Pycnomerus thrinax Ivie and Slipinski NEW SPECIES is described from the Florida Keys (USA), where it is found in rotting stems of the thatch palm, Thrinax paruiflora Sw. Illustrations and modifications to existing keys are provided

Ivie, Micheal A.

Slipinski, Stanislaw Adam

English

Ivie, Michael A.

Ślipiński, Stanislaw Adam

Hochschulschriftenserver - Universität Frankfurt am Main

INSECTA MUNDI, Vol. 14, No.4, December, 2000  225 Pycnomerus thrinax, a new North America zopherid (Coleoptera) Michael A.  I  vie Department of Entomology Montana State University Bozeman, MT 59717, USA mivie@montana.edu and Stanislaw Adam Slipinski CSIRO Division of Entomology GPO Box 1700, Canberra ACT 2601, AUSTRALIA, adam.slipinski@ento.csiro.au Abstract. Pycnomerus thrinax Ivie and Slipinski NEW SPECIES is described from the Florida Keys (USA), where it is found in rotting stems of the thatch palm, Thrinax paruiflora Sw. Illustrations and modifications to existing keys are provided. Introduction Slipinski and Lawrence (1999) established the relationship of the Pycnomerini, previously placed as a tribe ofthe Colydiidae (Ivie and Slipinski 1990), with the Zopherinae lineage of a reconstituted Zo-pheridae. Pycnomerus Erichson is the largest genus in  the  family  Zopheridae  (sensu  Slipinski  and Lawrence 1999), with many undescribed species in collections and the indication of many more to be discovered. No world revision is available for Pycno-merus, but in the last few decades regional reviews have been published for North America (Stephan 1989), the West Indies (Ivie and Slipinski 1989), the Palearctic (Dajoz 1977), Madagascar (Dajoz 1980), and the Juan Fernandez Islands (Pope 1955). Specialized collecting by Robert Anderson and Stewart Peck in the Florida Keys (USA) has yielded an interesting and previously unknown member of the genus associated with the thatch palm, Thrinax parviflora Sw. Robert Anderson reports that the "adults were in the drier fibrous material in the dead, central stems of the fallen or hanging fronds of Thrinax parviflora Sw."  (R.  Anderson in lit.). Once  the habitat was identified,  large numbers were found, indicating it  is abundant, if  rarely seen. It is one of a  growing number of extremely small Pycnomerus that all seem  to  live  in  dead palm fronds, including the Lesser Antillean and South American P.  infimus  Grouvelle,  an undescribed species from Queensland [Australian National Col-lection of Insects,  labeled "dead palm fronds  of Licuala ramsayi"], one from Baja Verapaz, Guate-mala [Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa], la-beled "in dead tree fern fronds"] and another from the Seychelles [Museum National d'Histoire Na-turelle, Paris]. Direct and indirect evidence indi-cates that there may be a potentially large circum-tropical  group  of these tiny cryptic Pycnomerus associated with the decaying ribs  of dead palm fronds.  We  describe this new species in order to have the name available before publication of the upcoming American Beetles, Volume II, and to call attention of this cryptic association for others able to investigate the fauna of  dead palm fronds around the world. Pycnomerus thrinax Ivie and Slipinski NEW SPECIES Pycnomerus n. sp. Peck and Thomas 1998: 104. TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype male labeled: FL: Monroe Co.; Key Vaca, Marathon; Crane Pt. Ham-mock; 17.v.90, 90-24; R. S. Anderson/ in dead frond; stalks Thrinax; parviflora Sw. [Canadian Museum of Nature]. Paratypes: 62 - same data as holo-type. 22-U.S.A.: Florida, 90-127; Monroe Co., Key 226  Volume 14, No.4, December, 2000, INSECTA MUNDI 1 2 Figs. 1-3) Pycnomerus thirax Ivie and Slipinski. 1) dorsal view, head and pro  thorax; 2)  male genitalia; 3) antenna. Vaca; 1 mi N.  Key Colony Beach; 21.X.1990, R.  S. Anderson! in dead frond; Thrinax parviflora Sw. 3 - FLA:  Monroe  Co;  Vaca Key,  Marathon;  2.VI-1.IX.86,  Sec 1;  S  &  J  Peck, hammock; malaise -FIT86-46.  2  - FLA:  Monroe  Co;  Fat Deer Key; 2,VIII-16.XI,85, S & J  Peck; hardwood hammock; malaise-FIT. 1 - FLA: Monroe Co; Fat Deer Key; 24.II-4.VI.86; S & J Peck,86-23; hammock; malaise-FIT.  6 - FLA:  Monroe Co;  Fat Deer Key;  4.VI-28.VIII.86; S  & J  Peck,86-24; hammock; malaise-FIT. 3 - FLA: Monroe Co; Fat Deer Key; 31.VIII-15.XII.86; S  &  J  Peck,86-88; hammock; malaise-FIT. 1-FLA: Monroe Co; Fat  Deer Key, S & J Peck; 18.XI.85-28.II.86; hammock; malaise-FIT. Paratypes are deposited in the Australian National Insect Collection (Canberra), Canadian Museum of Na-ture (Ottawa), Florida State Collection of Arthro-pods (Gainesville), Montana State  University (Boze-man), National Museum of Natural History (Wash-ington), Museum National d'Histoire N a turelle (Par-is), Muzeum i Instytut Zoologii (Warsaw), Natural History Museum (London), and University ofKan-sas Natural History Museum (Lawrence). Diagnosis. The very small size and flat, un-grooved  pronotum  distinguish this  species  from other North American species. From P.  infimus it can be distinguished by the very distinct and coarse pro  notal punctation (Fig. 4), and the lack of  any hint of the longitudinal wrinkling so characteristic of P. infimus (Fig. 5). The most similar species we have seen to date is an undescribed species from Queen-sland, Australia, but that species has much sparser and larger punctures on the venter.  From both these, it can be distinguished by the lateral bulge of the elytra over the hind part of the metasternum. Further, the distinctive male genitalia will confirm this species In Stephan's key to North American Pycnomer-us, P.  thrinax will key to couplet 3,  where it will seem to fit P.  reflexus (Say). Couplet 3' should lead to 3a as follows: 3a.  Length 3-4  mm, body sub  cylindrical,  pronotum convex ....................................... P.  reflex  us (Say) 3a'.  Length 2.3-2.8 mm, body dorso-ventrally  flattened, pronotum flat .....................................................  . .............................. P.  thrinax Ivie and Slip  in  ski Pycnomerus thrinax will key to P.  infimus in Ivie and Slip  in  ski's (1989) key to West Indian spe-cies. Because ofthe good chance this species may be found across the Straits of Florida in Cuba or the Bahamas, we provide the following additions for that key:  choice  7'  should lead to  couplet 8,  as follows: 8.  Pronotum longitudinally  wrinkled, punctures elon-gate; elytra parallel-sided ................................ .. ........................................... P.  infimus Grouvelle 8'.  Pronotum without trace oflongitudinal wrinkles, punctures round; elytra laterally  expanded above hind portion of metasternum ...........................  .. .............................. P.  thrinax Ivie and Slipinski Description. Male: Light reddish-brown.  Elon-gate, parallel-sided except for distinct laterad bulge of elytra above posterior 112 of metasternum. Fully winged. Head (Fig.  1)  with surface simply punc-tate, flat; anterior margin deeply emarginate, fron-tal angles  distinct; frons  with slightly indicated depressions mediad of antennal insertions. Anten-na (Fig. 3) short, with distinctly 2-segmented club, antennomere 11 slightly narrower and longer than 10. Eye normal sized; antennal groove very short. Submentum lacking ciliate fovea. Pronotum (Fig. 1,  4) slightly longer than broad; sides weakly con-verging to base from just behind frontal angles; lateral margins smooth, very fine, without accom-panying  punctures; anterior angles narrowly round-ed; posterior angles rounded, nearly obsolete; ante-rior margin straight, unmodified; posterior margin arcuate, finely grooved. Disc flat, glossy, coarsely, simply, punctate (in some individuals narrowly im-punctate medially, sub  serially punctate to each side of this area). Pro  sternum flat, finely punctate, un-modified. Elytra nearly 3.0X as long as wide, flat, sinuate laterally at level of hind part of metaster-INSECTA MUNDI, Vol. 14, No.4, December, 2000  227 4  5 Figs. 4-5. Pronotum. 4. Pycnomerus thirax Ivie and Slipinski; 5. Pycnomerus infimus Grouvelle. num; anterior margin not bordered; striae narrow, uniform, finely and regularly punctate; interstriae flat, glossy. Abdomen coarsely punctate, last ven-trite flat. Genitalia as in Fig. 2. Female: no external differences were noted. Length 2.3 - 2.8 mm. Etymology. The species name is derived from the generic name ofthe thatch palm Thrinax  parviflora Sw. (Palmacae). Acknowledgments We would like to thank R. S. Anderson and F. Genier of the Canadian Museum of Nature, Karl Stephan of Red Oak, Oklahoma, andM. C. Thomas of  the Florida State Collection of Arthropods for the opportunity to study this material. Richard S. Mill-er, Richard L. Hurley and Kelvin  A. Guerrero helped by  reviewing the manuscript. Our collaboration was supported by our respective institutions. This is contribution J-2001-14 of the Montana  Agricultural Experiment Station. Literature Cited Dajoz, R. 1977. Coleopteres: Colydiidae et Anom-matidae Palearctiques. Faune de l'Europe et du Bassin Mediterraneen, No.8. Masson, Paris. 275 pp. Dajoz, R. 1980. Insectes Coleopteres: Colydiidae et Cerylonidae. Faune de Madagascar 54: 1-256. Ivie, M. A., and S. A. Slipinski. 1989. The Pycno-merini (Coleoptera: Colydiidae) of the West In-dies. Florida Entomologist 72: 64-80. Ivie, M. A., and S. A. Slipinski. 1990. Catalog of the genera of world Colydiidae  (Coleoptera). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 43 (suppl. 1): 1-32. Peck, S. B., and M. C. Thomas. 1998. A distribu-tional checklist of the beetles (Coleoptera) of Florida. Arthropods of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas 16: i-viii + 1-180. Pope, R. D. 1955. Los insectos de las Islas Juan Fernandez. 25. Colydiidae. Rev. Chilena Ento-mol. 4:  153-158. Slipinski, S. A. and J. F. Lawrence. 1999. Phy-logeny and classification of Zopheridae sensu novo  (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea) with a  re-view of the genera of Zopherinae  (excluding Monommatini). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 49: 1-53. Stephan, K. H. 1989. The Bothrideridae and Coly-diidae of  America north of Mexico (Coleoptera: Clavicornia and Heteromera.  Occasional Pa-pers of the Florida State Collection of Arthro-pods Vol. 6 Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Gainesville. xii + 65 pp. 

Pycnomerus thrinax : a new North America zopherid (Coleoptera)

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