mandible (and maybe the barely visible right one) has a strong basal tooth. Together, these characters will distinguish it from any other Exosternini in Central America.

Figures

Map 18. Collecting records for Phelister incertus (black triangles), P. okeefei (white circle), P. blairoides (white squares), and P. pirana (star).

Figure 36. A, B Phelister incertus: A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D P. okeefei: C dorsal habitus D ventral habitus E, F P. blairoides: E dorsal habitus F ventral habitus G, H P. pirana: G dorsal habitus H ventral habitus.

Figure 38. Male genitalia, Phelister okeefei A tergite 8 B sternite 8 C tergites 9 & 10 D sternite 9 E aedeagus, dorsal F aedeagus, lateral.