Protoconnus acutus, Jałoszyński, 2018

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2018, Revision of the Neotropical genus Protoconnus Franz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4392 (1), pp. 41-82 : 70-71

Protoconnus acutus sp. n.

( Figs 62 , 72–73 , 101 )

Type material. Holotype: BOLIVIA (Cochabamba Department): ♂, two labels: " BOLIVIA: Cochabamba Dep. / Est. Biol. Sacta, Univ. Mayor / S.Simeon, S17°06.48, W64°46.94, / 300m, 16-27.XII.2005, rainforest FIT / S.&J. Peck, 05-47" [white, printed], " PROTOCONNUS / acutus m. / P. JAŁOSZYŃSKI, 2018 / HOLOTYPUS" [red, printed] (cSBP). Paratype: 1 ♂, same data as for the holotype, with a standard yellow "Paratypus" label (cSBP).

Diagnosis. BL 0.90–0.93 mm; body stout, elytra 1.54–1.71 times as broad as moderately transverse pronotum; frons in male between supraantennal tubercles very narrow and impressed; vertex weakly convex, its posterior margin rounded; pronotal base with small but distinct pits and distinct groove; lateral pronotal carinae absent; humeral carinae indistinct, rounded; aedeagus in ventral view with basal capsule indistinctly delimited from distal region, nearly gradually narrowed distad, but with rapidly narrowed short apical portion which is very slender and pointed; parameres indistinctly broadened distad.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 62 ) strongly convex, brown, covered with setae distinctly lighter than cuticle; BL 0.90–0.93 mm.

Head broadest at extremely large, strongly convex and coarsely faceted eyes, HL 0.18 mm, HW 0.21–0.23 mm; tempora barely discernible; vertex weakly convex, posterior margin rounded; frons between large supraantennal tubercles very narrow and impressed. Punctures on frons and vertex inconspicuous; setae short, sparse and suberect. Antennae slender, AnL 0.40 mm, shorter than half BL, club distinctly delimited; antennomere I more than twice as long as broad, II about twice as long as broad, III–X each distinctly transverse, XI much longer than X, as long as broad.

Pronotum moderately transverse, subtrapezoidal, broadest shortly in front of base; PL 0.23 mm, PW 0.26–0.28 mm. Anterior and posterior margins weakly convex, lateral margins weakly rounded; lateral carinae absent; transverse antebasal groove and five pits distinct. Punctures on pronotal disc inconspicuous; setae sparse, short, suberect.

Elytra much more convex than pronotum, oval, broadest in front of middle; EL 0.50–0.53 mm, EW 0.43–0.45 mm, EI 1.17–1.18; humeral carinae indistinct, rounded. Punctures and setae similar to those on pronotum.

Legs moderately long and slender, unmodified.

Aedeagus ( Figs 72–73 ) slender; AeL 0.15 mm; in ventral view basal capsule about as long as half of distal region, slightly narrowed distad; distal region laterally delimited from sides of basal capsule by an indistinct narrowing, slender, subtriangular with flame-shaped, narrow and pointed apical portion, in lateral view distal half slightly curved ventrad; in lateral view area above parameral bases forming a large subtriangular projection; parameres slightly divergent distad, each with one long apical and one short subapical seta.

Female unknown.

Distribution. Central Bolivia ( Fig. 101 ).

Etymology. The name acutus (Latin "sharpened, pointed") refers to the very narrow and sharp apex of the aedeagus.

Remarks. Protoconnus acutus is most similar to P. minusculus ; both species have small adults, extremely large eyes and similar aedeagi. They differ in the proportions of body parts and relative lengths of antennae (cf. Figs 62–63 ), in the lateral pronotal carinae (virtually absent in P. acutus and present in P. minusculus ), and aedeagal structures. The aedeagus in P. acutus in ventral view has a much longer and narrower apical portion, and in lateral view a much longer dorsal subtriangular projection above the parameral bases; also the parameres differ, in P. acutus being broadest near apices ( Fig. 73 ), and in P. minusculus in subapical region ( Fig. 75 ).

Figures

FIGURE 101. Distribution of nominal Protoconnus species.

FIGURES 62–67. Dorsal habitus of Protoconnus species. Protoconnus acutus sp. n. (62); P. minusculus sp. n. (63); P. costaricanus sp. n. (64); P. tunarianus sp. n. (65); P. magnus sp. n. (66); P. apaapa sp. n. (67).

FIGURES 68–75. Aedeagi of Protoconnus species. Protoconnus angustus sp. n. (68–69); P. maximus sp. n. (70–71); P. acutus sp. n. (72–73); P. minusculus sp. n. (74–75).