Anticyphon lescheni 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 : 709-711

Anticyphon lescheni Ruta , new species

( Figs. 3–6 , 13–22 )

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Type Material. Holotype, male ( SEMC): “ ECUADOR: Azuay \ Cajas 25 km NW Cuenca \ 3700 m, 7 Jan. 1992 \ C. Carlton, R. Leschen \ #127 ex: beating” [printed] . Paratypes, 8 females (SEMC), same data as holotype .

Etymology. The species is dedicated to one of the collectors, Richard Leschen, a leading expert in Coleoptera systematics.

Diagnosis. Anticyphon lescheni resembles A. ecuadorensis and Anticyphon paramoensis Ruta in size, shape, and coloration. The granulate punctation of the pronotal disc is subtler than in A. ecuadorensis and A. paramoensis . Accurate identification is possible only on the basis of the male genitalia: trigonium wide, with wide lateral lobes, distinctly shorter than parameroids, parameres bifid, with microsculptured membranous apical portion.

Description. Male. Body oblong oval, small, slightly flattened, clothed with brownish, suberect setae. Elytra brown, scutellary shield lighter, light brown, pronotum light brown with darker spots, antennae dark brown, legs yellowish. Head small, 1.6X wider than interocular space, covered with minute, granulate punctures; eyes relatively big, protuberant; frons with 2 depressions. Antennae filiform, antennomere 2 shortest, antennomere 3 only slightly longer than 2, narrowest. Pronotum small, subrectangular, sides subtly curved, widest at posterior angles, anterolateral angles rounded; disc convex. Pronotal punctation granulate, stronger on sides than on central portion. Pronotum without pits along basal margin. Elytral punctation irregular, relatively sparse; punctures shallow, separated by ca. 1.0–1.5 diameter. Penis ( Figs. 13–14 ) moderately large (L = 1.00 mm, W = 0.26 mm), parameroids long, straight, slightly widened in apical portion, rounded at apices, small lobes armed with small denticles (visible in lateral view) present in basal portion; trigonium widely subtriangular, ventral margin covered with denticles, lateral lobes wide, curved ventrally, of same length as median portion of trigonium, distinctly shorter than parameroids, pala longer than parameroids, moderately wide; tegmen ( Fig. 15 ) moderately large (L = 0.87 mm, W = 0.43 mm), parameres bifid, outer processes extended by membranous structure covered with microsculpture in apical portion; sternite VIII ( Fig. 16 ) small (L = 0.28 mm, W = 0.42 mm), V-shaped, with sparse setae in apical portions; sternite IX ( Fig. 17 ) relatively small (L = 0.34 mm, W = 0.40 mm), suboval, transverse, apical portion setose; tergite VIII ( Fig. 18 ) (L = 0.55 mm, W = 0.59 mm) with transversely subrectangular apical plate, apical half covered with microsetae, apical margin arcuate, with row of dense, short setae basal portion of apical plate darkened, apodemes much shorter than apical plate; tergite IX ( Fig. 19 ) (L = 0.52 mm, W = 0.41 mm) distinctly narrower than tergite VIII, apical plate membranous, margin densely covered with setae.

Female. Distinctly larger than male. Antennomere 3 distinctly longer than 2. Pronotum often brown with darker spots. Each elytron with 3 subtly marked longitudinal carinae. Sternite VIII elongate (L = 1.32 mm, W = 0.31 mm), with sinuate apodemes not fused basally, apex with sparse setae. Tergite VIII long (L = 1.94 mm, W = 0.40 mm); apical portion subtriangular, with sparse setation on apical margin; apodemes long, 3X longer than apical portion. Ovipositor ( Fig. 20 ) long (L = ca. 3.0 mm); branchlets small; coxites (L = 0.53 mm) membranous, triangularly elongate, narrow, with parallel sides in apical half, covered with sparse, minute setae; styli with 2 tufts of setae at apex. Vulva ( Fig. 21 ) membranous, with 5 sclerites forming large sclerotized structure: 2 small subrectangular sclerites (L = 0.14 mm, W = 0.08 mm); 2 large, elongated sclerites connected with membrane (single sclerite: L = 0.60 mm, W = 0.18 mm); and a subtriangular ventral sclerite (L = 0.20 mm, W = 0.12 mm); bursal sclerites ( Fig. 22 ) consisting of large, lanceolate sclerite (L = 0.40 mm, W = 0.11 mm), smaller sclerite consisting of paired, rodlike sclerites covered with minute denticles (L = 0.14 mm, W = 0.07 mm) and a small, oval sclerite (L = 0.07 mm, W = 0.03 mm); posterior portion of bursella covered with oval, pentagonal and hexagonal cuticular structures; anterior portion of bursella covered with microtrichia.

Measurements and Ratios. Male (n = 1): TL = 3.75 mm; PL = 0.63 mm; PW = 1.4 mm; EL = 3.25 mm; EW = 2.25 mm; TL/EW = 1.70; PW/PL = 2.20; EL/EW = 1.40; EL/PL = 5.20. Females (n = 8): TL = 4.80–5.50 mm (mean = 5.1 mm); PL = 0.80–0.95 mm (mean = 0.86 mm); PW = 1.70–1.95 mm (mean = 1.8 mm); EL 4.00– 4.70 mm (mean = 4.4 mm); EW = 2.60–3.00 mm (mean = 2.8 mm); TL/EW = 1.74–1.96 (mean = 1.84); PW/PL = 2.00–2.25 (mean = 2.14); EL/EW = 1.48–1.67 (mean = 1.56); EL/PL 4.72–5.63 (mean = 5.10).

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Anticyphon lescheni is known only from the type locality in southern Ecuador ( Fig. 23 ), not far from the type locality of A. ecuadorensis .

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. 13–19. Anticyphon lescheni, holotype, male genitalia. 13) Penis, dorsal view; 14) Penis, lateral view; 15) Tegmen, left paramere, lateral view; 16) Sternite 8; 17) Sternite 9; 18) Tergite 8; 19) Tergite 9. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figs. 20–22. Anticyphon lescheni, paratype, female genitalia. 20) Genital tract; 21) Vulvar sclerites; 22) Bursal sclerites. Scale bar = 1.0 mm (Fig. 20); 0.5 mm (Figs. 21–22).

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