Cryptolestes robinclarkei Thomas, n. sp., is described from Bolivia, illustrated, and compared to other species of the genus

Thomas, Michael C.

English

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INSECTA MUNDI, Vol. 16, No.4, December, 2002  251 A new species of Cryptolestes Ganglbauer (Coleoptera:  Laemophloeidae) from  Bolivia Michael C. Thomas Florida State Collection of  Arthropods Florida Department of  Agriculture and Consumer Services P.O. Box 147100 Gainesville, FL 32614-7100 U.S.A. Abstract. Cryptolestes robinclarl?ei Thomas, n. sp., is described from Bolivia, illustrated, and compared to other species of the genus. Introduction Among the extraordinary variety of cucujoid beetles collected during a recent series oftrips to the vicinity of  the  village of  Buena  Vista at  the southern edge of the Amazon Basin in Bolivia was a  very distinctive new species of  Cryptolestes, which is here described. Cryptolestes robinclarkei Thomas new species Figures 1-2 Type material: Holotype male, with data: "BOLIV-IA:  Santa Cruz, 3.7km."/"SSEBuena Vista, Hotel Flora"!"  & Fauna405m.5-15-XI-2001"!"17°29.949'S; 63°38.152'W'  !"M. C. Thomas&B.K.Dozier"  /"tropical transition forest", deposited in Museo de Historia Natural "Noel KempffMercado", Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia (MNKM); 9 paratypes, all same data, deposited in MNKM and FSCA. Diagnosis: The very broad, flattened body form (Fig. 1), with sparse dorsal punctation, simple male antennal scapes, and presence of secondary sublat-erallines on the pronotum should allow easy  .recog-nition of this distinctive species. Description:  Holotype,  male.  Length,  2.4mm. Testaceous, mouthparts, elytra, and legs a  little paler. Head: Transverse, 1.94 times wider across eyes than long. Flat dorsally, clypeal area and region above antennal  insertions slightly  raised above gen-eral surface. Punctation sparse, punctures minute, almost absent medially, a  little larger and more closely spaced laterally; pubescence inconspicuous; microsculpture absent; surface smooth and glossy between punctures. Antennae elongate, attaining apical fourth of elytra; scape simple. Eyes large, comprising 0.52 times length of head; somewhat flattened. Mandibles evenly curved; somewhat ex-pandedlaterally. Thorax: Pronotum transverse, 1. 74 times wid-er than long; widest at about apical third. Surface sculpture  and pubescence  as  on  head.  Strongly flattened  dorsally,  evenly curved laterally,  with complete secondary sublaterallines that are mostly parallel  to sub  lateral  lines, but  diverge slightly near base.Anterior angles acute, produced; posterior an-gles right. Elytra broadly rounded and conspicuously ex-planate laterally, 1.75 times longer than length of head and  pronotum combined; all three  cells present. Pro  coxal cavities narrowly open posteriorly; inter-coxal process broadly rounded. Genitalia as in Fig. 2. Variation: The paratypes range in length from 2.1 mm to 2.6 mm. The antennae offemales are shorter than in males, attaining only about the midpoint of the elytra. The elytra are proportionally longer in females, ranging from 1.80 to 1.87 times the length ofthe head and pronotum combined, while in males the elytra are 1.71 to 1.75 times longer than  the  head and pronotum combined. There is no sclerotization ofthe bursa present in the female. The armature of the internal sac is relatively smaller than in many other members of the genus  (see  Figs.  10-20 in Thomas 2003) and appears to be only slightly sclero-tized. Etymology: I take great pleasure in naming this beetle in honor of  Robin Clarke, proprietor of Hotel Flora and Fauna, a naturalist and conservationist, and a friend to coleopterists. 252  Volume 16, No.4, December, 2002, INSECTA MUNDI Figure 1.  Cryptolestes  robinclarhei Thomas, n.sp.,  dorsal habitus, holotype  male. Discussion: This species falls out at the second couplet (possessing sublaterallines on pronotum) of the recent key to New World Cryptolestes (Thomas 2003), where it keys to C. obesus Thomas, having a complete secondary sublateralline parallel to the sublateralline. It  does not agree otherwise with that species, individuals of  which are stout and  convex. In general body shape, it is perhaps most similar to C. trinidadensis Thomas, but it  is even more dorsoven-trally compressed than that species, from which it differs in many details.  Cryptolestes robinclarkei belongs to the grou  p of  species having narrowly  open procoxal cavities and a broadly rounded intercoxal process  of the  prosternum  (Thomas  1988).  The specimens of the type series were all collected in ultraviolet light traps placed in mostly secondary forest. Acknowledgments: I thank  Robin Clarke especially for his hospitality and freely offered expertise in all things natural; ByrdK. Dozier and George C. Ball  for their companionship on the trip that produced this new species, and David Almquist for his excellent photography  of  a difficult subject. Julieta  LedezmaA., of  Mus  eo de Historia Natural  "Noel KempffMercado," facilitated obtaining permits. This is Entomology Contribution  No. 942, Bureau  of  Entomology, Nema-tology, and Plant Pathology, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer  Services. INSECTA MUNDI, Vol. 16, No.4, December, 2002 Figure 2. Cryptolestes robinclarkei Thomas, n.sp., male genitalia including  abdominal  segment  8,  holotype.  Inset, enlargement of armature of internal sac from  paratype. 253 References cited Thomas, M.C. 1988. A revision of the New World species of Cryptolestes Ganglbauer (Coleoptera: Cucujidae: Laemophloeinae). Insecta Mundi 2: 43-65. Thomas, M. C. 2003. Descriptions of  four new spe-cies of Cryptolestes Ganglbauer, with a revised key to the New World species and notes on other species (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae). Insecta Mundi 16: 147-155. [2002] 

A new species of Cryptolestes Ganglbauer (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae) from Bolivia

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