Anticyphon paramoensis, Ruta, Rafał, 2016

Ruta, Rafał, 2016, Anticyphon gen. nov., a new genus of Scirtidae (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea) inhabiting high altitude Andean cloud forests and páramo formation, Zootaxa 4175 (4), pp. 301-318 : 312-314

Anticyphon paramoensis sp. nov.

( Figs 1 E–F, 2G–I, 4, 10)

Type material. Holotype, male ( DBET): “ Ecuador 74, Napo prov., \ Papallacta pass, 4064m,\ 00°20’ S/78°12’W, \ 15 XII 2009, leg. R. Ruta ” . Paratype, male ( DBET): same data as holotype .

Diagnosis. Body size and granulate punctation of pronotal disc make this species similar to A. ecuadorensis sp. nov. and A. oyonensis sp. nov., but it has more elongated and convex body. This is the only member of the genus that may have contrasting dorsal colour pattern (brown and black). Certain identification is possible on the basis of male genitalia morphology: parameroids of penis less than 0.5× as long as pala, and as long as median process of trigonium.

Description. Male. Body oblong, small, convex, clothed with yellowish procumbent setae. Colouration of head black, pronotum, scutellar shield and elytra yellowish-brown, antennomeres 1–3 yellowish, remaining black, legs light brown. Head small, 1.6× wider than interocular space, covered with granulate punctures; eyes relatively big, protuberant; frons with shallow and indistinct depressions. Each mandible with distinct subtriangular denticle on inner margin; denticle on right mandible is slightly bigger. Antennae as in genus description (antennomeres 7– 11 absent in the holotype). Pronotum small, transversely rectangular, sides slightly curved, widest at posterior angles, anterolateral angles broadly rounded, not produced; disc moderately convex. Punctation of pronotum strong, granulate, both on lateral and central portions. Pronotum without a pair of shallow depressions along basal margin. Each elytron with 3 barely visible longitudinal carinae. Elytral punctation irregular, relatively dense; punctures separated by ca. 0.8–1.0 diameter. Penis ( Fig. 10 A) moderately large (L 1.15 mm, W 0.34 mm), parameroids short, strongly curved, pointed at apices; trigonium with long and narrow median process and two wide lateral lobes, median process as long as parameroids, pala over 2× longer than parameroids, narrow; tegmen ( Fig. 10 B) relatively small (L 0.90 mm, W 0.38 mm), with narrow, subtriangular parameres, pointed at apices; sternite VIII ( Fig. 10 C) small (L 0.35 mm, W 0.48 mm), widely V-shaped, with sparse setae in apical portions; sternite IX ( Fig. 10 D) relatively small (L 0.35 mm, W 0.42 mm), consisting of two subtriangular hemisternites, lightly sclerotized, with setose apical portion; tergite VIII ( Fig. 10 E) (L 0.63 mm, W 0.60 mm) with transversely rectangular apical plate, apical portion covered with dense microsetae, apical margin with row of dense, short setae intermixed with sparse, longer ones, apodemes much shorter than apical portion; tergite IX ( Fig. 10 F) (L 0.60 mm, W 0.55 mm) narrower than tergite VIII, central portion lightly sclerotized.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Dorsum of paratype brownish black, antennomeres 1–3 dark brown, remaining black (antennomeres 9–11 of paratype missing), legs dark brown.

Measurements and ratios. Males (n = 2): TL 4.20–4.30 mm (4.25 mm), PL 0.7 mm, PW 1.50–1.55 mm (1.53 mm), EL 3.65 mm, EW 2.40–2.45 mm (2.43 mm), TL/EW 1.71–1.79 (1.75), PW/PL 2.14–2.21 (2.18), EL/EW 1.49–1.52 (1.51), EL/PL 5.21.

Distribution. Known only from the locus typicus: Papallacta Pass in Ecuador (Napo Province) ( Fig. 14 ). Etymology. After páramo formation, where both specimens were collected ( Fig. 11 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Anticyphon gen. nov., habitus. A) A. davidsoni sp. nov., B) A. ecuadorensis sp. nov., C) A. oyonensis sp. nov., female, D) A. oyonensis sp. nov., male E) A. paramoensis sp. nov., light form, F) A. paramoensis sp. nov., dark form, G) A. peruvianus sp. nov., H) A. santanderensis sp. nov. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 10. Anticyphon paramoensis sp. nov., male genitalia. A) penis, B) tegmen, C) sternite VIII, D) sternite IX, E) tergite VIII, F) tergite IX. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 11. Mountainous habitat of Anticyphon paramoensis sp. nov., Ecuador, Napo Prov., Papallacta Pass, 15.12. 2009 (phot. R. Ruta).

FIGURE 14. Distribution of Anticyphon gen. nov. Please note that precise locality of A. peruvianus sp. nov. is unknown (see note under the species description).