Euspilotus (Platysaprinus) vazdemelloi, Lackner & Arriagada, 2020

Lackner, Tomáš & Arriagada, Gerardo, 2020, Revision of Euspilotus, subgenus Platysaprinus, with description of two new species (Coleoptera: Histeridae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 60 (1), pp. 303-317 : 314-316

Euspilotus (Platysaprinus) vazdemelloi sp. nov.

( Figs 45–55 , 56 )

Type locality. Brazil: Mato Grosso: Tangará da Serra.

Type material examined. HoLoTYP E:, with genitalia disarticulated and glued onto a separate mounting card under the specimen, ‘ Brasil Mato Grosso, Tangará | da Serra, Faz.Aparecida da | Serra, 14º19’14’’S; 57º43’50’’W | 637m. Cerrado, campo sujo. | FIT.22/ 29.01.2009, leg. R.J. Silva [printed] || Euspilotus | ( Platysaprinus ) | vazdemelloi | nov. sp. | Det. G. Arriagada, 2018 [printed] || Euspilotus (Platysaprinus) | vazdemelloi sp. nov. | HTLTToPE | des. T. Lackner & G. | Arriagada 2019 [red label, written]’ ( CEMT).PARATYP Es:2, with labels identical to the holotype (one in CTLA, one in CVMD).

Description. Body ( Fig. 45 ). PEL: 2.10–2.30 mm; APW: 0.80–1.00 mm; PPW: 1.50–1.70 mm; EW: 1.70–1.80 mm; EL: 1.50–1.60 mm. Body elongate oval, cuticle chestnut brown, appendages light-brown, antennal club and maxillae lighter, amber-coloured.

Head. Tccipital stria present, supra-orbital stria indistinguishable, frontal stria widely interrupted medially, prolonged onto depressed epistoma. Entire frontal disc as well as epistoma densely punctate, punctures separated by a distance equal to their own to twice their diameter. Antennal scape thickened and dilated, dorsally with two thick prominent setae; anterior surface likewise with two similar setae; sensory structures of antennal club not examined. Eyes flattened, but visible from above. Mandibles with sparse microscopic punctures, apex acute, sub-apical tooth on left mandible indiscernible; labrum with two labral setae; rest of mouthparts not examined.

Pronotum ( Fig. 45 ). Marginal pronotal stria complete, strongly carinate laterally; apical pronotal angles prominent; pronotal disc wholly punctate, laterally punctures larger, separated by about twice their diameter, medially punctures sparser, almost microscopic, separated by several times their diameter. Pronotal hypomeron asetose, scutellum small, triangular.

Elytra ( Fig. 45 ). Elytral epipleuron almost impunctate, marginal epipleural stria fine, complete; marginal elytral stria complete and strongly carinate, continuing along elytral apex for short distance as weakened apical elytral stria. Humeral elytral stria present as short weakened fragment on basal elytral third; inner subhumeral stria present as short fragment on apical elytral half; elytral striae 1–4 deeply impressed, striae 1–2 reaching approximately ¾ of elytral length apically, striae 3–4 shorter, slightly surpassing elytral half, shortened also basally. Basal ends of elytral striae (except for fourth stria) not hooked inwardly; fourth elytral stria vaguely hooked towards indistinct sutural elytral stria, which is present only as row of punctures, reaching approximately elytral half apically. Entire elytral disc densely punctate, punctures separated by a distance equal their own length to less than half their diameter; punctures on basal elytral fifth and in inter-strial interspaces much finer and sparser, separated by several times their diameter.

Propygidium and pygidium. Propygidium with deep confluent punctures; pygidium on basal half with very dense deep punctures, separated by less than half their diameter, on apical half punctures becoming finer and sparser, separated by several times their diameter.

Prosternum ( Fig. 46 ). Prosternal process compressed, marginal prosternal stria well impressed, connected with widely divergent carinal prosternal striae; lateral prosternal striae indistinct, present as very short basal fragment. Prosternal foveae present; disc of prosternal process densely punctate.

Mesoventrite ( Fig. 46 ) approximately three times as wide as long, wholly densely punctate, marginal mesoventral stria complete; meso-metaventral stria vague, present as row of punctures.

Metaventrite ( Fig. 46 ). Lateral metaventral stria complete, curved outwardly and apically reaching metepisternum. Entire metaventrite densely punctate, punctures separated by their own to approximately twice their diameter. Metepisternum with dense ovoid punctures; marginal metepisternal stria present, in punctures within stria.

First visible abdominal ventrite densely punctate, punctures becoming sparser and finer medially, laterally completely striate.

Legs. Tuter margin of protibia with four low triangular teeth topped by short amber denticle, followed by two short microscopic denticles; protibial spur short, growing out from apical protibial margin; protibia strongly dilated; protarsal groove shallow; protibial stria complete; setae of outer row regular, short and widely spaced; setae of median row indiscernible. Posterior surface of protibia with scattered punctures; outer part of posterior surface separated from median part by row of punctures; posterior protibial stria indistinct, in sparse punctures within stria. Mesotibia dilated, on outer margin with five widely spaced denticles; metatibia dilated, but narrower than mesotibia, outer margin with three very short widely spaced denticles, near tarsal insertion two longer denticles present.

Male genitalia. Sternite VIII ( Figs 47–48 ) almost parallel-sided, medially not fused, apex with tuft of dense setae. Tergite VIII ( Fig. 48 ) outwardly arcuate, rather short; sternite VIII and tergite VIII not fused laterally ( Fig. 49 ). Tergite IW ( Figs 50–51 ) apically rather thin; tergite W ( Fig. 50 ) basally inwardly arcuate, rather small. Spiculum gastrale ( Figs 52–53 ) gradually dilated medio-apically, its ‘head’ significantly larger than its ‘tail’. Aedeagus ( Figs 54–55 ) almost parallel-sided, basal piece smaller than in preceding species, length of phallobase: length of parameres approximately 1: 4; strongly curved from lateral view. Differential diagnosis. Euspilotus (Platysaprinus) vazdemelloi sp. nov. differs from the three previous species in its smaller size, elongate-oval body, near-absence of sutural elytral striae, and, particularly by the basally abbreviated third and fourth dorsal elytral striae.

Biology. Unknown, specimens were collected by flight interception traps.

Etymology. Patronymic, the new species is named after the Brazilian entomologist, Fernando Zagury Vaz-de-Mello, from the Mato Grosso Federal University (Cuiabá).

Distribution. Known only from Brazil (Mato Grosso).

Remarks. Euspilotus (Platysaprinus) vazdemelloi sp. nov. is undoubtedly the most distinctive species of the subgenus, and we admit that its inclusion here is only tentative.

Figures

Figs 45–46. Euspilotus (Platysaprinus) vazdemelloi sp. nov. 45 – habitus, dorsal view; 46 – prosternum, meso- and metaventrite.

Figs 47–55. Male genitalia of Euspilotus (Platysaprinus) vazdemelloi sp. nov. 47 – VIII sternite and tergite, ventral view; 48 – ditto, dorsal view; 49 – ditto, lateral view; 50 – IW and W tergites, dorsal view; 51 – ditto, lateral view; 52 – IW sternite (spiculum gastrale), ventral view; 53 – ditto, lateral view; 54 – aedeagus, dorsal view; 55 – ditto, lateral view.

Fig. 56. Distributional map of the subgenus Platysaprinus Bickhardt, 1916 of the genus Euspilotus, 1907.