Renclasea falli Tishechkin & Caterino

Tishechkin, Alexey K. & Caterino, Michael S., 2009, A new North American genus of Hetaeriinae (Coleoptera: Histeridae), with descriptions of six new species from the U. S. A. and Mexico, Zootaxa 2311, pp. 1-18 : 6-8

Renclasea falli Tishechkin & Caterino , n. sp.

( Figs. 5 , 6, 7 , 8 )

Material examined: Holotype male: "CA: Riverside Co. 33.7244°N, 116.8061°W, SBNF: San Jacinto R. v.24.2005, M. Caterino at light / CA BEETLE PROJ, CBP0029649 / HOLOTYPE Renclasea falli sp. n. A. K. Tishechkin & M. S. Caterino des. 2008" ( SBMNH). Paratype (1): female from Bautista Canyon, 12 mi SE Hemet, California collected on February 26, 1971 ( CDFA); genitalia missing.

Diagnosis: This species can be identified by the presence of distinct complete prosternal carinal striae ( Fig. 6 A). In addition to that, it appears smaller and less robust than R. occidentalis and R. helavai , the only other species without alutaceous background microsculpture on dorsal surface. The female is one of only two species (as far as known) that have a mesosternal callus ( Fig. 6 B), the other being R. helavai . In R. falli this callus is smooth, and only very finely punctate, whereas in R. helavai it is finely rugose.

Description: L: 1.80; W: 1.41; E/Pn L: 1.75; E/Pn W: 1.15; Pn W/L: 1.64; E L/W: 0.93; Pr/Py: 1.04; Sterna: 0.41, 0.14, 0.42; Tibiae: 0.46, 0.54, 0.63 (n=2). Body ( Fig. 5 ) pale rufescent, shiny, smooth and asetose throughout except of a few setae on antennomeres 1–7. Frons and clypeus depressed at middle between lateral carina; labrum narrowly rectangular, with a small weak knob at the middle of apical margin. Prosternal sides convergent, much more strongly in anterior fifth; anterior margin straight above antennal cavities, with the anterior angles sharp, almost rectangular; marginal stria present along lateral edge, slightly extending around anterolateral corner; pronotal lateral sides narrowly flattened and slightly reflexed; median angle of pronotal posterior margin about 110º. Prosternum with anterior margin of prosternal lobe weakly concave; prosternal keel slightly elevated and weakly convex, carinal striae thin and long, converging anteriorly, their anterior ends in close proximity, but not united, almost reaching base of prosternal lobe.

Scutellum short triangular, tiny, but distinct; elytra convex, widest at anterior third, with minute sparse background punctures, being denser and more conspicuous along sutural striae and at posterior fifth, where some merge into a weak background microsculpture; dorsal elytral striae 1–4 weakly marked on disc, abbreviated both anteriorly and posteriorly; sutural stria abbreviated in anterior eighth, its anterior end slightly bent outwards.

Mesoventrite flat, with mesoventral projection short, triangular, its apex slightly elevated, in female with subcircular impressed callus ( Fig. 6 A), its borders not closed posteriorly; mesometaventral suture widely Vshaped, thin and inconspicuous; disc of metaventrite in male in anterior two-thirds with shallow wide triangular depression, bordered laterally by anterior parts of outer striae of metaventrite, narrowing posteriorly; disc surface weakly raised posteriorly.

Propygidium weakly convex, disc with fine microsculpture of merged short transverse striolets; marginal stria of propygidium widely interrupted along posterior margin; pygidium smooth, weakly convex in male. Female with striate pygidial ornament ( Fig. 7 B). Male genitalia as illustrated ( Fig. 8 ); female genitalia unknown.

Etymology. We take pleasure in naming this new species for Henry Clinton Fall (1862-1939), one of the fathers of California coleopterology.

Distribution. This species is known from two localities in western Riverside County, California ( Fig. 14 ). The habitat at the type locality is dry, open, sandy riparian woodland, with western sycamores ( Platanus occidentalis ) and coast live oak ( Quercus agrifolia ) as the dominant trees, along with a large assortment of shrubs, including willows ( Salix spp.), coyote brush ( Baccharis sp.), Yucca sp. and others.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Montaged photographs of Renclasea falli. A. dorsal; B. lateral.

FIGURE 7. Female pygidia, posterior view. A. Renclasea skelleyi; B. R. falli; C. R. helavai; D. R. occidentalis.

FIGURE 8. Male genitalia, Renclasea falli. A. Abdominal segments 9 – 10, dorsal view; B. Abdominal segments 9 – 10, lateral view; C. Abdominal segment 8, apical view; D. Abdominal segments 8, ventral view; E. Apex of parameres, dorsal view; F. Aedeagus, lateral view; G. Ninth sternite (spiculum gastrale), ventral view.

FIGURE 14. Map of southern North America, showing all known collecting localities for Renclasea spp. The question mark in west Texas represents specimens of uncertain identity (discussed under R. occidentalis).