Pseudomicrocara antarctica (Fairmaire, 1883) Fairmaire, 1883

Libonatti, María Laura & Ruta, Rafał, 2013, Review of the Argentinean species of Pseudomicrocara Armstrong (Coleoptera: Scirtidae), Zootaxa 3718 (2), pp. 137-157 : 175-177

Pseudomicrocara antarctica (Fairmaire, 1883) , comb. nov.

( Figs. 2 , 11–13 , 28 , 36, 37 , 43–46 , 54, 55 , 66–71 )

Cyphon antarcticus Fairmaire, 1883: 493 (type locality: “Port S.-Elena” [Port Santa Elena, Chubut Province, Argentina]). Cyphon antarcticus: Fairmaire 1889: 115 .

Helodes antarcticus: Kolbe 1907: 71 (Tierra del Fuego).

Cyphon antarcticus: Pic 1914: 29 (checklist; Patagonia); Bruch 1914: 236 (checklist; Tierra del Fuego). Cyphon antarcticum: Blackwelder 1944: 266 (checklist; Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego); Moroni 1985: 173 (provincia de Magallanes, Tierra del Fuego).

Diagnosis. Habitus elongate, TL: 3.51–5.11 mm. Body testaceous with a brown stripe along elytral suture (sometimes continued on the external elytral margin). Mandibles with spines on molar region, slightly asymmetrical, both toothed, tooth of right mandible larger than tooth of left mandible. Male terminalia: tergite 8 with a pair of sclerotized apodemes converging posteriorly, posterior margin broadly rounded, with setae; tergite 9 with a pair of subparallel sclerotized apodemes connected by a weakly sclerotized cross-piece, posterior margin bilobed, without setae; sternite 8 V-shaped, anterior margin rounded, with setae near posterior margin; sternite 9 with posterior margin rounded, a pair of sclerotized apodemes diverging posteriorly, with setae. Male genitalia: tegmen with basal margin emarginated, parameres broad at base, gradually narrowing to apex, styli present; lateral margins of basal piece subparallel, basal margin rounded, trigonium approximately triangular, apex truncate, parameroids approximately parallel sided, abruptly narrowed to the apex, apex rounded. Female genitalia: prehensor composed of a pair of symmetrical larger sclerites located anteriorly and a pair of symmetrical smaller sclerites located posteriorly; bursella with pores produced into cylindrical structures bearing several thin apical projections, resembling asterisks. Sexual dimorphism in abdominal ventrite 4: female with a patch of setae.

Type material: 2 syntypes, male & female (MNHN): Cyphon / antarcticum / Fairm [handwritten]; 2603/83 [round label, green on one side, white on the other].

Additional specimens: Chubut Province: Puelo Lake, 8. ii.1962, 12 exx., A. Kovacs (NHM). Turbio River, 24. vi.1962, 2 exx., A. Kovacs (NHM). Puelo Lake, 250 m, 22. x.1981, 6 exx., Nielsen & Karsholt (ZMUC). Tecka, Corcovado, 750 m, 17. ii.1979, 1 ex., Misión Científica Danesa (ZMUC). Aldea Escolar, 18. xii.2007, 13 exx., 2. i.2008, 9 exx., 4–5. i.2008, 7 exx., 12–13. i.2008, 5 exx., 14–15. i.2008, 13 exx., 16–20. i.2008, 3 exx., 28– 29. i.2008, 3 exx., collected at light, leg. Miguel Archangelsky (PCML).

Río Negro Province: El Bolsón, 10. ix.1958, 1 ex., 12. x.1958, 1 ex., 5. xii.1958, 1 ex., 22. xi.1958, 1 ex., 10. xii.1958, 1 ex., 18. xii.1958, 1 ex., 20. xii.1958, 7 exx., 22. xii.1959, 2 exx., 27. xii.1959, 3 exx., 29. xii.1959, 2 exx., 4. xi.1960, 3 exx., 17. x.1961, 1 ex., 20. x.1961, 3 exx., 25. x.1961, 3 exx., 29. x.1961, 3 exx., 30. x.1961, 1 ex., 4. xi.1961, 13 exx., 6. xi.1961, 3 exx., 7. xi.1961, 1 ex., 29. xi.1961, 3 exx., 1. xii.1961, 2 exx., 29. xii.1961, 1 ex., 20. x.1962, 2 exx., 22. x.1962, 1 ex., 29.x.1962, 34 exx., 4. xi.1962, 21 exx., 10. xi.1962, 2 exx., 24. xi.1961, 13 exx., 29. xi.1961, 1 ex., 24. xi. 1962, 28 exx., 27. xi.1962, 2 exx., 1. xii.1962, 4 exx., 3. xii.1962, 17 exx., 8. xii.1962, 5 exx., 27. xii.1962, 1 ex., 20. i.1963, 1 ex., A. Kovacs (NHM). Azul River, 6. xi.1961, 14 exx., 30. xi.1962, 20 exx., A. Kovacs (NHM). La Querencia, Bariloche, 1. i.1966, 2 exx., Axel M. Hemmingsen (ZMUC). Nahuel Huapi National Park, Lower Manso River, Las Vertientes stream, 41º 34’ 3.7’’ S 71º 46’ 19.8” W, 10.xi–1. xii.2008, 6 exx., Malaise, leg. Analía Garré & Fernanda Montes de Oca (NHM). Nahuel Huapi National Park, Medium Manso River, 41° 21’ 16” S 71° 42’ 27.3” W, 764 m, 11–30. xii.2006, 9 exx., 30.xii.2006 –15. i.2007, 7 exx., Malaise, leg. Analía Garré & Fernanda Montes de Oca (NHM). Nahuel Huapi National Park, Ñireco River, 41° 11’ 51.9” S 71° 19’ 40.5” W, 962 m, 13–28. ii.2007, 2 exx., Malaise, leg. Analía Garré & Fernanda Montes de Oca (MLP). Nahuel Huapi National Park, Hess Lake, 29.x–19. xi.2008, 4 exx., Malaise, leg. Analía Garré & Fernanda Montes de Oca (MLP). Nahuel Huapi National Park, Hess Lake, 20.xi–23. xii.2008, 6 exx., Malaise, leg. Analía Garré & Fernanda Montes de Oca (MLP). Nahuel Huapi National Park, Hess Lake, 23.xii.2008 –9. i.2009, 2 exx., Malaise, leg. Analía Garré & Fernanda Montes de Oca (MLP). Nahuel Huapi National Park, Hess Lake, 41º 22’ 8.4”S 71º 44’ 33.3” W, 15–20. i.2009, 1 ex., light trap, leg. Analía Garré & Fernanda Montes de Oca (MLP). Nahuel Huapi National Park, Llum stream, 41° 16’ 13.3” S 71° 30’56.7” W, 857 m, 4–25. i.2007, 1 ex., Malaise, leg. Analía Garré & Fernanda Montes de Oca (MLP). Nahuel Huapi National Park, Ñirihuau River, 41° 17’ 35.1” S 71° 14’ 26.3” W, 1044 m, 15–28. ii.2007, 1 ex., Malaise, leg. Analía Garré & Fernanda Montes de Oca (MLP).

Neuquén Province: San Martín de los Andes, 640 m, 10–12. x.1981, 1 ex., Nielsen & Karsholt (ZMUC). Lácar Lake, Pucará, 650 m, 26–27. xii.1981, 1 ex., Nielsen & Karsholt (ZMUC).

Distribution. This species had only been reported from Tierra del Fuego Province. In the present study it is newly recorded from Chubut, Río Negro and Neuquén Provinces.

Remarks. This species shows great variation in size with TL ranging from 3.51 to 5.11 mm, certain variation in the strength of dorsal punctation and variation in the width of the trigonium apex relative to the width of the parameroid apex (the trigonium apex is between 1.5 and 2.0 times as wide as the parameroid apex), so what is currently recognized as P. antarctica may be considered a complex of several cryptic species in the future. It could be confused with a new species ( P. inflexipenis ) here described (see below).

When comparing the Argentinean and Australian species, we have noticed that the male genitalia of P. antarctica (both the apex of the trigonium and the apex of the parameroids) are very similar to those of members of the P. variabilis species-group. However, the pronotum is trapezoidal and the right mandible is toothed in P. antarctica , whereas in the P. variabilis species-group the pronotum is semicircular and the mandibles lack teeth.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Habitus illustrations of Argentinean species of Pseudomicrocara, dorsal view. 1) P. angusta sp. nov.; 2) P. antarctica; 3) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov.; 4) P. inflexipenis sp. nov.; 5) P. livida.; 6 – 7) P. obliquata; 8) P. patagonica. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 9 – 15. Mouthparts and heads of Pseudomicrocara. 9 – 10) P. angusta sp. nov., mandible and labium; 11 – 13) P. antarctica, mandibles and labium; 14) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov., male head; 15) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov., female head.

FIGURES 27 – 33. Pronota of Pseudomicrocara. 27) P. angusta sp. nov.; 28) P. antarctica; 29) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov.; 30) P. inflexipenis sp. nov.; 31) P. livida; 32) P. obliquata; 33) P. patagonica.

FIGURES 34 – 42. Sexual dimorphism in abdominal segments of Pseudomicrocara. 34) P. angusta sp. nov., female, abdomen; 35) P. angusta sp. nov., female, detail of patch of setae on ventrite 4; 36) P. antarctica, female, abdomen; 37) P. antarctica, female, detail of patch of setae on ventrite 4; 38) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov., female, abdomen; 39) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov., detail of patch of setae on ventrite 4; 40) P. inflexipenis sp. nov., female, abdomen; 41) P. inflexipenis sp. nov., detail of patch of setae on ventrite 4; 42) P. inflexipenis sp. nov., detail of posterior margin of ventrite 5.

FIGURES 43 – 51. Female genital morphology of Pseudomicrocara. 43 – 46) P. antarctica: 43) sternite 8, 44) tergite 8, 45) ovipositor + genital tract (ovaries excluded) (scale bar = 0.5 mm), 46) prehensor; 47) P. angusta sp. nov., prehensor; 48) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov., prehensor; 49) P. inflexipenis sp. nov., prehensor; 50) P. livida, prehensor; 51) P. patagonica, prehensor. Abbreviations: bsa: bursa, bsl: bursella, bslp: bursella pores, ovc: common oviduct, prh: prehensor.

FIGURES 52 – 59. Bursella pores of Pseudomicrocara. 52 – 53) P. hieroglyphica sp. nov.; 54 – 55) P. antarctica; 56) P. patagonica; 57 – 58) P. livida; 59) P. angusta sp. nov.

FIGURES 66 – 71. Male terminalia and genitalia of P. antarctica. 66) Sternite 8; 67) sternite 9; 68) tergite 8; 69) tergite 9; 70) tegmen; 71) penis. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.