Priscyparus quisqueyensis Skelley 2021, new species
Creators: name: Skelley, Paul E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Priscyparus
Priscyparus quisqueyensis

description: Priscyparus quisqueyensis Skelley, new species   
Figures 1–6  
 Description. Male holotype. Length 4.5 mm, greatest elytral and pronotal width 1.8 mm. Body with encrustations preventing study of some surface details; shape elongate, narrowing posteriorly (Fig. 2). Head. Head one-third wider than long, clypeus anteriorly with inflexed lower margin, upper margin quadridentate, inner tooth on each side at lateral third, outer tooth on each side adjacent to edge of gena; other characters obscured in encrustation. Vertex with 4 short longitudinal costae, 2 median costae slightly closer. Gena rounded, hidden in encrustation. Pronotum. Pronotum with 6 irregularly longitudinal carinae. Paramedian costa complete, nearly parallel, tall and blade-like entire length, anterior lobe greatly enlarged but not swollen (Fig. 4–6), in lateral view anterior lobe flattened above and sloping anteriorly, posterior part of costa slightly swollen and lobe-like over posterior pronotal margin, abruptly declivous at margin, surface between costa punctate; discolateral costa interrupted in anterior third by deep irregular pits, anterior lobe similar development but small than paramedian lobe, posterior part of costa low and complete from base to pit; submarginal costa prominent, anterior lobe similar but smaller than discolateral anterior lobe, posterior part of costa prominently swollen and laterally arched, obscuring structures beneath; all costae extending to posterior pronotal margin; lateral margin of pronotum with two lobes, anterior lobe circular and more prominent than tooth-like median lobe, posterior lateral margin and angle obscure. Elytron. Elytron with 3 equally sharply elevated keel-like costa and a weak marginal costa; discomedian costa separated from sutural ridge by transverse rugulae, costa straight and narrow to slightly swollen apex projecting over trichome; discolateral costa weakly arched at base, narrow and straight, not swollen as approaching and touching trichome; posthumeral costa prominent at humerus, sharply elevated on basal half, abruptly declivous and reducing in size, obsolete as nearing trichome; marginal costa fine from base to caudal bulb; caudal bulb prominently projecting posteriorly beyond elytral apex (Fig. 3). Venter. Postprosternal apophysis hastate. Metaventrite with distinct median impression and smaller impressions behind mesocoxae (evident by encrustations), visible surface smooth and punctate. Abdomen mostly encrusted, not visible; two sharp tubercles at the base of the last ventrite (Fig. 5). Legs. Profemur robust; meso- and metafemur narrow, not swollen; metafemur long, reaching elytral apex. Protibia narrow, apically tridentate, each tooth fine, 1 tooth present on each side of apex and 1 medially; mesotibia narrow, weakly enlarging toward apex, inner margin weakly sinuate, inner apical angle with small inwardly projecting tooth (Fig. 5); metatibia narrow, encrusted obscuring details. Protarsus short; meso- and metatarsus short, half-length of tibia, tarsomeres thickened, basal tarsomeres long as next two combined.   
 Materials examined. Holotype fossil in amber labeled: “[red paper] / HOLOTYPE / Priscyparus / quisqueyensis / Skelley /”, deposited FSCA. Two paratype specimens labeled to be from “Alto de las Piedras, Dominican Republic ” (FSCA) were also studied. These paratypes are mostly enclosed in bubbles (Fig. 7), making structural details poorly visible.   
 Etymology. The species epithet comes from Hispaniola, which was called Quisqueya by the aboriginal Taíno people. The species name is Latinized with - ensis, so the full name of this species means the “ancient Rhyparus from Quisqueya.”   
 Comments. This species is unusual in its combination of characters, as well as having a few unique characters. The pronotal costae are greatly raised, even more than is seen in Termitodius. Most other characters are similar to Termitodiellus Nakane from SE Asia, Indonesia and New Guinea. The elongate, posteriorly projecting discomedian costa and caudal bulb of the elytra are seen in Termitodiellus besucheti (Paulian) and Termitodiellus hammondi (Krikken and Huijbregts) from Borneo and Sumatra (Krikken and Huijbregts 1987, fig. 13–14). However, Termitodius and Termitodiellus have different tibial types than Priscyparus which has a mesotibia with an inwardly directed spine on inner apex. This is the Rhyparus - type tibia found in Rhyparus and closely related genera (Skelley 2007).   
 The holotype is in a piece of amber with a host termite (Fig. 1). Other rhyparine species are guests in termite colonies (Reyes-Castillo and Martínez 1979). Amber Coptotermes Wasmann (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) are reported from the Dominican Republic by Krisna and Grimaldi (2009).
description: Published as part of Skelley, Paul E., 2021, New genus of Rhyparini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) in amber from the Dominican Republic, pp. 1-5 in Insecta Mundi 2021 (896) on pages 2-5, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.12808359