Anticyphon argentinensis Ruta, 2018

Ruta, Rafał, 2018, Two New Species of Anticyphon Ruta (Coleoptera: Scirtidae) from Argentina and Ecuador, The Coleopterists Bulletin 72 (4), pp. 707-712 : 707-709

Anticyphon argentinensis Ruta , new species

( Figs. 1–2 , 7–12 )

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Type Material. Holotype, male ( ANIC):“ Tucumán, R. A. \ 9 – 1949 \ Wygodzinsky col. \ Tafi ad Valle \ 2000m ” [printed & handwritten].

Etymology. The species is named for terra typica, Argentina.

Diagnosis. Anticyphon argentinensis resembles Anticyphon ecuadorensis Ruta , A. oyonensis , and Anticyphon peruvianus Ruta in size, coloration, and granulate punctation on the pronotal disc. Anticyphon argentinensis has a more transversely rectangular pronotum with less rounded anterolateral pronotal angles. Definitive identification is possible only on the basis of the male genitalia: trigonium without lateral lobes, as long as parameroids, parameres wide, each with small, triangular denticle in basal portion.

Description. Male. Body oblong oval, moderately large, slightly flattened, clothed with yellowish procumbent setae. Coloration of dorsum yellowish brown, antennae and legs yellowish. Head small, 1.6X wider than interocular space, covered with minute granulate punctures; eyes relatively big, protuberant; frons with 2 pairs of small tubercles. Antennae filiform, antennomere 2 shortest [antennomeres 9–11 missing in the holotype]. Pronotum small, transversely rectangular, sides straight, widest at posterior angles, anterolateral angles square, subtly produced; disc moderately convex. Pronotal punctation granulate, stronger on sides than on central portion. Pronotum with subtly marked pits along basal margin. Each elytron with 3 subtly marked longitudinal carinae. Elytral punctation irregular, relatively sparse; punctures shallow, separated by ca. 1.0 diameter. Penis ( Fig. 7 ) moderately large (L = 1.30 mm, W = 0.34 mm), parameroids long, straight, wide, with subparallel sides, pointed at apices; trigonium subtriangular, as long as parameroids, without lateral lobes, pala longer than parameroids, moderately wide; tegmen ( Fig. 8 ) moderately large (L = 0.98 mm, W = 0.51 mm), parameres wide in lateral view, covered with microsculpture in apical portion, basal portion of each paramere with small subtriangular denticle; sternite VIII ( Fig. 9 ) small (L = 0.35 mm, W = 0.47 mm), V-shaped, with sparse setae in apical portions; sternite IX ( Fig. 10 ) relatively small (L = 0.48 mm, W = 0.43 mm), suboval, lightly sclerotized in basal portion, apical portion setose; tergite VIII ( Fig. 11 ) (L = 0.77 mm, W = 0.65 mm) with subrectangular apical plate, apical half covered with microsetae, apical margin arcuate, with row of dense, short setae intermixed with sparse, longer ones, basal portion of apical plate darker and more strongly sclerotized than remaining portion of plate, apodemes much shorter than apical plate; tergite IX ( Fig. 12 ) (L = 0.70 mm, W = 0.52 mm) distinctly narrower than tergite VIII, apical plate membranous, margin densely covered with setae.

Measurements and Ratios. Male (n = 1): TL = 5.30 mm; PL = 0.65 mm; PW = 1.80 mm; EL = 4.70 mm; EW = 3.00 mm; TL/EW = 1.80; PW/PL = 2.80; EL/EW = 1.60; EL/PL = 7.20.

Female. Unknown.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Anticyphon argentinensis is known only from the type locality in northern Argentina ( Fig. 23 ). This species extends the known geographical range of the genus about 2,000 km to the southeast.

Figures

Figs. 1–6. Anticyphon species, habitus and head and pronotum. 1–2) A. argentinensis, holotype, male; 3–4) A. lescheni, holotype, male; 5–6) A. lescheni, paratype, female. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Figs. 1, 3, 5); 0.5 mm (Figs. 2, 4, 6).

Figs. 7–12. Anticyphon argentinensis, holotype, male genitalia. 7) Penis; 8) Tegmen, left paramere, lateral view; 9) Sternite 8; 10) Sternite 9; 11) Tergite 8; 12) Tergite 9. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 23. Distribution of Anticyphon species in South America. Star = locality of A. argentinensis; triangle = locality of A. lescheni; circles = localities of other species.