Eschatoporis styx Aalbu, Kanda & Smith

Aalbu, Rolf L., Kanda, Kojun & Smith, Aaron D., 2017, Reinstatement of Eschatoporiini Blaisdell, 1906, a unique tribe of blind cavernicolous Tenebrionidae from California, with a new species from Napa County (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae, Lagriinae), ZooKeys 688, pp. 135-149 : 140-142

Eschatoporis styx Aalbu, Kanda & Smith sp. n. Figs 2, 3, 4

Description.

Holotype male: Length 5.5 mm. width 1.5 mm. greatest width at mid-elytra. Integument reddish brown, luster slightly shining (Fig. 2).

Body elongate, semi-cylindrical, apterous.

Head prognathous, widest near base, vertex flattened; surface bearing 1-2 long setae dorso-laterally and few short setae laterally, longer setae moderately long, yellow, approximately twice length of clypeus anteriorly; surface punctuate; distance between punctures about equal to puncture diameter or more, moderate in size, moderately shallow in form; clypeus anteriorly rounded, posteriorly somewhat sinuate, broad, about 4 × as wide as long, bearing two long yellow setae on mid-lateral surface; labrum produced, rectangular, about 1.5 × as broad as long, flattened, with membrane exposed between clypeus and labrum; frons with gena only very slightly produced anteriorly above antennal insertions; eyes absent; mentum square-trapezoid in shape, slightly wider anteriorly; ligula kite shaped, maxillary palps elongate, nearly as long as first four antennomeres, with apical palpomere triangular but hollow apically, interior of apex bearing numerous short setae, ratio of segment lengths 20:10:20:12:21; antennae long and slender, filiform-moniliform, apical segments reaching elytra, eleventh segment longest; ratio of segment lengths 20:16:15:16:15:15:16:17:16:15:26.

Pronotum narrower than elytra, subquadrate, slightly arcuate laterally, slightly inflated, widest anterior to middle: anterior margin slightly rounded, posterior surface punctuate, punctures small in size, separated by 1 to 3 × puncture diameter, surface glabrous.

Scutellum very large, visible, triangular.

Elytra only slightly convex, surface punctate-striate, punctures set in 10 even striae on disc, punctures, shallow, moderate in size on disk; distance between punctures approximately equal to puncture diameter; apically, punctures smaller; surface glabrous except few long yellow hairs on apical declivity; three near apex and 1-2 subapically, setae often worn off in older specimens; epipleurae indistinct at base, forming basal part of elytra, only becoming distinct behind metacoxae where elytra abruptly narrows, then gradually narrowing but reaching apex.

Ventral surface: prosternal process narrow, convex between procoxae, flattened and slightly expanded posteriorly; mesepisternum and mesosternum greatly expanded anteriorly forming a neck-like process between thorax and abdomen; mesosternum not excavate, distant from prosternal process; mesotrochantin hidden; metacoxae separated by about equal distance between meso-metacoxae; mesocoxae separated by width of coxae; surface of thoracic pleura punctate, interspaced with few moderate sized yellow setae; intercoxal process of abdomen parallel with rounded apex; surface of first visible sternite punctate apically and centrally, punctures becoming smaller more sparse laterally and apically, with few moderate sized yellow setae; second visible abdominal ventrite sparsely, minutely punctate, rest of visible sterna nearly impunctate, with few, small, sparse, shallow punctures; apical sternite with few medium length yellow setae along apex; sternal ratios (anterior to posterior midline) 40:31:25:14:18. Seventh sternite with groove along lateral margin.

Legs moderate in length, slender, profemur slightly inflated; leg ratios (femur: tibia) pro. 45:40; meso. 47:37; meta. 65:49; tibiae, tarsi with ventral surface bearing sparse long spine-like setae, femora sparsely setose. Tarsal length ratios as follows (base to apex): protarsus 12:7:5:5:18; mesotarsus 12:10:9:7:21; metatarsus 30:14:9:22.

Male genitalia: Aedeagus (Fig. 3) length 1.27 mm., width 0.2 mm. Basal piece elongate, arcuate, with sides not inflected; flange present at base but very small. Parameres short, flat, apex rounded, alae separate, 0.33 mm. Median lobe flat, apex rounded length 0.75 mm, width 0.2 mm.

Allotype female genitalia (Fig. 4) Ovipositor length 0.5 mm., coxites with segments elongate, slightly longer than paraprocts, gonostyle long and thin. Internal tract with two vaginal sclerites; spermatheca, multiple; spermathecal accessory gland very long and thin, 0.53 mm; spermatheca, spermathecal accessory gland positioned subapically. Bursa copulatrix apical.

Holotype: (male) CALIF., Napa Co., White (Clay) Cave, nr. Deer Park, II-26-2005, R. L. Aalbu col. Holoype deposited at CASC.

Allotype: (female) CALIF., Napa Co., White (Clay) Cave, nr. Deer Park, II-10-2007, R. L. Aalbu col. Allotype deposited at RLAC.

Paratypes: CALIF., Napa Co., White (Clay) Cave, nr. Deer Park, IV-24-2004, R. L. Aalbu col., RLAC (2); same except II-27-2007 (2); same except II-26-2005 (7); same except II-10-2007 (1); same except IV-12-2008 (8); same except VIII-16-2004 (1); same except II-20-2011 (2); same except V-3-2014 (3); same except II-12-2017 (4); same except IV-24-2004, kept alive, found dead VIII-16-2004 (2); same location, collected by K. Kanda and R. L. Aalbu,V-3-2014; Voucher specimen or DNA extraction KKDNA0329.

Other material examined

(parts/ condition of specimens not adequate for paratype designation). CALIF., Napa Co. 9 mi. E St. Helena, White Cave, IV-10-1951, Hugh Leech col., CASC (abdomen only) (1); same except White (Clay) Cave, nr. Deer Park, II-26-2005, R. L. Aalbu col., RLAC (1); same except II-10-2007 (5); same except IV-12-2008 (17); same except II-20-2011 (6); same except III-28-2004 (7); same except III-9-2004 (9).

Larvae: unknown.

The two species of Eschatoporis can easily be separated by the clearly different setation patterns on the elytra. While in E. nunenmacheri , the elytra are covered with short setae (Fig. 5), in E. styx , (Fig. 2) the elytra are glabrous except for a few long, hair-like setae near and at the base of the elytra. Eschatoporis styx , also lacks any eye “scar” which is found in various sizes in E. nunenmacheri .