Helonoton ashei Lord and Ivie, 2016

Lord, Nathan P. & Ivie, Michael A., 2016, Several New Genera and Species of New World Synchitini (Coleoptera: Zopheridae: Colydiinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 70 (4), pp. 715-753 : 715-753

Helonoton ashei Lord and Ivie , new species ( Figs. 7 , 23 )

Diagnosis. Helonoton ashei most closely resembles H. mexicanum , but differs in the central

ridge on the pronotal disc interrupted to form a pair of strongly raised medial tubercles and short, anterior carinae, both pairs of mid-lateral pronotal tubercles less developed and subequal in size, elytral interstrial interval 1 (sutural) raised, but not variously interrupted in basal half, basal elytral carina of interval 7 interrupted forming a short basal carina and small tubercle, elytral tubercles a mixture of short carinae and ovoid tubercles, and epipleuron ending before elytral apex.

Description. Size small (TL = 3.1 mm), body oval-elongate (TL/EW = 2.1), subparallel; bicolored, dark brown with light brown/golden patches (difficult to see if specimen is encrusted); habitus as in Fig. 7 . Head: Elongate (HW = 0.6 mm), not constricted behind eyes. Antennae: 11-segmented, ending in an abrupt, 2-segmented club; antennomeres 10–11 forming distinct club, antennomere 10 transverse, trapezoidal to slightly asymmetrical, narrowest at base; antennomere 11 truncate at base, transverse, rounded apically. Prothorax: Pronotum elongate (PW = 1.2 mm, PL = 1.0 mm, PL/PW = 0.8), widest at apical ⅓, narrowest at base. Lateral margins of pronotum sinuate, widening apically, anterior ⅓ produced into strong arcuate lobe, posterior ⅔ of lateral pronotal margin with small lobe or denticle; anterior angles distinct, slightly projecting forward to about level of anterior margin; posterior angles present, small. Pronotal disc with complex patterns of ridges and depressed areas; central portion with strongly depressed area, bordered laterally by sinuate ridge, ridge interrupted to form strong tubercles in posterior ½ and paired, short, parallel ridges anteriorly that become confluent with anterior margin; central portion bordered basally by subtle, paired, baso-laterally directed ridges that end before posterior margin that create subtriangular baso-medial depression. Pair of ovoid, mid-lateral tubercles present between lateral pronotal margin and basal ½ of central sinuate tuberculate ridge, as well as subequal pair present between lateral pronotal margin and anterior portion of central sinuate tuberculate ridge. Procoxal cavities broadly open externally. Mesothorax: Scutellum welldeveloped, visible, oval, slightly transverse. Elytra: Elongate-oval, parallel-sided, widest at middle (EL = 2.1 mm, EW = 1.4 mm, EL/EW = 1.5). Surface with series of well-defined tubercles and shallow carinae/ridges. Sutural stria raised, beaded, ending at level of carina on interstrial interval 3. Scutellary striole present, but interrupted by small tubercle mid-way between end of sutural stria and elytral base. Each elytral base with 4 elongate carinae; 1 st at base of elytral interstrial interval 3, raised, elongate, not distinctly swollen posteriorly; 2 nd at base of interval 5, slightly shorter than carina on interval 3; 3 rd at base of interval 7, beginning at humeral angle and extending towards apex, as long as carina on interval 5; 4 th on interval 8, on humeral angle, shorter than carina on interval 7. Interval 9 with 3 evenly separated, subequal tubercles. Remaining tubercles on middle portion of elytra small and round to elongate-oval, of variable sizes. Carinae present on elytral declivity, short, not extending nearly to apex. Epipleuron present, weakly defined, incomplete to apex, ending at junction of abdominal ventrites IV and V. Metaventrite: Longer than abdominal ventrite I, with paired sinuate grooves directly posteriad and bordering mesocoxae, also with paired, slightly curved grooves directly anteriad and bordering metacoxae. Discrimen moderately long, extending to anterior ½ of metaventrite, more strongly impressed basally. Metacoxae transverse, narrowly separated. Metendosternite of fully winged form as in Fig. 2g (see genus-group description). Abdomen: Intercoxal process of abdominal ventrite I triangular, apex acute. In males, ventrite III without basolateral smooth patches; ventrite IV almost completely smooth except for apical margin. Metathoracic wing: Fully developed.

Distribution. Honduras ( Fig. 23 ).

Biology. Specimens were collected on crustose fungi, in a flight intercept trap, and by beating in montane, wet evergreen forests.

Etymology. Named in honor of the late James “Steve” Ashe, an excellent entomologist, good friend, and the collector of many specimens of Helonoton .

Type Material. 10 specimens. Holotype, female (pointed, CMNC): HONDURAS: OLANCHO; P. N. La Muralla, 14km. N. La; Union, 1450-1500m, 16-17.VIII.; 1994-206, R. Anderson, montane; wet evergreen forest, beating . Paratypes (3 pointed, CMNC, one specimen missing prothorax and head, with abdomen glued to point): HONDURAS: OLANCHO; P. N. La Muralla, 14km. N. La; Union, 1450-1500m, 16-17.VIII.; 1994-206, R. Anderson, montane; wet evergreen forest, beating . Paratypes (5 pointed, KSEM): HONDURAS: Olancho; La Muralla, 14km N. La; Union , 1450m, 25 VI 1994; 15°06′N, 86°42′W; J. Ashe,R. Brooks #207; ex: crustose fungi on log . Paratype (pointed, CMNC): HOND: Olancho; 14KmN; LaUnion , PN LaMuralla; 1500m, wet mont. for.; FIT, 16.VIII.94,; S&J Peck 94-37

Figures

Figs. 5–8. Synchitine Colydiinae, dorsal habitus. 5) Globotrichus harti, paratype (KSEM); 6) Helonoton amistad, holotype (CNCI); 7) Helonoton ashei, paratype (CMNC); 8) Helonoton bituberculatum, holotype (CMNC). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figs. 23–24. Distribution maps of Helonoton species. 23) Species in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras;

Fig. 2. Helonoton costaricense. a) Head, ventral view, b) Labium, ventral view, c) Maxilla, ventral view, d) Antenna, e) Fore leg, f) Mandible, ventral view, g) Metendosternite, ventral view, h) Prothorax, ventral view, i) Pterothorax, ventral view, j) Abdominal ventrites I–V, ventral view, k) Aedeagus, dorsal view, l) Aedeagus, lateral view.